Australians are damn lucky when it comes to Paramount films! Last year they had the Iron Man world premiere in Sydney nearly a full month before the theatrical release.
They are going out of their way this year to make things even more awesome – the world premiere of Star Trek is set to take place inside the Sydney Opera House’s legendary Concert Hall on April 7, a full month before the US theatrical release.
About 1600 guests will attend alongside director JJ Abrams and cast members Eric Bana, Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto and Karl Urban.
The Sydney premiere kicks off a world tour that touches down in Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Japan, Korea, Netherlands, New Zealand, Russia, Spain and the UK.
Although this is an estimate, I am surprised that Four Christmases came in first. For some reason, I thought the film didn’t have appeal. I guess I was mistaken. I am happy to see Bolt at number two spot on its second leg with Twilight not too far behind.
Other notable contenders like Australia, Transporter 3 and Milk are in the top ten but start at fifth position.
Here is a quick but informative interview by io9 with Baz Luhrmann toying with the idea of filming a classic futuristic tale. Luhrmann at the Australia premiere acknowledged he’d contemplated switching from movies set in the past to creating stories set in the future. Baz believes the future has gotten a bit old-fashioned, but he’s got some ideas for spicing it up.
“Actually there are a few future-projects…. I think if you address it you have to address it in a completely fresh way. It’s become a bit old fashioned. I mean the future has become old fashioned. Now is so much more consumed with it now than we ever have been before.”
We get to hear Hugh Jackman’s Australian accent and the plot thickens with this trailer, romance! It appears the movie goin’ to be good — an epic! Come out Thanksgiving weekend.
Australia is release date is being shifted by 12 days to November 26 from November 14 due to the Harry Potter shift to July from November.
It is just a continuum of the series of distributor efforts to counter or balance the Harry Potter Half-Blood Prince rescheduling from the holidays to the summer.
Australia’s new date means Hugh Jackman and Nicole Kidman starrer will go up against wide openers including action sequel Transporter and seasonal movie Four Christmases, starring Vince Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon. Both of those movies also will bow on Wednesday.
Australia is still set to bow in other international territories at Christmas, as originally scheduled.
Musical chairs is what comes to mind because movies are rescheduling as a common practice. Now, Quantum of Solace is set to open a week later than originally scheduled. Sony and MGM jumped on the chance to bow its Bond movie November 14 instead of Nov. 7 because Harry is taking the holidays off.
Bond titles have traditionally opened the weekend before Thanksgiving, but Sony didn’t want to open too close to Warner Bros.’ Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, so it originally settled on Nov. 7 according to Variety.
Warner Bros. announced it was pushing back Half-Blood Prince from Nov. 21 to July. The competition is gone, so Bond’s schedule changed.
As you probably know Summit Entertainment was the first to respond to Harry’s rescheduling by moving vampire movie Twilight to Nov. 21.
Within hours of the Bond movie move to Nov. 14, Universal come to a decision to move R-rated comedy Role Models off of that date and open it instead on Nov. 7.
As it looks now, schedules could change; Solace goes up against epic Australia, Nothing Like the Holidays and Soul Men.
Vogue Magazine article by John Powers is breathtaking. You learn about Nicole’s Kidman’s life, the making of the movie Australia. She talks about how she convinced Hugh Jackman to co-star with her. You also learn the magnitude of the film, Australia.
The pictures are grandiose as Kidman talks of her pregnancy and marriage.
Australians are damn lucky when it comes to Paramount films! Last year they had the Iron Man world premiere in Sydney nearly a full month before the theatrical release.
