Long Swim

Keeping up with “The Abyss” is like fighting a riptide: Those full-page ads last week, heralding the underwater epic as an Aug. 2 platform release, proved premature. The James Cameron-directed pic won’t be ready in time, and it’s been pushed back to open wide Aug. 9.

The running time--of 2 hours 16 minutes--makes “The Abyss” the summer’s longest pic. This after Cameron trimmed 22 minutes from a 2-hour, 38-minute version he screened about a month ago. Cameron had to make cuts, we learned, because his contract with the studio specifies length limitations--”or he would lose final cut to the studio,” a source said.

Fox’s big gamble--the studio’s only chance to get into the summer blockbuster sweepstakes--was reportedly budgeted at $47 million. Fox is spending another $15 for prints and advertising, reports an insider, bringing the cost to $62 million.

As scheduled now, the media will see the movie--in “a slightly unfinished” version--later this month. Exhibitors, in early August.