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[Anthony]

The Chronicles of Narnia
The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe

In Cinemas:
December 9th, 2005

Director:
Andrew Adamson

Cast:
Georgie Henley
William Moseley
Skandar Keynes
Anna Popplewell
Tilda Swinton

 :arrow: US Website: //http://www.narnia.com
 :arrow: UK Website: //http://www.narnia.co.uk

 :arrow: NEW 10 Minute Preview: //http://www.disney.co.uk/DisneyMovies/narnia/tvPopUp.html?cid=uk&fileID=tenmin

The World Premiere takes place in London's Royal Albert Hall on 7th December 2005, with the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall in attendance.  Watch it live online here: http://www.narnia.co.uk

[Anthony]

I wasn't really looking forward to this, because I was never really interested in Lord of the Rings, but now that I've seen more of it it looks much more interesting and entertaining than I'd expected.  Disney seem to have a lot gambled on it, so I really hope it pays off.

In the UK right now there seems to be adverts on TV in every ad break, posters all over and promo spots on various TV shows.  The World Premiere in London should make this even more intense, so I hope they get one massive hit out of it all!

I really recommend you watch that 10 minute preview - I'm actually considering going to see the film this weekend now.  Ahhh - the marketing power of Disney!  

[Patrick]

Ah Narnia, just bought the whole set of Chronicles 2 weeks ago, still raging through reading them, but can't wait to see this movie wonder if there are any tickets still available to see it on Thursday :wink: , yes Ant your wrong it comes out the same day the White Witch will enter the Walt Disney Studios on the 8th December .

[Kristof]

The first reviews are in!!

From http://www.imdb.com

 The first British reviews of Disney's The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe are the kind movie ads are made of. Consider Peter Bradshaw's five-star review in the Guardian, which includes these opening comments: "The result is a triumph. It is gorgeous to look at, superbly cast, wittily directed and funny and exciting by turns. It unfolds the slim book into a rich visual experience that is bold and spectacular and sweeping, while retaining its human intimacies. I can't see how it could be done better." Under the heading "A Winter Wonderland," David Edwards comments in the London Daily Mirror: "Boasting astonishing special effects, great performances from the cast and the wickedest witch of all time, films don't get much better than this." Sukhdev Sandhu's review in the Daily Telegraph, which includes the observation that "this must be the first Hollywood picture in ages to feature baddies -- wolves, in fact -- who speak with American accents," is much more restrained, but it concludes this way: "Look at it too closely and it tends to fall down. But the same could be said for the first couple of Harry Potter films, and that series has improved hugely over time. This is a worthy opening salvo." The first reviews in the U.S. have also begun trickling in. They are not nearly so passionately enthusiastic as the British ones, but most are quite positive. Writes Carina Chocano in the Los Angeles Times: "What's best about it is that it seems real by the logic of childhood -- it looks as things should look, if kids had it their way."

[Anthony]

Has anyone seen Narnia yet?  Is it actually any good?  I think I might (finally) see it in the next few days, but I'm not really sure whether to expect a good film or not...  :?

[Patrick]

You have not seen this, yet you see kong, right go and see it man, you will love it, the effects wow fantastic I think to be honest the CGI looked more real than anything I have seen in most movies.  Also the soundrack is really well suited to the movie, the actors fit to their roles well and everything about it is great, especially the White Witch who really does make the movie in many ways.  Alo it never bored me at all gripped me all the way through and a story like this the movie really has definately achieved the goal in creating a movie that does justice to the book.  It even captured emotion in many parts well like when the lion dies it actually made me quite feeling sorry for him, which does not usually happen much with movies.  So yep 5 stars from me for this fantastic movie, now all I hope is they make another narnia movie .

[Kristof]

It's fabulous. It has everything.  Decent CGI, a great story line, good actors, wonderful music, ...  Really, everyone should go and see it!

We're going back this week to see it again.  

[Anthony]

You have not seen this, yet you see kong

You *really* don't like King Kong do you? lol  The only reason I saw Kong first was because my college hired a screen for all the Media students to go and see it...  :wink:

*Might be some spoilers in here*

Well, I finally saw Narnia yesterday, and...  Patrick, I thought you were really exaggerating how good the movie is, but everything you said is absolutely right!

I suppose I didn't expect much at all from the movie, so maybe that made it seem even better, but even so, everything about the film was perfect.  The acting is really good - those kids are truly brilliant, especially Georgie Henley as Lucy.  That moment when she keeps walking backwards through the wardrobe, then feels the branch of the tree, then just looks around Narnia in total amazement is beautiful.  Tilda Swinton is fantastic too, she's just perfect for the White Witch.  The CGI was awesome, far far better than King Kong!!  I only noticed perhaps 1 or 2 dodgy moments, whereas Kong had about a million...  Normally I hate movies with too much CGI, so I was worried about Narnia, but luckily it mixes so well with the live action that I believed everything!

The film was paced really well, obviously had an excellent story... and the fact that I've been listening to the music non-stop since I got home last night shows you how much I liked that aspect.  The film just felt really complete and accomplished, like they hadn't skimmed over anything or missed anything out...

Are you starting to see a trend now?  I just think this movie is totally, absolutely - WOW.

5 stars from me, and I'd have to move King Kong down to 4 stars too!  :lol:

[Kristof]

http://www.mickeynews.com

"The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" snatched the box office crown from "King Kong" during another fierce four-day holiday battle for the top spot.
Old acquaintances met again: Less than $2 million has separated "Kong" and "Narnia" the past two weekends.

"We edged out `Kong.' It's been neck-and-neck," Buena Vista's Dennis Rice said Monday. "These are two great movies in the marketplace that are doing great business."

"Narnia" took in an estimated $32.8 million during the Friday-through-Monday period, nudging Universal's "King Kong" out of the No. 1 spot and into second with a New Year's weekend take of $31.6 million.

"This is a great way to start the new year. We have an up weekend - 5 percent over the last New Year's weekend," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box office tracker Exhibitor Relations Co. Inc. "Propelled by these two blockbusters, it's really moving the box office."

"King Kong" was No. 1 during the Christmas holiday with a four-day turnstile take of $33.3 million and "Narnia" was No. 2 with $31.7 million.

"Narnia" passed the benchmark $200 million North American box office tally on Friday and "King Kong" was expected to pass the $400 million worldwide mark sometime Monday.

"Fun With Dick and Jane" was in third place with $21 million, followed in fourth by "Cheaper by the Dozen 2" with $19.3 million, a 26 percent jump over the previous weekend. Jennifer Aniston's "Rumor Has It" was fifth with $11.6 million.

"The Family Stone" was sixth with $10.2 million, "Memoirs of a Geisha" was seventh with $10 million and "The Ringer" was eighth with $8 million. Ninth place was held by "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire," with $7.5 million. It has taken in $277 million in seven weeks of release.

Steven Spielberg's "Munich" rounded out the Top 10 with $6.1 million.

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Exhibitor Relations. Final figures will be released Tuesday.

1. "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe," $32.8 million.

2. "King Kong," $31.6 million.

3. "Fun With Dick and Jane," $21 million.

4. "Cheaper by the Dozen 2," $19.3 million.

5. "Rumor Has It," $11.6 million.

6. "The Family Stone," $10.2 million.

7. "Memoirs of a Geisha," $10 million.

8. "The Ringer," $8 million.

9. "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire," $7.5 million.

10. "Munich," $6.1 million.

[Anthony]

Narnia does seem to be more of a "grower" than King Kong.  People rushed to see King Kong when it came out, but it was only after hearing good word of mouth that they went to see Narnia.

I think Narnia is a film people might see twice too, since it's a: very good, and b: not 3 hours long!  :lol:

[Anthony]

'Narnia' crosses $580 million at global box office
Mon Jan 16, 2006 8:40 AM ET
By Frank Seger

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - With its fourth consecutive weekend atop the foreign box office, "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe" crossed the $580 million mark globally, and is increasingly inspiring talk of a new film franchise.

Disney's adaptation of the C.S. Lewis classic earned an estimated $20.1 million overseas last weekend, pushing its international tally to $319 million (the domestic total stands at $261.4 million).

Since the film covers material from just two of the seven volumes of C.S. Lewis "The Chronicles of Narnia" books, there is plenty of material for future "Narnia" screen adaptations, according to David Kornblum, vp international theatrical sales and distribution at Disney's Buena Vista Intl. unit.

"It looks to be the next big franchise now that 'Lord Of The Rings' is completed and 'Star Wars' is phasing down," he said.

The film had its opening weekend in Turkey -- which, along with Poland and Russia, is becoming an increasingly strong market for the Hollywood majors -- grossing $890,000. In its sixth weekend in the U.K., "Narnia" pulled $2.4 million, taking its local total to a robust $70.7 million.

In Poland, "Narnia" drew a strong $1 million, No. 1 for a second weekend; its total there is $3.1 million. In Australia, the fourth weekend drew $1.8 million, for a total of $21.6 million. In its third weekend in South Korea, a market that largely prefers action titles, "Narnia" drew $1.6 million for a local tally of $12 million. Disney expects that within a week, the film will pass "Pirates of the Caribbean" as the company's biggest live action grosser in South Korea.

The international arena's second biggest grosser this weekend was "King Kong, which yielded an estimated $15 million from 57 territories, for a 32-day international total of $296 million. The Peter Jackson remake had a strong opening in China, $3.1 million (surpassing "War Of The Worlds" as Universal's biggest China opening), and rebounded two places to No. 3 in Britain with $2.3 million; the U.K. total stands at $48.9 million.

While "Kong" slipped in Spain and Germany and is tailing off in Brazil, it maintained its No. 1 spot in Jackson's native New Zealand with a 33-day total of $5.3 million.

from: http://www.reuters.com

[Anthony]

Narnia Sequel Announced!

With the film still doing well in cinemas, this comes as no surprise at all:

NarniaWeb relays the news that The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, & the Wardrobe director Andrew Adamson will return to tell the second chapter in the Narnia film series, Prince Caspian. "Making The Lion, the Witch, & the Wardrobe couldn't have been a more rewarding experience, not just in terms of creative achievement and audience response, but also because of the family we formed during production. Prince Caspian not only gives me an opportunity to challenge my imagination with another classic story, it also allows me to work alongside the many talented artists who contributed to the first film, and of course to collaborate again with 'The Pevensies,' Georgie, Skandar, Anna, and William," remarked Adamson. Prince Caspian has already entered pre-production and is aiming for a December 2007 release.

from http://www.animated-news.com/

[Dlrpfan]

Cant wait 4 more details!

[Anthony]

The Narnia DVD is out in the UK on April 3rd, in both a standard (1 disc) and collector's (2 disc) edition.

If you want something more though, head to Amazon.co.uk, where they've got this worldwide exclusive box set edition:



http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000EOU1OM/

This globally exclusive boxset contains the 2 disc edition DVD complete with artcards, The "Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe": The Official Illustrated Movie Companion book, as well a glass etched keyring designed specifically for Amazon.co.uk. The keyring features an illuminated white light and branded Narnia box, and is not available to buy in any other retailer worldwide.

The packaging is uniquely designed as a wardrobe and has been approved by the C.S lewis estate. This boxset is the ultimate package for all Narnia fans and is strictly available for a limited period.

Looks cool, doesn't it?    Shame it costs £38.99, but with all that stuff included, it might be worth it...  :?