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===Critical response===
===Critical response===


''Edge of Tomorrow'' has received largely positive reviews from critics, according to ''[[Los Angeles Times]]''.<ref name="faughnder">{{cite news | last=Faughnder | first=Ryan | url= http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/envelope/cotown/la-et-ct-fault-in-our-stars-20140604-story.html | title='Fault in Our Stars' likely to break Tom Cruise's heart at box office | work=[[Los Angeles Times]] | date=June 5, 2014 | accessdate=June 5, 2014 }}</ref> Critics praised the humor, the aliens' design, and Cruise and Blunt's performances, and they did not find the time-loop premise tiresome. The most common disappointment among reviews was the ending being "nothing special".<ref>{{cite news | last=Acuna | first=Kirsten | url=http://www.businessinsider.com.au/edge-of-tomorrow-reviews-tom-cruise-best-movie-in-years-2014-5 | title='Edge Of Tomorrow' Is One Of Tom Cruise's Best Movies In Years | work=[[Business Insider]] | date=May 28, 2014 | accessdate=May 28, 2014 }}</ref> Review aggregation website [[Rotten Tomatoes]] said critics thought the film was "gripping, well-acted, funny, and clever" and that Cruise was still more than capable of starring in an action film. The website surveyed 223 critics and, categorizing the reviews as positive or negative, assessed 200 as positive and 23 as negative. Of the 223 reviews, it determined an average rating of 7.5 out of 10. Based on the reviews, the website gave the film a score of 90%.<ref>{{cite web | url= http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/edge_of_tomorrow/ | title=Edge of Tomorrow | work=rottentomatoes.com | publisher=[[Rotten Tomatoes]] | accessdate=June 18, 2014 }}</ref> Another aggregator [[Metacritic]] surveyed 43 critics and assessed 35 reviews as positive and eight as mixed, with none being negative. Based on the reviews, it gave the film a score of 71 out of 100, which it said indicated "generally favorable reviews".<ref>{{cite web | url= http://www.metacritic.com/movie/edge-of-tomorrow | title=Edge of Tomorrow | work=metacritic.com | publisher=[[Metacritic]] | accessdate=June 18, 2014 }}</ref>
''Edge of Tomorrow'' has received largely positive reviews from critics.<ref name="faughnder">{{cite news | last=Faughnder | first=Ryan | url= http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/envelope/cotown/la-et-ct-fault-in-our-stars-20140604-story.html | title='Fault in Our Stars' likely to break Tom Cruise's heart at box office | work=[[Los Angeles Times]] | date=June 5, 2014 | accessdate=June 5, 2014 }}</ref> Critics praised the humor, the aliens' design, and Cruise and Blunt's performances, and they did not find the time-loop premise tiresome. The most common disappointment among reviews was the ending being "nothing special".<ref>{{cite news | last=Acuna | first=Kirsten | url=http://www.businessinsider.com.au/edge-of-tomorrow-reviews-tom-cruise-best-movie-in-years-2014-5 | title='Edge Of Tomorrow' Is One Of Tom Cruise's Best Movies In Years | work=[[Business Insider]] | date=May 28, 2014 | accessdate=May 28, 2014 }}</ref> Review aggregation website [[Rotten Tomatoes]] said critics thought the film was "gripping, well-acted, funny, and clever" and that Cruise was still more than capable of starring in an action film. The website surveyed 223 critics and, categorizing the reviews as positive or negative, assessed 200 as positive and 23 as negative. Of the 223 reviews, it determined an average rating of 7.5 out of 10. Based on the reviews, the website gave the film a score of 90%.<ref>{{cite web | url= http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/edge_of_tomorrow/ | title=Edge of Tomorrow | work=rottentomatoes.com | publisher=[[Rotten Tomatoes]] | accessdate=June 18, 2014 }}</ref> Another aggregator [[Metacritic]] surveyed 43 critics and assessed 35 reviews as positive and eight as mixed, with none being negative. Based on the reviews, it gave the film a score of 71 out of 100, which it said indicated "generally favorable reviews".<ref>{{cite web | url= http://www.metacritic.com/movie/edge-of-tomorrow | title=Edge of Tomorrow | work=metacritic.com | publisher=[[Metacritic]] | accessdate=June 18, 2014 }}</ref>


Justin Chang of ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' called ''Edge of Tomorrow'' "a cleverly crafted and propulsively executed sci-fi thriller" and said the film was director Doug Liman's best since ''[[The Bourne Identity (2002 film)|The Bourne Identity]]'' (2002). Chang said the screenwriters, with the assistance of the editors, "tell their story in a breezy narrative shorthand (and at times, sleight-of-hand), transforming what must surely be an unbelievably tedious gauntlet for our hero into a deft, playful and continually involving viewing experience". The critic said of the relationship of Cruise and Blunt's characters, "Liman handles it with a pleasing lightness of touch that extends to the proceedings as a whole." He also commended the visual effects of the "expertly designed Mimics" as well as Dion Beebe's cinematography.<ref name="chang">{{cite journal | last=Chang | first=Justin | url= http://variety.com/2014/film/reviews/film-review-edge-of-tomorrow-1201184836/ | title=Film Review: 'Edge of Tomorrow' | journal=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] | date=May 22, 2014 | accessdate=May 22, 2014 }}</ref>
Justin Chang of ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' called ''Edge of Tomorrow'' "a cleverly crafted and propulsively executed sci-fi thriller" and said the film was director Doug Liman's best since ''[[The Bourne Identity (2002 film)|The Bourne Identity]]'' (2002). Chang said the screenwriters, with the assistance of the editors, "tell their story in a breezy narrative shorthand (and at times, sleight-of-hand), transforming what must surely be an unbelievably tedious gauntlet for our hero into a deft, playful and continually involving viewing experience". The critic said of the relationship of Cruise and Blunt's characters, "Liman handles it with a pleasing lightness of touch that extends to the proceedings as a whole." He also commended the visual effects of the "expertly designed Mimics" as well as Dion Beebe's cinematography.<ref name="chang">{{cite journal | last=Chang | first=Justin | url= http://variety.com/2014/film/reviews/film-review-edge-of-tomorrow-1201184836/ | title=Film Review: 'Edge of Tomorrow' | journal=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] | date=May 22, 2014 | accessdate=May 22, 2014 }}</ref>

Revision as of 21:39, 21 June 2014

Edge of Tomorrow
A man and a woman, wearing battle armour with big guns, and looking battle-worn, stand against an urban background devastated by war. The sky is golden, meteors are falling and in the background Nelsons column can be seen.
Theatrical release poster
Directed byDoug Liman
Screenplay by
Produced by
  • Erwin Stoff
  • Tom Lassally
  • Jeffrey Silver
  • Gregory Jacobs
  • Jason Hoffs
Starring
CinematographyDion Beebe
Edited by
  • James Herbert
  • Laura Jennings
Music byChristophe Beck
Distributed byWarner Bros. Pictures
Release dates
  • May 28, 2014 (2014-05-28) (London IMAX)
  • June 6, 2014 (2014-06-06) (United States)
Running time
113 minutes[2]
CountryUnited States[1]
LanguageEnglish
Budget$178 million
Box office$243.5 million[3]

Edge of Tomorrow is a 2014 American military science fiction film starring Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt. Doug Liman directed the film based on a screenplay adapted from the Japanese light novel All You Need Is Kill by Hiroshi Sakurazaka. Rights to the novel were bought in late 2009, and a spec script was sold to the American studio Warner Bros. Pictures for production. The studio co-produced the film with the Australian production company Village Roadshow. Filming began in late 2012 and took place mainly at Warner Bros. Studios, Leavesden outside London. Trafalgar Square in London was also a filming location for some scenes.

The film was released in theaters in 28 territories, including the United Kingdom, Brazil, Germany, Spain, and Indonesia, on the weekend of May 30, 2014. On the weekend of June 6, 2014, it was released in 36 additional territories, including North America (United States and Canada), Australia, China, and Russia. The film received "largely positive reviews" from critics, according to Los Angeles Times. As of June 19, 2014, the film has grossed $243.5 million worldwide.

Plot

A race of aliens called Mimics have taken over continental Europe. Major William Cage (Tom Cruise), a member of the NATO-led United Defense Forces (UDF), is summoned to London to meet with General Brigham (Brendan Gleeson). Brigham states the UDF's intention to launch Operation Downfall against the Mimics in a D-Day style invasion. He orders Cage to cover combat on the beaches of France, to which Cage objects, citing a lack of combat training. When Cage tries to extort the General, he is arrested, knocked out, and awakens in handcuffs at a forward operating base at Heathrow Airport. Cage meets Master Sergeant Farell (Bill Paxton) and a squad of rejects known as J Squad. The General has sent a note to Master Sergeant Farell claiming that Cage is actually Private Cage, a deserter, who will falsely claim to be an officer. Master Sergeant Farell tells Cage that he can redeem his cowardice on the battlefield and inserts Cage into J Squad.

Cage is dropped in with the first wave, unaware that the Mimics have anticipated the invasion. Cage is attacked by an unusually large "Alpha" Mimic and uses a mine to destroy it. The Mimic's blood douses him just as the mine explodes, and Cage wakes at Heathrow the previous morning. Cage unsuccessfully tries to convince his squad mates that the invasion will fail and everyone will die. Each time he dies, he wakes up the previous morning. In one such loop he saves Sergeant Rita Vrataski (Emily Blunt), a famous soldier known as the "Angel of Verdun", in reference to the battle at Verdun where Vrataski slew hundreds of Mimics. She recognizes Cage's ability to anticipate events and tells him to locate her when he "wakes up".

Cage finds Vrataski and explains that they know each other from the future invasion. Vrataski confides in Cage that she too possessed the ability to reset, which allowed her to kill hundreds of Mimics at Verdun, but lost it after receiving a blood transfusion. Vrataski takes Cage to see Dr. Carter (Noah Taylor), a former government scientist and expert in Mimic biology. The doctor explains to Cage the time-loop situation he finds himself in. Vrataski tells Cage that he will begin to experience "visions" of the alien's hive mind called the Omega. Cage eventually sees in a vision the Omega is located in a Bavarian Alps dam. Vrataski decides to train Cage in combat. With each subsequent loop, his combat proficiency increases.

In one loop, feeling the fight is pointless, Cage decides not to meet Vrataski and instead goes to London. There, Cage witnesses the Mimic's true plan: a large scale amphibious assault on London while Operation Downfall forces are destroyed. After Cage is killed in London, Vrataski and Cage work on a plan to make it off the beach. After countless loops, they make their way inland towards the Omega.

In the next loop, Cage decides to go alone to kill the Omega. This is the result of countless failures of saving Vrataski's life at an abandoned farm. When he arrives at the dam, he is ambushed by an Alpha that tries to steal his blood and prevent him from resetting the day. Cage manages to kill himself by drowning underneath damaged water pipes. During the next loop, Cage tells Vrataski and Carter that his vision was a trick to ambush him and take away his ability to reset. Vrataski forces Carter to explain to Cage that during Carter's employment in Whitehall, General Brigham supervised the construction of a prototype transponder. Carter states the device can theoretically ascertain the location of the Omega if injected into an Alpha Mimic or someone with the reset ability. Vrataski and Cage infiltrate the Ministry of Defense and threaten to kill Brigham unless he gives them the transponder. Brigham relents and gives them the transponder before sending troops after them as they attempt to escape by car.

While fleeing, Vrataski stabs Cage's leg with the transponder. Cage "sees" that the Omega is actually located under the Louvre in Paris. After crashing, Cage wakes and, realizing he had a blood transfusion, inherently senses that he has lost the ability to reset the day. After Vrataski breaks him out, Cage convinces members from J Squad to join their effort to destroy the Omega. On their flight to Paris they are attacked by Mimics and crash. Surviving members of the squad sacrifice themselves to buy Vrataski and Cage time. With great effort, both make it beneath the Louvre, where they are hunted by an Alpha. Vrataski uses herself as a distraction and is subsequently killed. Near the Omega, the Alpha mortally wounds Cage. Cage manages to prime and release a grenade belt into the Omega, effectively killing it and all other Mimics.

As the Omega disintegrates, Cage's body absorbs its blood and he wakes up en route to his initial meeting with Brigham the day before. He attends a press conference where Brigham announces that the Mimics have been defeated. Cage, having never been stripped of his rank, visits Vrataski at the Heathrow base. She asks him what he wants, echoing the first thing she has said to him countless times, to which Cage smiles.

Cast

Tom Cruise, known for performing his own stunts in his films, also did so in Edge of Tomorrow. He and Emily Blunt wore heavy metal suits that depicted their characters' battle suits.[4] Blunt trained three months for her role, "focusing on everything from weights to sprints to yoga, aerial wire work and gymnastics".[5]

Bill Paxton was cast in a supporting role and also wore a battle suit in the film. The actor said he suspected that he was cast in the film because of his well-known role in the 1986 science fiction film Aliens.[6] Edge of Tomorrow was the first time Paxton and Cruise appeared in the same film, despite both men having acted for more than 30 years.[7]

Production

Director Doug Liman at the Paris premiere of the film

Edge of Tomorrow was co-produced by Warner Bros. and Village Roadshow, with the involvement of production companies 3 Arts Entertainment and Viz Productions, on a budget of $178 million.[8] The film was directed by Doug Liman based on a screenplay adapting the Japanese light novel All You Need Is Kill by Hiroshi Sakurazaka. The novel was published in 2004, and 3 Arts Entertainment optioned the novel in late 2009. Instead of making a pitch to a major studio to purchase the property and proceed with writing and producing a film adaptation, the company decided to develop a spec script to show the studios. Dante Harper wrote the script, and Warner Bros. purchased it in a $3 million deal in April 2010.[9] In the following August, the studio hired Doug Liman to direct the film.[10] Harper's screenplay was listed in the 2010 edition of The Black List, a survey of most-liked unproduced screenplays.[11]

In early 2011, the screenplay was revised to improve the third act, which Warner Bros. found weak. The studio initially approached Brad Pitt to star;[12] it then approached Tom Cruise.[13] The screenplay was revised further by Joby Harold, and the age of the leading role was changed to fit Cruise's. In December 2011, Cruise officially joined the film.[14] In April 2012, Emily Blunt entered negotiations to star opposite Cruise.[15]

Six months before filming started, Liman discarded two-thirds of Harper's original script. Jez Butterworth and John-Henry Butterworth were hired to rewrite the script. Screenwriter Simon Kinberg took over from the Butterworths, and eight weeks before the start of filming, he was replaced by Christopher McQuarrie. The screenplay did not yet have a satisfactory ending, and producers and studio executives worried about starting filming without an ending.[16]

Filming

Production began at Leavesden Studios near London. Warner Bros. had purchased Leavesden as a permanent studio site after previously renting space there for its production of the Harry Potter films.[17] Though the director initially did not want a beach set built, the production had one built at the studio site.[16] It was intended for battle scenes and to be reminiscent of coastal battles during World War II such as the Invasion of Normandy and the Battle of Dunkirk.[18] Principal photography began at Leavesden on October 1, 2012.[19] The Los Angeles Times said on the second day, Liman "demanded a total reshoot of everything filmed on Day 1", which had concerned producers. Filming on the beach set was planned to last two weeks, but the scheduled extended to nearly three months due to what the Los Angeles Times called "the director's self-described 'workshop-y' filming style".[16] Filming also took place in Trafalgar Square in London on November 24, 2012. The square was closed to the public, and tanks were brought in to film some action scenes.[20] A former army base in the village of Barton Stacey in Hampshire, England was also used as a filming location for two weeks.[21]

Liman said filming took place seven days a week using two crews to film 20 days in addition to what had originally been scheduled. The crew struggled with rainy British weather since the film was supposed to be set in one day and had to maintain the same weather.[22] Though filming concluded by August 2013, actor Jeremy Piven was added to the cast, and extra scenes including him were filmed.[23] (An early review of the film said Piven did not appear in it.[24])

Battle suit design

Further information: powered exoskeleton

Production designer Oliver Scholl and his team worked with lead builder Pierre Bohanna to develop concept art for several battle suit options based on contemporary real-world powered exoskeleton initiatives like those supported by DARPA. When director Doug Liman chose a design, the team built an aluminum prototype frame that had pivot points and hinges. Costume designer Kate Hawley contributed a gritty aesthetic design for the color palettes and surface treatments. While the design was meant to be utilitarian, it was also created so the actors could be seen in the suits and also run in them. The team created a foam mock-up of Tom Cruise so the frame could be suited for him. The team handcrafted 70 hard material and 50 soft material battle suits in the course of almost five months. There were three versions of the battle suits: "grunts, dogs, and tanks". The battle suit for Emily Blunt's character had red slash marks sprayed on to reflect a Joan of Arc quality.[25]

The battle suit weighed 85 pounds (39 kg) on average. One of the heavier versions was around 130 pounds (59 kg) due to being equipped with a mock sniper rifle and rocket launcher.[5] Each actor needed four people to help put on the battle suit. Initially, Tom Cruise took 30 minutes to put on the suit and another 30 minutes to remove it. Ultimately, the time was reduced to 30 seconds.[25] "Between takes, the actors would be suspended by chains from iron frames to take the weight of the suits off their shoulders."[6]

Music

Untitled

Composer Christophe Beck scored Edge of Tomorrow. The film was Beck's first science fiction film score, and the composer scored in place of John Powell, who had scored all of director Doug Liman's previous studio films.[26] To prepare for the score, Beck watched the film with temp tracks, including one from the 2012 film Battleship. Beck experimented with repeating the music with the scenes. He said repetition was only used in a couple of spots in the film because the approach did not frequently fit the events on the screen. Beck said, "The day is reset dozens of times in the film and it would get very repetitive to approach that musically the same way every time."[27] The composer initially tried for "traditional heroic themes" that involved horns and trumpets, but he said Liman "preferred a non-traditional approach, driven by percussion and distorted orchestra". To that end, Beck used the pizzicato playing technique, "not in the traditional, plinky-plinky-isn't-this-funny way, but a little darker, and always accompanied by some higher concept synth colors".[26] With Liman's approach, the composer said there were "only a couple of traditional themes" in the film, including one for Emily Blunt's character Rita.[27]

Additional music
Songs
No.TitleMusicLength
1."This Is Not the End"Fieldwork 
2."Massive Mellow"Daniel Lenz 
3."Railroad Track"Willy Moon 
4."Trip Into The Light"Jeremy and the Harlequins 
5."Love Me Again"John Newman 

Release

Marketing

"I think the word 'kill' in a title is very tricky in today's world. I don't know that people want to be bombarded with that word. I don't know that people want to be opening the newspaper and seeing that word. We see it enough in kind of real newspaper headlines, and I don't think we need to see it when we're looking at a movie."

— Producer Erwin Stoff on changing the title[28]

Warner Bros. invested over $100 million in a marketing campaign for Edge of Tomorrow.[29] The film was initially titled All You Need Is Kill after the light novel. In July 2013, Warner Bros. changed the title to Edge of Tomorrow;[30] Warner Bros. president Sue Kroll said the title was changed partly due to "negative chatter" about the word "kill" in the title.[31] The film was promoted at ComicCon in San Diego, California in July 2013,[30] and it was promoted at WonderCon in Anaheim, California in April 2014.[6] Turner Broadcasting, a subsidiary of Time Warner like the studio Warner Bros. promoted the film across its TV properties, including CNN, TNT, TBS, Adult Swim, TruTV, and Funny or Die. Variety said the move "put forth the notion that buying bigger packages of advertisements across a TV company’s holdings is a viable option in an increasingly fragmented TV-viewing landscape". Turner also launched a website which would unlock film-related content like "a 3D game, back stories and artwork" if its promotional hashtag was circulated enough through the social media website Twitter.[32]

Viz Media published a new edition of the light novel, titled Edge of Tomorrow instead of All You Need Is Kill. It was released on April 29, 2014.[33] It also published a graphic novel adaptation of the light novel on May 5, 2014.[34]

Box office forecast

Media reports used Tom Cruise's previous films to estimate Edge of Tomorrow's box office performance in North America

At the beginning of May 2014, weeks before the film's release, media reports said box office tracking for Edge of Tomorrow indicated that it would have an underwhelming performance at the box office in North America (United States and Canada).[8] Variety said there was a "worrisome lack of buzz" leading up to the film's release.[31] Initial tracking at the start of the month estimated that the film would gross between $25 million and $30 million on its opening weekend,[35] and the estimate decreased later in the month by $5 million.[31] The film was scheduled to compete with The Fault in Our Stars, opening the same weekend and estimated to gross around $25 million. The Wrap said the competition would potentially impact Edge of Tomorrow's opening weekend gross.[35] In contrast, Variety said Edge of Tomorrow could serve as counterprogramming to The Fault in Our Stars since that film's expected demographic is women under 25 years old.[31]

The Hollywood Reporter called Edge of Tomorrow, with its budget of over $175 million, one of the "biggest box-office risks" for mid-2014 in North America. The trade paper said the film was similar to Oblivion, a 2013 science fiction film that also starred Tom Cruise, and that like Oblivion, it would likely perform better outside North America.[36] Box Office Mojo said Cruise's films with original material—Valkyrie (2008), Knight and Day (2010), Jack Reacher (2012), and Oblivion (2013)—had not grossed more than $100 million in North America. The website forecast that Edge of Tomorrow would gross $90 million in North America and $220 million in other territories.[37] TheWrap noted that the studio has focused on the theatrical releases in the other territories, where Cruise "remains a major force" in drawing audiences.[35] Variety, writing from the US perspective, said, "Media reports have been quick to speculate that Edge of Tomorrow may be one of the summer's first big bombs based on the lack of enthusiasm by U.S. audiences. That may come to pass, but these reports downplay the centrality of foreign markets in today's globalized movie industry."[8]

In the week prior to Edge of Tomorrow's release in North America, it was estimated to have an opening-weekend gross of $27 million, a small bump from the previously estimated mid-$20 million range.[38]

Theatrical run

Edge of Tomorrow initiated its theatrical run in several territories on May 28, 2014 and rolled out to a total of 28 territories for its opening weekend of May 30–June 1, 2014.[39][8] It grossed $20.1 million on the opening weekend.[40] For the second weekend of June 6–8, 2014, it was released in 36 additional territories.[41] As of June 17, 2014, the film has grossed $241.8 million worldwide.[3]

Opening weekend

Edge of Tomorrow premiered at British Film Institute's London IMAX on May 28, 2014[42]

The film had premiere screenings in London, Paris, and New York City on May 28, 2014. The cast and the crew mimicked the film's time loop premise by attending the premieres in a single day, traveling westward to attend them on a staggered schedule.[43] The film was screened in New York City at 11:59 pm, referring to the film title.[44] The film was released in theaters in 28 territories—including the United Kingdom, Brazil, Germany, Spain, and Indonesia—on the weekend of May 30, 2014.[8] Certain territories with "strong" association football teams were chosen so the film could screen to audiences before the month-long 2014 FIFA World Cup began on June 12, 2014. Edge of Tomorrow competed against Maleficent starring Angelina Jolie, which opened the same weekend in 46 territories.[8]

On its opening weekend in 5,018 screens across 28 territories, Edge of Tomorrow grossed $20.1 million.[40] The Hollywood Reporter called the film's debut a "soft" opening. Edge of Tomorrow faced competition from Maleficent and X-Men: Days of Future Past and ranked third after the two films in many territories. In the United Kingdom, it ranked third and grossed $3.1 million, where Cruise's 2013 film Oblivion had opened with $7.6 million. In Germany, it grossed $2.1 million compared to Oblivion's $2.6 million. Edge of Tomorrow ranked first in Indonesia and Taiwan, grossing $2 million and $1.9 million, respectively.[45] Its opening weekend in 286 screens in Indonesia was Tom Cruise's biggest opening to date in the country.[40] The film also grossed $1.5 million in Italy and $1.5 million in Spain.[41] Deadline.com said the film had good word of mouth, citing significant increases in Saturday grosses compared to the Friday grosses in the United Kingdom, Germany, and Spain.[40] Bloomberg Businessweek reported that $110 million was grossed in the first week of release and summarized its debut, "While it did solid business in Asia, its reception in Germany, France, and the U.K. has been tepid."[46]

Second weekend

The film was released in 36 additional markets in its second weekend of global release (June 6–8, 2014).[41] For the second weekend, it was on over 19,000 screens throughout 63 markets.[47] It grossed an estimated $28.8 million in North America,[3] and approximately $82 million in other territories.[47] Major performances were China with $26.7 million,[48] South Korea with $16.6 million, Russia with $8.6 million, France with $3.2 million, and Mexico with $3.1 million.[47] In China, Edge of Tomorrow ranked first at the box office, ahead of X-Men: Days of Future Past.[48] The film had 99,768 screenings with 4.06 million admissions. It also screened earlier in the week for the Dragon Boat Festival on June 2, considered a major moviegoing hoiday in China.[49] Its opening day gross was $6.7 million, which was the fourth-biggest opening in China in 2014.[50] The film also premiered in South Korea and France earlier in the week, on June 4, 2014. In South Korea that Wednesday, it grossed $3.8 million, which was Tom Cruise's biggest South Korean opening to date and the fourth biggest South Korean opening to date for a Hollywood film. The opening date was chosen for South Korea to take advantage of the country's five-day holiday.[51] In Russia, the film grossed $1.4 million on opening day, which was Tom Cruise's biggest to date in the country.[50]

Edge of Tomorrow was released in 3,490 theaters in North America on June 6, 2014.[3] The ticket service Fandango reported before the weekend that Edge of Tomorrow sold more advance tickets than Tom Cruise's previous film Oblivion but that the competing film The Fault in Our Stars strongly exceeded Edge of Tomorrow in advance ticket sales.[52] Edge of Tomorrow grossed $28.8 million on the opening weekend, ranking it third below The Fault in Our Stars ($48 million) and Maleficent ($34.3 million).[53] Polling firm CinemaScore reported that audiences overall gave Edge of Tomorrow a "B+" grade, where younger filmgoers gave "A" and "A–" grades.[54] The Los Angeles Times said the disappointing box office performances of non-franchise films Edge of Tomorrow and Blended, both produced and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, indicated risky investments by the studio, which had better success earlier in the year with franchise films The Lego Movie and Godzilla.[55]

Subsequent weekends

In its second weekend of release in North America (June 13–15, 2014), Edge of Tomorrow had a "light" second-weekend drop of 43% due to word of mouth and grossed $16.5 million on the second weekend.[56] In the same weekend in territories outside North America, the film was on 14,725 screens. With approximately 5.1 million admissions, it grossed $37.3 million. China, Russia, and South Korea respectively had the film's largest weekend grosses among the territories.[57] In South Korea, the film ranked first at the box office for two consecutive weekends, grossing a total of $25.65 million by June 17, 2014.[58]

In Japan, Edge of Tomorrow will be released on July 4, 2014 under the light novel's title All You Need Is Kill.[59]

Critical response

Edge of Tomorrow has received largely positive reviews from critics.[60] Critics praised the humor, the aliens' design, and Cruise and Blunt's performances, and they did not find the time-loop premise tiresome. The most common disappointment among reviews was the ending being "nothing special".[61] Review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes said critics thought the film was "gripping, well-acted, funny, and clever" and that Cruise was still more than capable of starring in an action film. The website surveyed 223 critics and, categorizing the reviews as positive or negative, assessed 200 as positive and 23 as negative. Of the 223 reviews, it determined an average rating of 7.5 out of 10. Based on the reviews, the website gave the film a score of 90%.[62] Another aggregator Metacritic surveyed 43 critics and assessed 35 reviews as positive and eight as mixed, with none being negative. Based on the reviews, it gave the film a score of 71 out of 100, which it said indicated "generally favorable reviews".[63]

Justin Chang of Variety called Edge of Tomorrow "a cleverly crafted and propulsively executed sci-fi thriller" and said the film was director Doug Liman's best since The Bourne Identity (2002). Chang said the screenwriters, with the assistance of the editors, "tell their story in a breezy narrative shorthand (and at times, sleight-of-hand), transforming what must surely be an unbelievably tedious gauntlet for our hero into a deft, playful and continually involving viewing experience". The critic said of the relationship of Cruise and Blunt's characters, "Liman handles it with a pleasing lightness of touch that extends to the proceedings as a whole." He also commended the visual effects of the "expertly designed Mimics" as well as Dion Beebe's cinematography.[64]

Todd McCarthy, writing for The Hollywood Reporter, said the film was "a narratively ambitious sci-fi actioner" that "takes a relatively playful attitude toward the familiar battle tropes". McCarthy said despite the humor, he found the time loop premise "tedious" and that "the final stretch becomes dramatically unconvincing and visually murky". The critic called the effects "exciting, convincing and gritty" and applauded Gleeson and Paxton in their supporting roles.[65]

Accolades

The theatrical trailer for Edge of Tomorrow was nominated at the 15th Annual Golden Trailer Awards for Best Action and for Best Summer 2014 Blockbuster Trailer.[66] The film also received nominations at the 2014 Teen Choice Awards for best action film, best action actor (Tom Cruise), and best action actress (Emily Blunt).[67]

Social commentary

Gender roles

Emily Blunt, who plays Sergeant Rita Vrataski

In Edge of Tomorrow, Emily Blunt plays Sergeant Rita Vrataski, a veteran who guides and trains Tom Cruise's character Major William Cage. Blunt said of her role, "In these male-fueled genres, it's usually the woman who's holding the hand of the guy and he's running through explosions leading her, and I wanted to be doing the leading. This was the extreme idea of what I ever thought I'd want to do."[68] Chris Nashawaty, reviewing the film for Entertainment Weekly, called it "the most feminist summer action flick in years".[69] Bustle's Alicia Lutes described Rita as "ruthless and exacting in her takedown ... of a bunch of aliens" and said, "This is very much counter to the age-old ideals about ladies being the constant, delicate flowers of emotional heartstring-pulling." Lutes said the film's hero Cage was strengthened by her work, "She trains him, aids him, and protects him (and in turn the fate of humanity) time and time again."[70] Tasha Robinson, writing a piece in The Dissolve about "strong female characters" that lack real purpose in films, said Rita in Edge of Tomorrow was an exception. Robinson acknowledged that Rita existed to support Cage in his trials but believed that "the story doesn't degrade, devalue, weaken, or dismiss her".[71]

In contrast, The Wire's Esther Zuckerman criticized the inclusion of a romantic relationship in the film and said of the two characters' kiss, "There's a case to be made that the kiss is simply an acceptance of their fate, but everything we know about Rita up until this point implies that she's a dedicated soldier, and making her a sudden romantic betrays her character. That's not to say she can't soften up a bit as humans do, but the moment reads less like she's accepting her humanity and more like the filmmakers had to acknowledge two attractive leads ... who should lock lips because that's what men and women do in movies."[72] Monika Bartyzel in The Week also criticized the romance in the film, noting that Rita is the one who kisses Cage, despite knowing him for only a day where he had known her for multiple days via time loop. Bartyzel said Rita's portrayal was part of a commonly seen dichotomy in which a female character helps a male "Chosen One" character. Bartyzel said the phenomenon was "the new normal because it allows Hollywood to appeal to feminist concerns while continuing to feed male wish fulfillment". The journalist said Rita "at her most powerful" ultimately serves "to make the male hero into a fighter like herself".[73]

Comparison to video games

Director Doug Liman said the film's repeated scenes intentionally paralleled the spawning feature in video games, where players have to start over on a level when their character dies.[28] Salon's Ryan Leas said analyses of the film noted that it "steals from the video game genre". Leas called Edge of Tomorrow's looped action "a meta-commentary on the blockbuster genre", saying, "It's a blockbuster interested in the question of how mind-numbing its genre has become to its viewers."[74] Wired's Angela Watercutter said Hollywood had been trying to produce films based on video games for years and that Edge of Tomorrow showed merit for studios to try basing films on video games' narrative structure.[75]

See also

References

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  2. ^ "Edge of Tomorrow (12A)". bbfc.co.uk. British Board of Film Classification. Retrieved May 1, 2014.
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