Director Robert Zemeckis’ amped-up, performance-capture adaptation of the old English poem Beowulf has arrived with the intention of laying all other box-office competitors to waste. In its bid to knock DreamWorks Animation’s Bee Movie out of the top spot, Paramount’s testosterone-driven adventure flick will have to contend with 20 Century Fox’s family fantasy Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium, the weekend’s only other wide opener. In addition to being one of the best-reviewed features in release, Beowulf may have an advantage with its fairly wide stereoscopic 3-D deployment, which includes IMAX 3D engagements.
Beowulf was produced with Sony Pictures Imageworks’ patented Imagemotion performance-capture system and features the performances of Ray Winstone, Angelina Jolie, Anthony Hopkins, Brendan Gleeson and John Malkovich. Written by popular fantasy author Neil Gaiman (Coraline, MirrorMask) and Pulp Fiction co-writer Roger Avery, the screenplay deals with a legendary hero who arrives in a small Danish Kingdom to slay a beast and ends up entangled in a web of family secrets. The movie rolled out today in conventional theaters, as well as IMAX venues and select theaters equipped with Dolby 3D Digital Cinema and Real D technology. Real D announced today that it has hit the 1,000-theater mark for the release.
Dustin Hoffman and Natalie Portman star in Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium, the story of the most magical toy store in the world. Written and directed by Zach Helm (Stranger Than Fiction), the film has been compared to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory in a number of respects. Visual effects were provided by Frantic films, Mokko Studio, Image Engine, BUF, Image Cartel, Intelligent Creatures Inc. and Hatch FX.
Bee Movie still has the highest theater count with nearly 4,000 screens occupied across North America. Beowulf comes in at No. 4 behind Universal’s Fred Claus and Magorium. Read our review of Beowulf here: www.animationmagazine.net/article/7565 and join the discussion here: www.animationmagazine.net/article/7589.
