(COMTEX) "Godzilla" takes Manhattan by storm
"Godzilla" takes Manhattan by storm
NEW YORK, May 18 (AFP) - Some 13,000 people are expected to attend the
world premier here Monday of "Godzilla", the latest movie based on the
Japanese saga of the fire-breathing lizard.
This time Godzilla, latest incarnation of the original big lizard in
the 1956 Japanese movie, is more dangerous than ever, having become
radioactive as a result of exposure to French nuclear testing in the
Pacific.
The film will have the biggest launch of any movie in the United States
with 7,000 cinemas preparing to show it from Wednesday, according to
producer Dean Devlin, who along with director Roland Emmerich already
has one disaster movie under his belt, "Independence Day."
Devlin, accompanied by actors Jean Reno, Matthew Broderick and Maria
Pitillo, attended a press conferene Monday with New York Mayor Rudolph
Giuliani, who proclaimed the day "Godzilla Day."
"It doesn't matter that Godzilla trashes New York, as long as it shows
the first city in the world and makes people want to come here," said
the mayor.
The release of "Godzilla" follows a massive publicity campaign in the
United States but the film's long-term potential has been questioned by
the specialist magazine "Daily Variety."
"No doubt about it: 'Godzilla' will be a killer at the box office
during the early stages of its prodigiously wide release," the magazine
predicted.
But "'Godzilla' isn't likely to post 'Titanic'-size grosses, or even
challenge the record (for a sci-fi movie) set by 'Independence Day,'"
it added.
Daily Variety said the new fire-breathing lizard lacks mass appeal and
is "not the familiar creature who often managed to earn audience
sympathy, or at least develop a distinct personality."
fjb/cw/sb
|
