Pan (2015 film)

Pan

Theatrical release poster
Directed by Joe Wright
Produced by
Written by Jason Fuchs
Based on Peter Pan
by J. M. Barrie
Starring
Music by John Powell
Cinematography
Edited by
Production
companies
Distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures
Release dates
  • September 20, 2015 (2015-09-20) (London premiere[1])
  • October 9, 2015 (2015-10-09) (United States)
Running time
111 minutes[2]
Country United States
Language English
Budget $150 million[3]
Box office $128.4 million[4]

Pan is a 2015 American fantasy film directed by Joe Wright and written by Jason Fuchs. The film is a prequel story to Scottish author J. M. Barrie's Peter Pan story, first staged in 1904. It stars Hugh Jackman, Garrett Hedlund, Rooney Mara and Amanda Seyfried, with Levi Miller as the title character. It serves as an alternative origin story for Peter Pan and Captain Hook. The film had its world premiere in London, England on September 20, 2015,[5] and was theatrically released in the United States on October 9, 2015, by Warner Bros. Pictures. Pan grossed $128.4 million on a $150 million budget, making it a box office bomb. Despite its negative reviews from critics, it received nominations for the AACTA Award for Best Visual Effects or Animation, the Ivor Novello Award for Best Original Film Score, and the Young Artist Award for Best Performance in a Feature Film - Leading Young Actor (11-13).

Plot

New-born Peter (Levi Miller) is left by his mother Mary (Amanda Seyfried) on the steps of an orphanage in London, an establishment under the care of Mother Barnabas (Kathy Burke). Several years later, during World War II, upon learning that Mother Barnabas is hoarding food for herself, Peter and his best friend Nibs (Lewis MacDougall) try to steal it to distribute amongst themselves and the other orphans but they are caught. In the process, Peter finds a letter written by his mother, declaring her love and assuring Peter they will meet again "in this world or another".

In retaliation for the boys' mischief, Mother Barnabas summons pirates who kidnap Peter, Nibs and several others. Nibs manages to escape but Peter does not. He is captured and taken aboard a flying pirate ship. Following an aerial battle with several Spitfires the ship takes Peter to Neverland, a magical realm beyond space and time, where he is forced to become a slave laborer and mine for Pixum (Fairy Dust) on behalf of the terrible pirate Blackbeard (Hugh Jackman) who uses it to prevent himself from aging. Peter befriends another miner, named James Hook (Garrett Hedlund). After insulting Blackbeard's men, Peter is forced to walk the plank over the deep mine, but survives by flying. Blackbeard then tells Peter about an old prophecy that a boy who could fly would one day kill him, but Peter refuses to believe he is that boy.

Peter joins Hook and his accomplice, Sam "Smee" Smiegel (Adeel Akhtar), stealing one of Blackbeard's flying ships and escaping into the forest. There they are found by the native chief's daughter Tiger Lily (Rooney Mara) and nearly executed when the natives Chief Great Little Panther (Jack Charles) notices Peter's pan flute pendant, left to him by Mary, and said to belong to their people's greatest hero, the legendary Pan. With the Memory Tree, Tiger Lily tells Peter that many years ago when the natives and the fairies united to fight together against the pirates, the Fairy Prince and the love of Blackbeard's life, Mary fell in love but when Blackbeard discovered them, the Prince took human form to rescue Mary. But as fairies could only live in the form of a human for one day, the Prince sacrificed his life for Mary. Mary was then forced to hide their newborn son Peter in the other world and seek shelter in the Fairy Kingdom when she and the fairies had to retreat. As part of his heritage, Peter has the ability to fly, but is unable to do so because of his lack of faith.

Fearful of Blackbeard's punishment, Smee betrays the natives' location to him, and in the ensuing battle, Chief Great Little Panther is murdered by Blackbeard, who also reveals that he killed Peter's mother. Peter is hurt to learn that Tiger Lily had lied to Peter, telling him his mother is alive but she explains that he would have walked away from his destiny if he knew the truth.

Peter, Hook, and Tiger Lily escape in a raft and head to the Fairy Kingdom to enlist their help in defeating the pirates. Along the way, Peter falls into the river and is nearly eaten by giant crocodiles before being rescued by the mermaids, after which he has a vision of Blackbeard accidentally killing Mary as she defended the Fairy Kingdom from his offensive. Despondent over their chances, Hook leaves while Peter and Tiger Lily arrive at the Fairy Kingdom only to be ambushed by Blackbeard who plans to use the fairies vast amount of Pixum to live forever. Blackbeard takes Peter's pan flute pendant, which is the key to the fairy kingdom, opens their gates and launches an attack.

Peter escapes and befriends one of the fairies, named Tinker Bell. Together, they rally the fairies to fight the pirates while Tiger Lily duels Blackbeard. Hook returns on the stolen ship and fights Blackbeard's right-hand man Bishop (Nonso Anozie) until the ship tips over, sending both falling to their deaths. Peter conquers his fears and flies to save Hook, while Blackbeard and his men are overpowered by the fairies. Forced into an abyss, they subsequently fall to their deaths. Smee is the sole survivor having fled during the battle. Peter then sees a vision of Mary, who reaffirms him to be Neverland's savior, Peter Pan. Shortly afterwards, Peter and Hook, now the captain of the Jolly Roger, return to London to rescue Nibs and the other orphans, who become part of Peter's crew, the Lost Boys. In the final scene, as they return to Neverland, Peter and Hook reaffirm their friendship, certain that nothing will ever go wrong between them.

Cast

Production

Jason Fuchs at the film's premiere.

The script for the film was listed on Hollywood's 2013 Black List.[13] In January 2014, Garrett Hedlund was cast as a younger version of Captain Hook.[14] On January 24, 2014, Jackman was officially cast as the pirate Blackbeard.[7] In February, a casting call was issued for the role of Peter Pan,[15] which went to newcomer Levi Miller in March.[6] In April 2014, Amanda Seyfried was cast.[8] In August 2014, British model Cara Delevingne was chosen to play a mermaid.[16] Rooney Mara was cast as Tiger Lily,[17] causing controversy due to her being of European ancestry, while Tiger Lily is traditionally portrayed as a Native American.[18] Also considered for the role of Tiger Lily were actresses Lupita Nyong'o and Adèle Exarchopoulos.[19]

Many natural scenes in the film were from Son Doong Cave, Phong Nha-Kẻ Bàng National Park and Ninh Bình Province in Vietnam. The captured scenes were then graphically edited into the film.

According to critics of the casting there are very few main roles for Native American women in Hollywood, and that the choice not only took one away from a Native American actress, but also perpetuated the invisibility of Native Americans in film.[20] According to TheWrap, director Joe Wright was trying to create a "very international and multi-racial" world,[21] although the majority of main characters (including the four lead actors) are Caucasian.[22] A petition was created in response to the casting to urge Warner Bros. studios to stop casting white actors in roles for people of color.[23] On April 28, 2014, the film's principal photography began.[24] Previous portrayals of the Piccaninny tribe in Peter Pan have been criticized as racist.[25]

Critics of the casting in Pan suggested that Warner Bros. may have wanted to avoid repeating the alleged racism of previous Peter Pan stories, by altering the ethnicity of the Piccaninnies, rather than using a stereotypical portrayal of the source material.[25] Many also felt that native actresses and actors were never given an opportunity to make it to mainstream films, with native roles being traditionally given to non-natives.[26]

Soundtrack

The film's soundtrack was released in 2015. It was composed by John Powell, who dropped out of Kung Fu Panda 3 because he was busy on this film.

Soundtrack list

Release

On December 12, 2013, Warner Bros. set for a June 26, 2015 release, with Joe Wright as director.[27] However, the release was pushed back several times,[28][29] and the studio eventually decided on October 9, 2015, in part to avoid box office competition from summer blockbusters such as Ant-Man and Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation.[30]

The new release date also gave the producers more time to work on editing and visual effects during post-production.[31] The film was first released in Australia, on September 25, 2015. It was then released in key markets two weeks later, including Germany, Russia, Korea, and Brazil, on October 8. That was followed by Mexico and Spain the next day.

The film opened in the United Kingdom on October 16, 2015 and France on October 21, 2015 followed by China on October 22, 2015 Japan on October 31, 2015 and Italy on November 12, 2015.[32]

Pan was originally planned for an IMAX release, as evident in early posters, trailers, and press,[33] but was cancelled and only received non-IMAX presentations.

Home media

Pan was released on DVD and Blu-ray on December 22, 2015 by Warner Home Video, only two and a half months after the film's release. Pan was one of the first Ultra HD Blu-ray released on March 1, 2016.

Reception

Box office

Pan was financially unsuccessful.[34] It grossed $35.1 million in North America and $93.2 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $128.3 million. In comparison, its production budget was reported to be $150 million, and the total spent on marketing was estimated at $100–125 million.[4][35][36]

In the United States and Canada, the film grossed $5.2 million on its opening day. In its opening weekend, the film grossed $15.3 million, below the studio's $20 million projection, and finished third at the box office.[37] Several factors have been attributed to the financial failure of Pan. Scott Mendelson of Forbes noted the absence of notable movie stars. Despite the presence of Jackman, "like any number of would-be big stars who are best known for a certain franchise, his opening weekend strength dips when he's not playing his trademark character." Outside of the X-Men franchise, his biggest openings are Van Helsing ($51 million) and the $27 million debuts of Real Steel and Les Misérables.[38] Variety noted the departure of the film in tone and writings that made earlier Peter Pan stories and films a success; from Jackman's role as Blackbeard to the inclusion of contemporary pop songs from Nirvana and the Ramones which is peculiar for a children film adaptation. "Without the Disney seal of approval, audiences are a bit wary of these fairy tale adaptations," said Jeff Bock, a box office analyst with Exhibitor Relations. He added, "It veered off the Peter Pan path quite extensively and it was just too far left of center for a generation that grew up with Hook and sees that as the definitive account."[39] Warner Bros. declined to discuss Pan's box office results.[39][36]

Pan also struggled internationally, grossing $20.4 million on its opening weekend from 54 markets from over 11,000 screens. 3D comprised 85% of the opening gross.[35][40] The film was released in Australia on September 24, 2015 to take advantage of the prime September school holidays, where it grossed $1.5 million in its opening weekend.[32] Elsewhere it opened in the U.K. with $4.1 million and No. 1 in Mexico ($2.9 million), Brazil ($1.8 million), Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand and No. 2 in Russia and the CIS with $2 million (behind The Martian), Spain with $1.7 million (behind Regression), Hong Kong, Singapore and the Philippines.[40][41]

The Hollywood Reporter estimated that the film cost $275 million to produce and market worldwide—while The New York Times reported at least $250 million—and noted that the financial losses by Warner Bros. could finish anywhere between $130 to $150 million.[35][36] The site mentioned that if the film would have overperformed in China—the world's second largest movie market—the losses could have been lower.[35] After opening in China on October 22, 2015, however, it failed to meet expectations and had one of the worst launches by a studio in recent years.[42] Based on its production cost and factoring in the percentage of ticket sales kept by theater owners, analysts estimated that Pan needed to take in at least $400–500 million worldwide to break even.[36][42] The financial loss incurred by Pan puts it alongside Tomorrowland and Jupiter Ascending as one of the biggest box office failures of 2015.[39]

Critical reception

Nonso Anozie was praised by critics for his performance in the film.

Pan received negative reviews, being criticized by the lack of originality, casting and characterization.[43][44] On the review aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a rating of 27%, based on 171 reviews, with an average rating of 4.6/10. The site's consensus reads, "Pan finds a few bursts of magic in its prequel treatment of classic characters, though not enough to offset the rushed plot and shrill, CGI-fueled action."[45] Metacritic gave the film a score of 36 out of 100, based on 35 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".[46] On CinemaScore, audiences gave the film a grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale.[37]

Andrew Barker of Variety, while praising the film's technical achievements, said that Pan exchanges "puckish mischief and innocence for doses of steampunk design, anachronistic music, a stock 'chosen one' narrative and themes of child labor, warfare and unsustainable mineral mining."[47]

Accolades

Australian Film Institute 2016
Award Category Nominee Result
AACTA Award Best Visual Effects or Animation Chas Jarrett
Daniel Barrow
Mark Holt
Marc Varisco
Alana Newell
Nominated
Camerimage 2015
Award Category Nominee Result
Jury Award Best 3D Film John Mathieson
Seamus McGarvey
Nominated
Ivor Novello Awards 2016
Award Category Nominee Result
Ivor Novello Award Best Original Film Score John Powell Nominated
Razzie Awards 2016
Award Category Nominee Result
Razzie Award Worst Supporting Actress Rooney Mara Nominated
Worst Supporting Actress Amanda Seyfried Nominated
Young Artist Awards 2016
Award Category Nominee Result
Young Artist Award Best Performance in a Feature Film - Leading Young Actor (11 - 13) Levi Miller Nominated
Young Entertainer Awards 2016
Award Category Nominee Result
Young Entertainer Award Best Leading Young Actor- Feature Film Levi Miller Nominated

See also

References

  1. "World Premiere of 'Pan' in London - Photos". UPI.
  2. "PAN [2D] (PG)". British Board of Film Classification. September 17, 2015. Retrieved September 17, 2015.
  3. Pamela McClintock (April 21, 2015). "Summer Box Office: What's Behind Warner Bros.' Risky Move to Release Nine Movies". The Hollywood Reporter. (Prometheus Global Media). Retrieved April 21, 2015.
  4. 1 2 "Pan (2015)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved February 29, 2016.
  5. Pan – World Premiere - Official Warner Bros. UK. YouTube. September 21, 2015.
  6. 1 2 "Levi Miller Tapped to Play Peter Pan in Warner Bros.' 'Pan' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. March 18, 2014. Retrieved July 28, 2014.
  7. 1 2 Perlman, Jake (January 24, 2014). "Hugh Jackman to star in Joe Wright's Peter Pan movie". Insidemovies.ew.com. Retrieved July 28, 2014.
  8. 1 2 3 4 "Amanda Seyfried Joins Warner Bros.' Peter Pan Adaptation". Hollywoodreporter.com. April 24, 2014. Retrieved July 28, 2014.
  9. "Amanda Seyfried Boards Joe Wright's Pan". ComingSoon.net. April 24, 2014. Retrieved July 28, 2014.
  10. Linds Foley. "Cara Delevingne hits the red carpet for the world premiere of PAN". Sugarscape.
  11. "Amanda Seyfried Joins Warner Bros.' Peter Pan Adaptation". The Hollywood Reporter. April 24, 2014. Retrieved April 28, 2014.
  12. Miller, Levi. "Pan Trailer". Contactmusic.com. Retrieved 6 September 2015.
  13. "The Black List Announces 2013 Screenplays (Complete List)". Variety. December 16, 2013. Retrieved July 28, 2014.
  14. "Garrett Hedlund to play Captain Hook in Peter Pan movie? - Movies News - Digital Spy". Digitalspy.ca. January 23, 2014. Retrieved July 28, 2014.
  15. Mark Brown, arts correspondent. "Looking for lost boys: Hollywood bosses launch search for a Peter Pan | Film". The Guardian. Retrieved July 28, 2014.
  16. "omg! get a first look at cara delevingne in pan". Nylon. Retrieved August 6, 2014.
  17. "Rooney Mara to Play Tiger Lily in Warner Bros.' 'Pan'". Variety. March 12, 2014. Retrieved July 28, 2014.
  18. Perlman, Jake (March 13, 2014). "Rooney Mara as 'Peter Pan's' Tiger Lily: A look at the controversy | PopWatch | EW.com". Popwatch.ew.com. Retrieved July 28, 2014.
  19. Pickett, Leah. "Why Aren't we more upset about racism against native americans". www.dailydot.com. Retrieved December 14, 2014.
  20. Garcia, Alma (2012). Contested Images: Women of Colour in Popular Culture. Lanham, Md.: AltaMira Press. p. 45. ISBN 0759119635. Retrieved December 14, 2014.
  21. "Rooney Mara in Negotiations to Play Tiger Lily in Warner Bros.' 'Pan'". TheWrap. March 12, 2014. Retrieved September 6, 2015.
  22. Baker-Whitelaw, Gavia. "This new photo of Tiger Lily is terrible PR for 'Pan'". www.dailydot.com. Retrieved December 14, 2014.
  23. McDonald, Soraya Nadia. "Thousands Petition Warner Bros. over Rooney Mara's casting as Tiger Lily". www.washingtonpost.com. Retrieved December 14, 2014.
  24. "On The Set For 5/5/14: Hugh Jackman Starrer 'Pan' Starts For Warner Bros., New Line Cinema's 'Crawlspace' Wraps". SSN Insider. 2014-05-05. Retrieved 2015-10-11.
  25. 1 2 ICTMN Staff. "Rooney Mara's Tiger Lily Could Not Be Less Native. That's A Problem.". www.indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com. Retrieved December 14, 2014.
  26. http://www.xojane.com/issues/hollywood-
  27. "Warner Bros. Sets Joe Wright's Pan release date for June 26, 2015". ComingSoon.net. December 12, 2013. Retrieved July 28, 2014.
  28. "Warner Bros. Pictures Pushes Batman vs. Superman Back to 2016". ComingSoon.net. January 17, 2014. Retrieved July 28, 2014.
  29. "Warner Bros. Pushes Back Joe Wright's Pan by a Week, Shifts Out of Ant-Man's Shadow". FinalReel.co.uk. Retrieved December 12, 2014.
  30. "Hugh Jackman's 'Pan' Moves Back from Summer to Fall". Variety. April 20, 2015. Retrieved April 20, 2015.
  31. "Hugh Jackman's 'Pan' Moves From Summer to Fall". Hollywood Reporter. April 20, 2015. Retrieved April 21, 2015.
  32. 1 2 Anita Busch (September 27, 2015). "'Hotel Transylvania 2,' 'The Intern' Bow Amidst Holdovers 'Everest' And 'Scorch Trials' – Intl Box Office". Deadline.com. (Penske Media Corporation). Retrieved September 28, 2015.
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  39. 1 2 3 Brent Lang (October 12, 2015). "Does 'Pan's' Box Office Bomb Spell the End for Origin Stories?". Variety. (Penske Media Corporation). Retrieved October 14, 2015.
  40. 1 2 Nancy Tartaglione (October 12, 2015). "'The Martian' Crosses $118.5M Offshore; 'Pan' Serves Up Est. $20.4M – Intl B.O. Final". Deadline.com. (Penske Media Corporation). Retrieved October 13, 2015.
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  42. 1 2 Patrick Brzeski (October 28, 2015). "Why China Is Panning 'Pan'". The Hollywood Reporter. (Prometheus Global Media). Retrieved October 29, 2015.
  43. "'Pan' Gets Panned: 'Pan' Movie Reviews Are Terrible — Find Out Why". Retrieved June 19, 2016.
  44. "Pan is going to lose Warner Bros. a lot of money". October 14, 2015. Retrieved June 19, 2016.
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