In addition to Pitt’s appeal, Moore says that females were drawn to the film’s storyline. The result - World War Z drew a fairly even ratio of males (51 percent) and females (49), while 33 percent of those buying tickets were under the age of 25, and 67 percent were over. PHOTOS: ‘World War Z’ Premiere: The Zombie Apocalypse Starts in London He stayed and worked when he could have gone off and shot another movie.” Moore said that when the studio deemed that there problems with the movie, Pitt and Forster worked closely with Paramount Film Group president Adam Goodman to “find the right movie. “The great thing about this process was that it showed what a great partner and producer Brad is,” says Moore. He also has jetted around the world to attend various premieres of the movie. Pitt aggressively helped market World War Z, attending numerous screenings across the country, as well as turning up at industry events, such as CinemaCon, the annual convention of theater owners in Las Vegas. His last two films were indie mob pic Killing Them Softly, which bombed, and the critically acclaimed Moneyball. Pitt has starred in a number of two-handers ( Spy Game, Interview With a Vampire, The Devil’s Own), as well having a relatively small - but memorable role - in Quentin Tarantino‘s Inglourious Basterds. A year before, in May 2004, Troy opened to $46.9 million, now his third best debut. His previous best box office opening, not accounting for inflation, was Mr. Exceptions were Troy and the Ocean’s Eleven franchise, although those were ensemble films. Pitt - one of the world’s most recognizable stars - has spent much of his career pursuing prestige projects, versus more commercial event pics. And a World War Z series could mark a big win for Pitt in terms of his aspirations as a producer. Pitt produced via his company Plan B, with Marc Forster directing.įranchises are incredibly important to Hollywood studios and can likewise reap huge rewards for talent in terms of pay. Skydance Productions co-financed World War Z, which also was made in association with Hemisphere Media Capital and GK Films. Paramount appears confident it will, judging by the fact that its reviving plans for further installments. It will need to stay strong to make up for its $190 million budget, however. Initially set to open in December 2012, the movie’s release date was pushed back to June, prompting many in Hollywood to anticipate a blood bath.īut in a happy reversal of fortune, World War Z is off to a strong start, both in terms of its commercial and critical appeal. World War Z initially was envisioned as a trilogy, but those plans were shelved when the movie ran into trouble, requiring extensive reworking of the last act.

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