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(June,2003)
From: Screendaily.com (The Detail is here) Reloaded flies close to $400m mark for Warner
Mike Goodridge in Los Angeles 01 July 2003 04:00 Warner Bros Pictures International continued its spectacular run at the box office over the weekend with The Matrix Reloaded which took another $9.94m from 4,980 screens in 60 countries. Its total international gross is poised to cross the $400m mark this week and at Sunday stood at $397.2m. The film dropped just 20.6% in Japan in its fourth weekend on release, and was only just beaten by new opener Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle which took Y620m as opposed to Reloaded’s Y607.4m. Warner said Monday that excluding Full Throttle’s sneak previews, Reloaded would have remained at the top. Its Japanese total to date is Y7.51bn ($63.1m). The film is Warner International’s third biggest grossing film of all time after Harry Potter And The Sorcerer’s Stone (2001) which grossed $648.2m and Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets (2002) which took $604.4m.
From: Box Office Guru (The Detail is here) Weekend Box Office (June 27 - 29, 2003)
[Snipped for the Matrix] A pair of AOL Time Warner franchise flicks fell from the top ten over the weekend. The Matrix Reloaded dropped 37% to an estimated $2.5M in its seventh journey pushing its stellar cume to $268.9M. The Warner Bros. sequel sits at number 18 on the all-time domestic list ahead of Shrek which hauled in $267.7M in 2001. Reloaded, which cost more than $150M to produce, should finish its domestic run with roughly $275M (including Imax grosses) and has already taken in nearly $400M overseas. The final chapter in the trilogy, The Matrix Revolutions, is slated for a November 5 release.
From: ABS-CBN.com (The Detail is here) Japanese anim・inspires mind-bending 'The Animatrix'
Undoubtedly, the most remembered scenes from The Matrix Reloaded are the action and shooting sequences that suspend the main characters in a state of levitation. Truth of the matter, however, is that these jaw-dropping sequences were inspired by such Asian anim・/i> classics as Akira and Ghost in the Shell. For this reason, the makers of The Matrix trilogy, the Wachowski brothers, felt compelled to pay their respects to the anim・/i>genre from which they have so generously drawn. Thus, shortly after the release of the original The Matrix, the brothers decided to get their creative genius working by commissioning films from some of their favorite animation directors, most based in Japan. 展e talked about doing it as a television series,・says Joel Silver, producer of The Matrix movies. Instead, Warner Bros.・Home Video division persuaded them to use the collection as a promotional vehicle and to release it on video. This must-have collection is now titled The Animatrix. Three of the shorts in the Animatrix episodes -- 鄭 Detective Story,・撤rogram・and 典he Second Renaissance Part 1・-- are now available on the Internet. 典he Second Renaissance Part 2,・which completes the two-episode prequel explaining the origin of The Matrix, premiered in May. And 典he Final Flight of the Osiris,・a computer-animated action sequence so amazingly photorealistic, played in local theaters with the film version of Stephen King痴 Dreamcatcher. All nine Animatrix episodes are now in video stores everywhere on a P595 DVD and a P250 VCD. 典he Final Flight of the Osiris,・the technological jewel in the crown, comes from the team that hatched the 2001 spectacle Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within and cost $5 million to make. 的t sets up the story that goes through Reloaded and Revolutions,・says Silver. The rest of the shorts expand on themes introduced in the Matrix movies. The Animatrix is distributed exclusively by Warner Home Video.
From: Gamers.com (The Detail is here) Enter The Matrix
By Todd Zuniga, Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine I hated the film Reloaded. In my writerly way, I've always felt that anyone can compose a great sentence--it's connecting many of those sentences into a great story that's the challenge. So, while the fight scenes in Reloaded are off-the-charts cool, they're connected by a story that could help a suffering insomniac score some Zs. As for the videogame, no OPMer wanted to review Enter the Matrix because, really, we all thought it would fall somewhere in the bad-to-god-awful range. But, this being my last ever review, I reckoned it would be my optimal swan song write-up in which I could be mean-spirited and hammer away at the shoddy control, horrific camera, and onion-skin-thin story line. But, best laid plans, etc., etc. I liked Enter the Matrix quite a bit. Somehow, I couldn't stop playing it. I was thirsty to understand the flick, since it made almost no sense to small-brained me. Because the game ties into the movie in a never-before-done way, it jacked me, the casual fan, into The Matrix universe. As I beat missions, I unlocked video clips that aren't from the movie, but buffer the film's scenes. If there were no videogame, maybe they'd have stretched the movie, but why bother? This is a great way to deliver backstory. Ready for a quick for-instance? Prefaced, of course, by the most shouted word around the office: Spoilers! OK, so you know the scene in which Morpheus is fighting atop the truck and he jumps off and lands on Niobe's car? Where did Niobe come from? The game tells you, since you're playing up to that point of the movie! It's really cool, and it invests you in a game that is otherwise so terribly camera-tized, you'd think the Wachowski brothers had nothing to do with it (although they did). There's some massive sloppiness that will challenge you along the way, but most of that sloppiness is great for a laugh. The car tires are hexagonal. I didn't watch that closely, maybe, but weren't car tires round in Reloaded? And keep your remote close: For some reason, the audio is about 40 decibels off, so you'll have to turn it up for the movie scenes and then down for the gameplay, or risk going deaf. The letters "WTF" seem to apply best here. Of course, the hardcore Matrix dorks who think Keanu Reeves deserves an Oscar will be pleased by the varied missions for the two characters, and they'll even get into the cool hacking minigames. In truth, the game is almost a cultural must-play the way the movie is a must-see. All that Matrix stuff (slow-motion fight scenes, bullet time, etc.) works, even if you can't always see it because of the oddball camera. My advice: Take the red pill. And by "take," I mean "rent."
From: koin.com (The Detail is here) Thumbsucker' To Film Next Month
BEAVERTON, Ore. -- Want to be in a movie? "Thumbsucker," a new movie starring Keanu Reeves, Matthew McConaughey and Vincent D'Onofrio, is set to begin filming July 9. Northwest Extras, the company in charge of casting the rest of the movie, is looking for people of all ages, shapes and sizes. If you're interested, gather your color snapshot (waist or shoulder high), resume, name, address, phone number, e-mail address, date of birth, height, weight, eye color and times when you'll be out of town this summer. Send it all to Northwest Extras, re: Thumbsucker. PO Box 56343, Portland, Ore., 97238-6343. Call (503) 258-9040 for more information.
From: Entertainment iAfrica (The Detail is here) Tabloids gear up for wedding frenzy!
From stars getting up to their elbows in chocolate to a celeb getting down and dirty in the trenches with us ordinary folk・After 禅he Matrix痴 huge Cannes splash it also got a premiere in London ・a city not exactly known for its perfect weather. But that didn稚 hold the movie痴 star, Keanu Reeves, back from spending half-an-hour greeting fans in the pouring rain. Some lucky Londoners managed to nab an autograph or get their picture taken with Keanu, after having waited hours in the awful weather for the chance. Said the sweet star: "I wish I could have stayed out longer. It's absolutely fantastic. It's extraordinary. Some people have been really anxious for this film to come out and I just hope it lives up to their expectations." Must be living up to them quite nicely, given the amount of money it痴 making・
From: Comicbook Resources (The Detail is here) CATWOMAN, CONSTANTINE
CATWOMAN, CONSTANTINE Stax over at IGN FilmForce has been busy rummaging around the Internet looking for comic-to-film news. He dug up a pair of script fragments of interest to readers here. The Showfax website, a actors' resource posting casting information for upcoming movies, recently posted script pages for the comic-based Warner pics "Constantine" and "Catwoman." The pages went up last week and are intended for use by actors who may be seeking parts in the production. They may give insights into the direction of both movies. However, there's no telling how fresh the pages actually are and if they reflect the current scripts. Both movies have already cast the leads with Keanu Reeves ("The Matrix") playing DC/Vertigo's Hellblazer (who is reportedly written as an American in the film) and Halle Berry ("X2") playing Catwoman (who is not Selena Kyle in the film). The pages do contain spoilers, so click the above links at your own risk
From: Al-Ahram.com (The Detail is here) Matrix undone
Matrix Reloaded, at least for now, is being kept out of Egyptian cinemas, reports Amina Elbendary Matrix Reloaded, the second part of the Matrix trilogy, met with worldwide media hype. In Cairo, though, the hype took a different turn: the Department for Monitoring Artistic Products banned the film. Quite why Matrix Reloaded should have generated so much anxiety, though, remains unclear. Monitoring Authority Director Madkour Thabet, himself a filmmaker, seeks to maintain positive relations with his colleagues. "I refuse to be called a censor," he insists, in classical Arabic. He sees himself rather as a regulator and defender of artistic rights. Most of the so-called censorship problems, he claims, are in fact disputes among filmmaking parties over various artistic rights. And it is true that, during his tenure in office, there have been remarkably few public controversies. Matrix Reloaded is one of only a handful of films to have been summarily banned. Yet this is hardly a golden age for filmmaking and negative responses to the banning of the film are rife. Critic Mustafa Darwish, who was at one time in charge of censorship himself, is one concerned party who laments the intrusion of the censor on films such as 8 Mile, a recent release so drastically distorted, he says, that moviegoers were repelled. "I was alone in the hall when I went to see it," Darwish remembers in dismay. Shady Zend, sales manager of United Motion Pictures, agents of Warner Brothers and distributors of Matrix Reloaded, backs up this view: "All I can say is that things are progressing from bad to worse." One strategy Thabet has adopted is to rely on the verdict of a group of publically acknowledged intellectuals from different backgrounds. These shura committees, as he calls them, allow for a pool of views that transcends the bureaucracy. "That in itself is a good thing, because it means that decisions are not totally left to government bureaucrats who don't know anything about film," a member of the first committee to view Matrix Reloaded comments. Backed by these committees Thabet, for his part, can confidently off-load criticism of the authority's decisions. But shifting the blame from the figure of the Censor to so-called independent experts does not hold water with the likes of Darwish. "This is the Monitoring Department's role," he says, "its responsibility. And it alone is accountable for its decisions." It is one thing to arrange screenings for journalists and critics to assess possible reactions, he argues, and quite another to set up a structure like the shura committees. "The name itself has Islamist connotations," Darwish adds. Nor is it a set committee; a new committee is drawn up every time Thabet receives a controversial report from the censors. And the makeup of each is subject to questioning. "What do psychology or sociology professors know about film?" Zend protests. And it is true that the final committee advising on Matrix Reloaded was made up mostly of academics, none of whom have an interest in cinema. The first part of the trilogy, The Matrix, was itself rejected by the department before another, higher committee approved its screening at the beginning of Thabet's tenure. That it did not cause any controversy then begs the question of the impact of the regional context, at the present historical moment, on committee members' decision. "It does of course have an effect. No doubt," concedes Thabet. In rejecting Matrix Reloaded the committee of intellectuals are rejecting a perceived assault on Arab Muslim culture and values by an American cultural product. And it certainly doesn't help that the city saved in the film is called Zion. That all the critics I talked to were aware of the significance of Zion in a Christian theological context, some argued this significance would be lost on general audiences who would equate Zion with the state of Israel, an argument to which Thabet subscribes. "The riqaba is always trying to save us from ourselves," jokes Darwish. If this were the only objection, though, there would have been ways around it. "I believe in Lebanon, where they allowed the film, they didn't translate the word 'Zion' in the subtitles," offers Zend. "And Lebanon is officially at war with Israel." Another issue of concern is the theology behind the movie. The committee found that "despite high artistic and technical levels the film deals explicitly with issues of creation and existence related to the three monotheistic religions we all respect and believe. This includes discussions of the issue of the Creator and the created, the origins of creation, free will and predestination, and other theological issues that have caused controversies and tension." The very discourse of the statement is a major set- back, says Darwish. "It is a set-back to involve religious discourse in matters of science fiction. This is a science fiction film. This statement, if it shows anything, shows that the people behind it are like the people of the cave." These ideas are not revolutionary and have been discussed in films before. "The Matrix was originally based on comic books, like Super Man. Are they going to ban Super Man too?" asks Zend, not too-rhetorically. "Besides," he continues, "other Arab countries, Lebanon, the Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar and Jordan are allowing the film. Do we have more faith than them or are we more ignorant?" "Yes, Egypt is different," insists Thabet. "Sometimes it is necessary to send a message. And when an action is repeated several times the message does get across to filmmakers." Which is exactly the point that critics of the ban make. At a time when Arab regimes are under tremendous pressure, especially since 11 September, actions such as banning a high profile American production are reported as evidence of how oppressive our societies are. "By making such decisions we are affirming such misconceptions about us, that we and our ideas are a threat to humanity. This is scandalous. Egypt is now being perceived as a beacon of reactionary thought," argues Darwish. "We're sending the wrong message at the wrong time," laments one historian who was on the first committee and who recommended screening the film. Though the ideas behind the matrix are not new, they did provide opportunities for philosophical discussion and, inevitably, publications and games all over the world. The references to religion in the form of the characters Neo and Trinity were not lost on audiences abroad but have not been taken too seriously. In fact Matrix Reloaded itself is not being taken too seriously by critics. That Neo is also a Saviour and therefore could be interpreted as a deity as well, was cause for concern by critics here. Should the character be interpreted as an embodiment of the Almighty, that would be seen as not only as heresy but outright apostasy by extremist viewers. These viewers might be driven to violence. And this itself concerns many intellectuals. Many see this threat as far- fetched. "What audience is going to resort to violence? What are they talking about? A movie ticket now costs LE20," says Darwish. "We all remember what happened with controversies such A Banquet for Seaweed, don't we?" says a scriptwriter who was on the committee and who favoured screening with cuts. On one level, perhaps, Matrix Reloaded is being sacrificed in order to preserve an already embattled artistic field from further incursions. But a sacrifice to whom? A compromise to whom? Are intellectuals compromising with virtual or real ghosts? That a film is bad, that its ideas are controversial, should not keep it out of movie houses. The film could very well be screened and receive negative criticism. Why should the apprehension of negative critical reviews be a reason to ban a film? "So what if critics attack it in newspapers?" asks Darwish. Another concern mentioned in the censorship statement was the level of violence. "The films' overall structure includes many long violent scenes that are beyond limit at a time when we are trying to resist the phenomena of violence in all its forms to ensure social harmony and affirm concepts of internal and external peace. Screening such a film could cause harm to social peace and affirm the concept of the culture of violence," the statement reads in part. Which is perhaps one of the statement's most glaringly hypocritical aspects, given the kind of fare, Egyptian and foreign, regularly screened. Critics of the ban point out that such decisions appear out of tune with the times, given advances in technology. "There are many contradictions in their decisions, frankly. On the one hand the Ministry of Information is inaugurating new satellite channels, and on the other we're still banning movies. What is this? Do you know that pirated copies of the film are already on sale downtown? They shot up from LE10 to LE30 after the ban. We expected this movie to make a minimum of LE1 million at the box offices in Egypt. That would have given the government at least LE200,000 in taxes, in addition to a comparable sum in taxes from the movie theatres. This is wasted money. Movie theatres were looking forward to a big hit to make up for the losses of the past few months, when box-office receipts fell during the war on Iraq and then the exam season. Instead people are going to buy pirated copies on CD and DVD or else watch the film eventually, uncut and with Arabic subtitles, on satellite television," says a by-now furious Zend. This may not be the end of the matter, however. The decision will be reviewed by the Complaints Committee which might overturn the Monitoring Department. Critics are not very optimistic since the Complaints Committee includes representatives of the Monitoring Department, the State Council and the various arts syndicates. No doubt there are genuine concerns behind both the committee and the Monitoring Department's decision. But at the end of the day we are left with a cumulative effect that lowers the ceiling of freedom in this country, regardless of the film in question. "And it is," warns Darwish, "extremely disturbing."
From: koin.com (The Detail is here) Feature Film Seeks Local Stars
Feature Film Seeks Local Stars BEAVERTON, Ore. -- "Thumbsucker," a new movie starring Keanu Reeves, Matthew McConaughey and Vincent D'Onofrio, is set to begin filming July 9, but not until one particular role is cast. The open casting call for this role will be held 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday at 3829 N.E. Tillamook St. in Portland.
From: katu.com (The Detail is here) Casting call: Want to star alongside Keanu and Matt?
June 25, 2003 PORTLAND - There's an open casting call for young men who want to star alongside Keanu Reeves and Matthew McConaughey.The casting director of "Thumbsucker" is looking for 10 to 13 year old boys for the supporting lead role of "Joel." The open casting call will be held Thursday from 11:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. at 3829 Northeast Tillamook Street in Portland.
From: NewsWire (The Detail is here) Matrix Fans Continue to 'Reload in IMAX'
Third Weekend Attendance is Biggest Yet for The Matrix Reloaded: The IM Experience TORONTO and BURBANK, Calif., June 25 /CNW/ -- WarnerBros. Pictures (NYSE: AOL) and IMAX Corporation (Nasdaq: IMAX; TSX: IMX) todayannounced that The Matrix Reloaded: The IMAX Experience enjoyed anunprecedented box office performance in its third weekend at IMAX(R) theatres.After a strong first two weeks of the run, the film grossed $903,241 in NorthAmerica over the four-day period from Friday, June 20 through Monday, June 23,2003, the highest weekend gross since the film's IMAX release. The increaseof more than 37% over the same four-day period of the previous week is astrong indicator that the IMAX version of the film will continue to draw fansfor repeat viewings throughout the summer. With The Matrix Reloaded: The IMAX Experience having expanded to50 screens this past weekend, it earned an impressive $18,064 per screenaverage over the specified four-day period, up from $16,870 per screen for thesame period of the previous week. Theatres owned and operated by IMAX whereThe Matrix Reloaded: The IMAX Experience opened this past weekend reported anaverage weekend gross in excess of $28,000 per screen. "We are very pleased with the results of the film in IMAX's format,particularly its sustained and climbing box office performance," said DanFellman, President, Domestic Distribution, Warner Bros. Pictures. "IMAXprovides an additional spark that has generated the continued interest ofMatrix fans." "We are really pleased and encouraged by the significant uptick this pastweekend. It's quite remarkable for a film to achieve its highest per screenbox office performance on the third weekend since its release," said RichardL. Gelfond and Bradley J. Wechsler, co-CEO's and co-Chairmen, IMAXCorporation. "It's really establishing a whole new market for repeat business.In fact, preliminary research results indicate that 80% of the audience isseeing the film for the second time, making the IMAX version a bit of aphenomenon." "We are thrilled by the feedback we have received from IMAX theatreoperators throughout the three-week run of the film," said Greg Foster,President of Filmed Entertainment, IMAX Corporation. "The box officeperformance of The Matrix Reloaded: The IMAX Experience is strong evidencethat our IMAX(R) DMR(TM) strategy is taking hold, and bodes well for ourupcoming November day-and-date release of the third installment of the Matrixtrilogy -- The Matrix Revolutions. As we move into the heart of the summermovie season, we are excited that this film has generated incremental boxoffice and has enabled us to expand beyond our traditional audience, with avidmovie-goers thoroughly enjoying The IMAX Experience(R)." From the Wachowski Brothers, producer Joel Silver, Warner Bros. Picturesand Village Roadshow Pictures, The Matrix Reloaded, starring Keanu Reeves,Laurence Fishburne and Carrie-Ann Moss, was digitally re-mastered into IMAX's15/70 format through the revolutionary, proprietary IMAX DMR (Digital Re-mastering) technology, The Matrix Reloaded: The IMAX Experience is being shownon screens up to eight stories high and up to 120 feet wide with IMAX'sunequalled clarity and intensity of image. About IMAX Corporation IMAX(R), IMAX(R) 3D, IMAX(R) DMR(TM) and The IMAX Experience(R) aretrademarks of IMAX Corporation. More information on the Company can be foundat www.imax.com. For further information: Media, New York, Romi Schutzer of IMAXCorporation, +1-212-821-0144, or rschutzer@imax.com; or EntertainmentMedia, Jan Craft of Warner Bros., +1-818-954-2279, orjan.craft@warnerbros.com; or Al Newman of Newman & Company, Los Angeles,+1-818-784-2130, or asn@newman-co.com; or Analysts, New York, Stephen G.Abraham of IMAX Corporation, +1-212-821-0140, or sabraham@imax.com; orBusiness Media, Elliot Sloane of Sloane & Company, New York, +1-212-446-1864,or esloane@sloanepr.com, for IMAX Corporation /Company News On-Call: http://www.prnewswire.com/comp/103201.html /Web site: http://www.imax.com Established since 1st September 2001 by 999 SQUARES. |
