Juan Antonio Bayona’s A Monster Calls will now hit theaters December 23 Focus Features has shifted release date plans for A Monster Calls, the new feature film from The Orphanage and The Impossible helmer Juan Antonio Bayona. Instead of debuting on the big screen October 21 as originally planned, A Monster Calls is now shifting into awards season, targeting a limited December 23 release before going wide January 6, 2017.