The release of the film follows hard on the heels of Eastwood's critically acclaimed World War II saga "Flags of Our Fathers." "Flags" relates the story of the invasion of Iwo Jima from the American point of view. "Letters' tells the story from a Japanese perspective.

    "Letters From Iwo Jima" opens Dec. 9 in Japan, where director Eastwood has been screening it to great acclaim, said Dan Fellman head of distribution at Warner Bros.

    "The reaction has been overwhelming, more than he ever expected, and based on that conversation and the fact that the movie is ready to go, it was in the best interests of the movie to move the date up," Fellman explained.

    Shot back-to-back with "Flags" which opened in October, "Letters From Iwo Jima" will open in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco and possibly one other market, said Fellman, "Letters From Iwo Jima," starring Ken Watanabe as the Japanese general, had been scheduled for release Feb. 9.

    "Flags of Our Fathers" debuted to praise from critics but has been a box-office underachiever, bringing in a modest 31 million U.S. dollars domestically so far. Weak box-office returns are viewed as a potential hindrance to a film's awards prospects, creating a negative aura that it failed to live up to expectations.

    Bookending "Flags of Our Fathers" with "Letters From Iwo Jima" so quickly afterward could raise the awards and financial prospects for both films. If "Letters" earns similar critical praise, it will make Eastwood's achievement -- two ambitious, acclaimed films in one year -- all the more impressive.

    (Agencies)