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Story by: Jack Foley
CRITICS may still be arguing over the merits of the final part
of the Matrix trilogy, but that didn’t stop the fans from
rushing out to see it.
The Matrix Revolutions
took $204m (£120m) at cinemas around the world in a record-breaking
opening weekend, having been released on Wednesday (November 5)
at exactly the same time on 18,000 screens, in about 100 countries.
Delighted studio bosses at Warner Bros claimed it became the
biggest global film opening of all time, beating the $188m (£110m)
taken by 2002's Lord of the Rings sequel, The
Two Towers, and laying down the gauntlet for the final part
in Tolkien’s trilogy, The
Return of the King, when it opens on December 17.
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The film’s healthy start ensures its place as one of the
biggest franchises in cinematic history, and dismisses any fears
that the final chapter may have suffered from bad word of mouth,
or a lack of interest following the ‘disappointment’
of its first sequel, Reloaded, earlier this year.
However, given that the first two films - The
Matrix (1999) and Reloaded
(2003) - have already made almost $1.2bn (£710m), combined,
in worldwide ticket sales, the opening figures for Revolutions
are hugely impressive.
In America and Canada alone, Revolutions amassed $50.2m (£29.58m)
between Friday and Sunday, bringing the total since Wednesday
to $85.5m (£50.3m).
Opening over the same weekend was Richard Curtis’ romantic
comedy, Love Actually,
which took $6.6 m (£3.89m), and which boasts a massive cast
of Brits, including Hugh Grant, Colin Firth, Liam Neeson, Alan
Rickman and flavour of the moment, Keira Knightley.
Will Ferrell’s family comedy, Elf, co-starring James Caan,
opened at no 2 in the US, taking $32.1m (£18.92m) over the
weekend.
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