The Shrine

Hmm, honestly, i smell a slight flop.

The cartoon and comics simply werent that popular in the US, as far as i know. The fact that its CGI... meh. The kids nowadays definitely have no clue who these character are, but i bet it will get a big push from the execs as far as merchandising and stuff. Spielberg sells tickets, so i'm probably wrong.

I hope it grosses enough to guarantee the sequels. I think the first sequel is guaranteed; the one Peter Jackson will direct while Steven Spielberg produces. I've been a big fan just about all of my life.

While I would hope it does well in the US, I don't think the Tintin story has ever really been widely known in the US. The books have a fairly large cultural significance in Europe, and even in Canada where they are a part of the school curriculum; in French, of course. It wouldn't surprise me if it didn't take off in the US.

The story is in the same vein as Indiana Jones; it's essentially Indiana Jones meets Sherlock Holmes. With some exceptions; Anyone who ever gets tied up will always break free the moment the captor's back is turned. Tintin always one-punch KO's everyone he ever fights. Tintin often gets drugged, almost as many times as he stumbles upon illegal drugs (usually opium). I think it is fairly familiar territory for Spielberg =P

I really like how they have gone with a film noir style. I think it will work out very well for the story. European release date is October 26th, it gets here December 23rd.


WARNiNG; Strong language

Well it has been a fairly large success already selling $360 million, which means it is on par with the sales of the last Star Trek. As well as doing fairly well critically, doing well with reviews and winning several awards so far - including the Golden Globe for best animated feature film.

From the original story, there was a lot of mixing stuff up. They put a greater emphasis on a certain villain, and less emphasis on the story being about a conspiracy between several powerful figures. Tintin has largely been about conspiracy stories, no one real head villain (and if there is, like Rastapopolis, that guy is not discovered until close to the end of the story after Tintin has exposed the rest of the conspirators).

This film was directed by Spielberg, the next film will be directed by Peter Jackson. It's 2.5-3 years away =(