Holiday 2014 Forecast: 'Unbroken'
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Unbroken
Release Date:December 25th
Studio:Universal
Genre:War Drama
Director:Angelina Jolie
Writers:Joel Coen&Ethan CoenandRichard LaGraveneseandWilliam Nicholson
Cast:Jack O'Connell, Domhnall Gleeson,Garrett Hedlund,Jai Courtney,Alex Russell,Finn Wittrock, Takamasa Ishihara
Studio Description:A chronicle of the life of Louis Zamperini (Jack O'Connell), an Olympic runner who was taken prisoner by Japanese forces during World War II.
Analysis:Movies set during the second World War can be a tough sell: so far this year,The Monuments Menfell short of $80 million, whileFurywill likely wind up below that mark as well. Both of those movies had considerable on-screen starpower, which is something thatUnbrokenlacks.
Unbrokendoes, however, have some pretty serious credentials behind the camera. Angelina Jolie doesn't much of a track record as a director—her first movie,In the Land of Blood and Money,wasn't particularly commercial—but she is undeniably popular: there's no wayMaleficentmakes over $240 million without Jolie in the lead role.Unbrokenis a serious passion project for Jolie, and she'll be campaigning aggressively for it.
It also helps that the movie is based off a bestselling book, written bySeabiscuitauthor Laura Hillenbrand. The recent success ofGone GirlandThe Fault in our Starsreinforces the notion that readers can be converted to viewers when an adaptation is well-timed and faithful to the source material (andUnbrokenappears to be both).
If it's at least a generally well-made movie,Unbrokenshould also benefit from some serious awards buzz. The movie is an inspirational true story set during World War II, and is focused on an Olympian and war veteran (Louis Zamperini) who just passed away in July. All of these elements will likely be catnip to awards voters.
A good comparison forUnbrokenisSteven Spielberg'sWar Horse,which was also an awards-contending PG-13 war movie starring mostly unknown actors. That movie earned $79.9 million around the same time in 2011; with a more accessible story and more popular source material, we're betting thatUnbrokenexceeds that figure.
Forecast:$105 million
Similar Movies:The Monuments Men,12 Years a Slave,Life of Pi,Argo,War Horse,True Grit,The Fighter,127 Hours,Valkyrie,Atonement,Flags of Our Fathers,The Last Samurai,Catch Me If You Can
<< Back to Holiday 2014 Forecast
Unbroken
Release Date:December 25th
Studio:Universal
Genre:War Drama
Director:Angelina Jolie
Writers:Joel Coen&Ethan CoenandRichard LaGraveneseandWilliam Nicholson
Cast:Jack O'Connell, Domhnall Gleeson,Garrett Hedlund,Jai Courtney,Alex Russell,Finn Wittrock, Takamasa Ishihara
Studio Description:A chronicle of the life of Louis Zamperini (Jack O'Connell), an Olympic runner who was taken prisoner by Japanese forces during World War II.
Analysis:Movies set during the second World War can be a tough sell: so far this year,The Monuments Menfell short of $80 million, whileFurywill likely wind up below that mark as well. Both of those movies had considerable on-screen starpower, which is something thatUnbrokenlacks.
Unbrokendoes, however, have some pretty serious credentials behind the camera. Angelina Jolie doesn't much of a track record as a director—her first movie,In the Land of Blood and Money,wasn't particularly commercial—but she is undeniably popular: there's no wayMaleficentmakes over $240 million without Jolie in the lead role.Unbrokenis a serious passion project for Jolie, and she'll be campaigning aggressively for it.
It also helps that the movie is based off a bestselling book, written bySeabiscuitauthor Laura Hillenbrand. The recent success ofGone GirlandThe Fault in our Starsreinforces the notion that readers can be converted to viewers when an adaptation is well-timed and faithful to the source material (andUnbrokenappears to be both).
If it's at least a generally well-made movie,Unbrokenshould also benefit from some serious awards buzz. The movie is an inspirational true story set during World War II, and is focused on an Olympian and war veteran (Louis Zamperini) who just passed away in July. All of these elements will likely be catnip to awards voters.
A good comparison forUnbrokenisSteven Spielberg'sWar Horse,which was also an awards-contending PG-13 war movie starring mostly unknown actors. That movie earned $79.9 million around the same time in 2011; with a more accessible story and more popular source material, we're betting thatUnbrokenexceeds that figure.
Forecast:$105 million
Similar Movies:The Monuments Men,12 Years a Slave,Life of Pi,Argo,War Horse,True Grit,The Fighter,127 Hours,Valkyrie,Atonement,Flags of Our Fathers,The Last Samurai,Catch Me If You Can
<< Back to Holiday 2014 Forecast
