THIS piece at Deadline indicates that ‘momentum is building’ for a PACIFIC RIM sequel.
The expensive film has underperformed significantly here in the States - I believe this is due, in no small part, to a heinously mis-conceived ad campaign which did little to adequately convey the true flavor of the picture. In fact, I’ve encountered a number of people who were actually TURNED OFF by PACIFIC RIM’s trailers and promos. That’s a hard battle to fight, and one bitch of an uphill climb.
This said, PAC RIM is showing well..quite well...overseas. And this, it seems, may well tip the balance in favor of further Jeager -vs- Kaiju exploits. Says Deadline...
The latest development is the 3D sci-fi actioner’s Wednesday opening in China to a record-breaking $9M from an estimated 5,700 digital 3D screens, 117 digital 3D IMAX screens, and 22 China Giant Screen sites. That’s a new high for any Warner Bros release and 23% bigger than for any Harry Potter film including 3D Harry Potter 7B. Pacific Rim grossed a huge 70% of the Top Five market share there.This is after the pic broke through to become the #1 film internationally on July 19-21 as it rolled out into less than half the global territories.
....says Deadline, which goes on to note that PAC RIM has yet to open in Spain, Brazil, and Japan. Presumably RIM will find tremendous support in Japan. Speaking of which, check out this magnificent Toho-themed fan trailer for the film...
Even though uncertainty about future big-screen PACIFIC RIMverse adventures has reigned until quite recently, this didn’t stop returning co-scripter Travis Beacham and returning co-writer/director Guillermo del Toro from getting to work on whatever might follow. Here’s a tantalizing hint:
Get More: Movie Trailers, Movies Blog
I love, truly love PACIFIC RIM. I adore its energy, it style, the ideas driving the picture (Drifting for example). I applaud its audacity, and am floored by its scale. I’ve never seen a film fill a screen quite like PACIFIC RIM does - and it’s been a long, long time since a universe as rich or fully developed as the one seen here has appeared in theaters. PACIFIC RIM is the first movie, in a quite a while, I’ve watched more than twice on the big screen - and I intend to see it at least one more time before it departs our local IMAX next week. Truthfuly, I don't remember feeling this stoked for a film since...probably...the original STAR WARS or STAR TREK movies.
At this year’s San Diego Comic Con, PACIFIC RIM was evidently a primary point of conversation amongst fans - over and over again. I can’t count how many RIM conversations I overheard on the sidewalks lining the San Diego Convention Center, or amongst the throngs of floor wanderers. Even in the bathrooms at Comic Con, and at the airport on my way home a few days later - PACIFIC RIM. Jeagers. Kaiju. Drifting. The other side.
Or at the Target where I supply shopped before departing to SDCC - where an employee was passionately trying to describe to a coworker the wonders she’d behold if she’d give in to watching the film in IMAX. I did what I could to help him advance that cause.
On one SDCC shuttle ride, I was sitting behind a rather good Tennant-era DOCTOR WHO Cosplayer (dressed as the Doctor) who was jamming Ramin Djawadi’s PAC RIM theme loudly from his iPhone as we drove along the shoreline. A wonderful and surreal moment.
Try to find some PACIFIC RIM figures at retailers - or note how they’re being price gouged on eBay. Or talk to the checker at my local supermarket, who was conjecturing where a sequel might head.
My point in mentioning all of this is not to desperately promote - nor am I trying to protect a film which needs little defense. Rather, I’m illustrating what I believe to be an inescapable truth based on my years in and around the industry: PACIFIC RIM is neither a failure as a movie or a wash-up as a franchise - it’s merely an undertaking which had trouble finding its voice and footing. This picture is not existing in a vacuum like so many big-budget wash-ups. There’s a vibrancy at play in the PAC RIM verse. A vitality absent from many other newborn cinematic franchises. People are talking about it...it’s out there. It has the attention (and has captured the imagination) of many, many folks...and is merely trying to coalesce into the behemoth it can ultimately be. Just like a child, the older PACIFIC RIM gets, the better it can walk...the more clearly it can speak for itself...and the more fully the world will recognize it and understand it. And while all of this is happening, the more the world is learning to appreciate what is is...and comprehend what it is not.
I’m off to grab some school supplies for my six year old, who has decreed that this Gipsy Danger crew bag will be his backpack for the school year. Tonight I’ll finish up the PACIFIC RIM: TALES FROM YEAR ZERO graphic novel which can be found at Amazon, ComiXology, or your local comic shop. It’s official (written by Beacham), prequelizes the film nicely and shows us how many of its characters got to where they are in the opening of the film.
So while we wait for this sequel...which seems to be inching closer and closer to reality...consider checking it out. It’s definitely an interesting component in a larger whole. A whole we’ll hopefully get to see much more of in the not-too-distant future.
Imaginary Forces - Pacific Rim: End Titles from Imaginary Forces on Vimeo.
-------------------
Glen Oliver
"Merrick"
- Google +
