Here'sthe press release, tim
WARNER BROS.
BURBANK, SEPTEMBER 29, 2003
WARNER BROS. PICTURES AND VILLAGE ROADSHOW PICTURES
TO MAKE CINEMA HISTORY
WITH GLOBAL UNVEILING OF THE MATRIX REVOLUTIONS ON NOVEMBER 5,
MAKING THE FILM AVAILABLE TO FANS AROUND THE WORLD
AT THE SAME MOMENT IN TIME
Through IMAX Digital Re-Mastering Technology, Highly Anticipated Film Will Also
Debut in IMAX® Theatres in the U.S. on November 5, Marking the First Time a
Major Live Action Movie is Released Concurrently in 35MM and IMAX’s Format
Warner Bros. Pictures and Village Roadshow Pictures will unveil THE MATRIX REVOLUTIONS, the final explosive chapter in the blockbuster MATRIX trilogy, at the exact same moment in time in every major city around the world on November 5. This unprecedented distribution scenario will make the highly anticipated film available to fans simultaneously at 6 a.m. in Los Angeles, 9 a.m. in New York, 2 p.m. in London, 5 p.m. in Moscow, 11 p.m. in Tokyo and at corresponding times in over 50 additional countries worldwide. The announcement was made today by Dan Fellman, President of Domestic Distribution, Warner Bros. Pictures, and Veronika Kwan-Rubinek, President of International Distribution, Warner Bros. Pictures.
"Given the enormous popularity and success of the Matrix films throughout the international community, we’re thrilled that we can bring the final chapter of this amazing trilogy to fans simultaneously around the world," Kwan-Rubinek said. "We thank our exhibitors for their unqualified support in staging this extraordinary event."
"The zero hour simultaneous opening of REVOLUTIONS once again positions the Matrix films as the cutting edge experience in motion pictures," Fellman added. "Audiences came out to see THE MATRIX RELOADED in record numbers, and we appreciate the enthusiasm, collaboration and support of our exhibitors in helping us bring THE MATRIX REVOLUTIONS to audiences on November 5."
"We received such an overwhelming response to RELOADED from audiences around the globe that the Wachowski Brothers wanted to give our fans the chance to experience the final piece of the Matrix puzzle at the same time in every major city worldwide," said Joel Silver, producer of the phenomenal Matrix trilogy. "It's an incredibly complex and exciting venture that furthers the Wachowskis' vision and underscores the trilogy’s theme of integration."
To date, THE MATRIX RELOADED has earned over $734 million in worldwide box office, making it the highest-grossing film of 2003 and the highest-grossing R-rated film in history, both domestically and internationally. Additionally, RELOADED scored the record for the largest single week ever with $158.2 million and reached $150 million in a record-breaking six days domestically; internationally, it is the 10th highest grossing film of all-time, and is the first film in history to gross more than $100 million in a single weekend.
FANS TO EXPERIENCE THE MATRIX REVOLUTIONS,
DIGITALLY RE-MASTERED FOR THE WORLD’S LARGEST SCREENS,
AT IMAX THEATRES DAY & DATE WITH FILM’S 35MM RELEASE
In conjunction with the REVOLUTIONS worldwide distribution event, THE MATRIX REVOLUTIONS: The IMAX Experience will debut at IMAX Theatres in the United States on November 5. This marks the first time a major Hollywood live-action event film is released concurrently in 35mm and IMAX’s revolutionary 15/70 format.
Warner Bros. Pictures and Village Roadshow Pictures previously collaborated with IMAX on the hugely successful release of THE MATRIX RELOADED: The IMAX Experience, which debuted on 39 IMAX screens on June 6, launching three weeks after the 35mm theatrical release of THE MATRIX RELOADED on May 15. THE MATRIX RELOADED: The IMAX Experience later expanded to 54 IMAX screens throughout North America and 12 screens internationally, grossing $12.4 million worldwide to date.
"Following the unprecedented audience response and box office performance of THE MATRIX RELOADED: The IMAX Experience, we couldn’t be happier to offer fans the chance to see THE MATRIX REVOLUTIONS: The IMAX Experience on the same day as we open REVOLUTIONS in 35mm," Dan Fellman said.
Like THE MATRIX RELOADED: The IMAX Experience, THE MATRIX REVOLUTIONS: The IMAX Experience has been digitally re-mastered into the unparalleled image and sound quality of The IMAX Experience® through revolutionary and proprietary IMAX® DMR™ (Digital Re-mastering) technology. IMAX Theatres offer unequalled clarity and intensity of image as audiences experience one of the biggest films of the year on screens up to eight stories tall and 120 feet wide, and surrounded by 12,000 watts of pure digital sound.
In THE MATRIX REVOLUTIONS, the final chapter in the MATRIX trilogy, the rebels' long quest for freedom culminates in an explosive battle. As the Machine Army wages devastation on Zion, its citizens mount an aggressive defense – but can they stave off the relentless swarm of Sentinels long enough for Neo to harness the full extent of his powers and end the war?
Written and directed by the Wachowski Brothers and produced by Joel Silver, THE MATRIX REVOLUTIONS stars Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Hugo Weaving and Jada Pinkett Smith.
THE MATRIX REVOLUTIONS will be released worldwide on November 5 by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company, and in select territories by Village Roadshow Pictures.
For more information, please contact:
Warner Bros. Pictures
Domestic Publicity
Jan Craft 818-954-2279
Jan.Craft@warnerbros.com
Warner Bros. Pictures
International Publicity
Mic Kramer 818-954-6597
Mic.Kramer@warnerbros.com