20th Century Fox's cyberpunk extravaganza, ALITA: BATTLE ANGEL, kicked off the Year of the Pig in style this past weekend, by opening to the tune of $32 million in eleven different markets within Asia. While some are attributing Asia's love for the film to their built-in affity for Yukito Kishiro's manga series upon which the film is based, others are saying that the Robert Rodriguez-directed sci-fi spectacle simply makes for a mighty fine time at the cinema.
Unfortunately, while the film has yet to open in other territories – such as Japan, China, or North America – initial box office predictions have the domestic earnings for ALITA: BATTLE ANGEL looking quite grim. However, the numbers aren't in yet, and positive word of mouth could spread like wildfire over the film's Valentine's weekend debut. Personally, my wife and I plan on seeing the film as part of our Valentine's festivities, so that's at least close to $40 just in ticket sales alone. Good grief, can you believe how much it costs to go to the theater these days? Woof!
Regardless of how ALITA: BATTLE ANGEL performs in North America, Fox is hoping that the film's overseas performance will aid the studio in recouping the project's $200 million production budget. It's a lofty goal to be certain, but it's not like we haven't seen films that were expected to under-perform go above and beyond the call of duty. VENOM, anyone?
Here's the official plot synopsis for ALITA: BATTLE ANGEL:
Set several centuries in the future, the abandoned Alita is found in the scrapyard of Iron City by Ido, a compassionate cyber-doctor who takes the unconscious cyborg Alita to his clinic. When Alita awakens, she has no memory of who she is, nor does she have any recognition of the world she finds herself in. As Alita learns to navigate her new life and the treacherous streets of Iron City, Ido tries to shield her from her mysterious past.
Directed by Robert Rodriguez (MACHETE KILLS, SIN CITY) from a screenplay he co-wrote with James Cameron (AVATAR, TITANIC) and Laeta Kalogridis (SHUTTER ISLAND, ALEXANDER), ALITA: BATTLE ANGEL stars Rosa Salazar (MAZE RUNNER franchise), Christoph Waltz (INGLORIOUS BASTERDS, THE ZERO THEOREM), Jennifer Connelly (LABYRINTH, THE ROCKETEER), Mahershala Ali (SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE, GREEN BOOK), Ed Skrein (DEADPOOL, IF BEALE STREET COULD TALK), and Jackie Earl Haley (WATCHMEN, A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET), among others.
ALITA: BATTLE ANGEL will burst into theaters on Valentine's Day, February 14th. If you're curious as to how the films stacks up for our own Paul Shirey, you can read his review of Rodriguez's latest right here.