Los Angeles ? Miramax Films has avoided having Leonardo DiCaprio compete with himself by moving the release date of “Gangs of New York” to Dec. 20.

The Martin Scorsese epic initially was scheduled to open on Christmas Day, when it would have competed with another DiCaprio film, DreamWorks’ “Catch Me If You Can.”

Miramax said last week that it would change the Dec. 25 “Gangs” release date, and announced late Thursday that the film would debut nationwide five days earlier.

With an estimated budget of $100 million, “Gangs of New York” is the most expensive film ever from Miramax. DiCaprio plays an Irish immigrant who gets caught up in political corruption, underworld violence and rioting in New York City during the Civil War. Cameron Diaz and Daniel Day-Lewis co-star.

In Steven Spielberg’s “Catch Me If You Can,” DiCaprio plays a master con artist who assumes several identities while running from an FBI agent, played by Tom Hanks.

Miramax chief operating officer Rick Sands told The Associated Press on Friday that he was concerned about “Gangs” and “Catch Me” opening on the same day, but is comfortable with a five-day difference.

“They’re completely different roles, the movies are both directed by master directors, but they have different styles,” he said. “Had we been released on the same date, that would have been problematic. … There would have been more comparisons.”

Miramax didn’t want to open “Gangs” any earlier in December because theater operators frequently shift films that open then to smaller screens as the busy holiday season approaches, Sands said.

“Gangs of New York” began filming in New York and Rome in August 2000 and continued through April 2001. It originally was set for release in December 2001, but was delayed until July and then late December 2002.

Sands downplayed the significance of the ever-shifting schedule, and said the quality of the film would speak for itself.

“I don’t think that the public really focuses on shifting release dates. I think that’s industry specific,” he said.

Despite the date change, both films still face plenty of competition. “The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers,” the second film adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien’s trilogy, opens Dec. 18.

Also debuting Dec. 20 are “Antwone Fisher,” Denzel Washington’s directorial debut, in which he also stars; “Two Weeks Notice,” starring Hugh Grant and Sandra Bullock; and the animated “The Wild Thornberrys,” based on the popular Nickelodeon series.