dateCreated

dateCreated · Recommended

Appears in

• Movie

What is it?

The date when a creative work was originally created or released. For movies, dateCreated records the theatrical release date. Google uses this property in Movie structured data to show when a film was released, helping search engines distinguish between different versions, remakes, and re-releases.

Why this matters for AEO

When a user asks an AI engine "when did Inception come out?", the AI pulls dateCreated directly for an instant, factual answer. For queries like "Christopher Nolan movies from 2010," the AI filters by this date field to build an accurate filmography. Without structured release dates, the AI must scrape page text and guess which date refers to the release.

What the specs say

Schema.org: Date or DateTime. The date on which the CreativeWork was created or the item was added to a DataFeed. schema.org/dateCreated

Google: Recommended. "The date the movie was released." Google Movie docs

How to find your value

• IMDb — Release date on the movie's main page
• TMDb API — release_date field in the API response
• Wikipedia — Infobox "Release date" row
• Studio press materials — Official release date from the distributor

Format and code

Use ISO 8601 date format: YYYY-MM-DD. DateTime format (YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SS) is also valid but unnecessary for release dates.

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Movie",
  "name": "Inception",
  "director": {
    "@type": "Person",
    "name": "Christopher Nolan"
  },
  "dateCreated": "2010-07-16"
}

Webflow implementation

Static pages

Add the release date in the JSON-LD block in Page Settings > Custom Code:

<script type="application/ld+json">
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Movie",
  "name": "Movie Title",
  "dateCreated": "2024-06-15",
  "director": {"@type": "Person", "name": "Director Name"}
}
</script>

CMS template pages

Create a date field in your movies CMS collection. Webflow outputs dates in ISO format by default, which maps directly to dateCreated in the JSON-LD embed.

In Schema HQ

Field mapping pulls CMS date field to dateCreated automatically when the Movie type is configured, formatting the output as ISO 8601.

Real examples

Rotten Tomatoes (rottentomatoes.com/m/inception):

{
  "@type": "Movie",
  "name": "Inception",
  "director": {
    "@type": "Person",
    "name": "Christopher Nolan"
  },
  "dateCreated": "2010-07-16",
  "contentRating": "PG-13",
  "aggregateRating": {
    "@type": "AggregateRating",
    "ratingValue": 87,
    "bestRating": 100,
    "ratingCount": 363
  }
}

Rotten Tomatoes (rottentomatoes.com/m/the_dark_knight):

{
  "@type": "Movie",
  "name": "The Dark Knight",
  "director": {
    "@type": "Person",
    "name": "Christopher Nolan"
  },
  "dateCreated": "2008-07-18",
  "contentRating": "PG-13"
}

Related fields

• director
• actor
• contentRating
• datePublished
• name

FAQ

What is the difference between dateCreated and datePublished for movies?

For movies, Google uses dateCreated for the release date. datePublished is more commonly used for articles and written content. In practice, many sites use datePublished for movie releases too, but Google's Movie structured data documentation specifically references dateCreated.

Should I use the worldwide or regional release date?

Use the earliest wide release date. For Hollywood films, this is typically the U.S. theatrical release. If the film premiered at a festival before wide release, use the theatrical date unless the page specifically covers the festival premiere.

Can dateCreated include time?

Yes, DateTime format is valid (e.g., "2010-07-16T00:00:00"), but the time component adds no value for movie release dates. Use the simple YYYY-MM-DD format.