Briefly: Paramount announced this morning that Star Trek Into Darkness‘ U.S. release date will shift one day forward to Thursday, May 16.

Star Trek Into Darkness has been set for an opening on Wednesday, May 15 at 8 p.m. only in IMAX theaters across the country, and now the regular theatrical release will debut just hours later.

The reason for the move is unclear, but Paramount may be looking to bump the film’s opening weekend box office tally. By opening on Wednesday night/Thursday, they’ll be able to round up five days of box office tallies into one “opening weekend” figure. Warner Bros. made a similar move for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince when it opened in theaters Wednesday July 15, 2009. If not moving the film for this reason, they may just want to accommodate high Wednesday night demand.

Star Trek Into Darkness‘ United Kingdom theatrical release is set for this Thursday, May 9.

Those who have already purchased tickets to Friday showings may be bummed that they need to either cancel or move their tickets so they can see it as early as possible.

Star Trek Into Darkness is directed by J.J. Abrams and stars Chris Pine, Benedict Cumberbatch, and Zachary Quinto.