The hotly-anticipated third chapter in the "Star Trek" franchise has been delayed. "Star Trek Beyond" was expected to be released July 8, 2016, but will not screen in theaters until July 22.

According to sources, the main reason for this change of date has to do with IMAX availability. Deadline reports that Paramount Pictures was quite content with the box office showing of "Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation," which was similarly released in late July. With the summer coming to an end at that point, the film was able to dominate most IMAX screens and gross more money.

"Rogue Nation" was originally going to be released in December 2015, but the open slot at the end of July proved more comfortable for the film, which did not have to compete with the likes of "The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 2," "Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens," "The Hateful Eight," "Spectre" and all of the Oscar contenders.

Next summer, the IMAX scene is apparently going to be dominated by "Tarzan" from Warner Bros. starting on July 1. That would leave "Star Trek" with fewer screens and would take a huge cut of its potential gross from showing on the larger format.

With the July 22 date, "Star Trek Beyond" now has no reason to worry about any major competition. The films that will be out around that date include "Ice Age: Collision Course" and "King Arthur." "Ice Age" could pose a threat, as all the films in that series have grossed over $160 million. That said, the latest film in the franchise, "Ice Age: Continental Drift," was also the lowest grossing.

"Star Trek Beyond" will look to rebuild the franchise, after "Star Trek: Into Darkness" underperformed compared to its predecessor. The reboot film brought in $257 million in 2009, while the follow-up came up with $228 million in domestic gross. There is hope that the next film will top both of those numbers.

"Star Trek Beyond" stars Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Simon Pegg, Karl Urban, Zoe Saldana, John Cho, Anton Yelchin and Idris Elba. Justin Lin is stepping into the director's chair for the first time after J.J. Abrams took on the first two movies.