Pitch Perfect
Pitch Perfect | |
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![]() Theatrical release poster | |
Directed by | Jason Moore |
Screenplay by | Kay Cannon |
Produced by | |
Starring | |
Cinematography | Julio Macat |
Edited by | Lisa Zeno Churgin |
Music by |
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Production company | |
Distributed by | Universal Pictures |
Release dates |
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Running time | 112 minutes[1] |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $17 million[2] |
Box office | $115.4 million[2] |
Pitch Perfect (also known as The Hit Girls in France, and Voices in Italy) is a 2012 American comedy film directed by Jason Moore and written by Kay Cannon.[3] It features an ensemble cast, including Anna Kendrick, Skylar Astin, Rebel Wilson, Anna Camp, Brittany Snow, Hana Mae Lee, Alexis Knapp, Ester Dean, Adam DeVine, Ben Platt, John Michael Higgins, and Elizabeth Banks. The plot follows Barden University's all-girl a cappella group, The Barden Bellas, as they compete against another a cappella group from their college to win Nationals. The film is loosely adapted from Mickey Rapkin's non-fiction book, titled Pitch Perfect: The Quest for Collegiate a Cappella Glory. Filming concluded in December 2011, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.[4]
The film premiered in Los Angeles on September 24, 2012[5] and was released on September 28, 2012 in the United States. The film received positive reviews from critics and became a sleeper hit,[6] earning over $115 million worldwide. It is the first film in the film series and was followed by two sequels, Pitch Perfect 2 (2015) and Pitch Perfect 3 (2017).
Plot
In the 2011 ICCA Finals at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, Barden University's all-female a cappella group, the Barden Bellas perform Ace of Base's "The Sign", which seems to be going well (other than the audience finding it rather boring), until Aubrey Posen (Anna Camp) suddenly projectile-vomits on the audience during her final solo. The Bellas are publicly humiliated, losing the competition. Four months later, newly arrived Barden freshman Beca Mitchell (Anna Kendrick) has no desire to attend college, but she is forced to do so by her father (John Benjamin Hickey), a professor at the university, with whom Beca has a strained relationship. Wishing she could instead pursue a career as a music producer in Los Angeles, Beca spends her time making mash-up mixes of songs and takes up an internship at the school radio station, where she gets to know fellow freshman Jesse Swanson (Skylar Astin).
When Beca's father discovers she has not been attending classes, he comes to her with a proposition: if she joins a club and still does not want to remain at college after one year, he will allow her to leave college, and he will pay for Beca to move to Los Angeles to pursue her music career. After some persuasion from Chloe Beale (Brittany Snow), the co-leader of the Bellas along with Aubrey, she reluctantly joins the Barden Bellas. Aubrey does not initially approve of recruiting Beca, but yields nonetheless due to a desperate need for members and Beca's talent. Beca joins alongside a group of other women who do not fit the Bellas' typical mold: Cynthia Rose (Ester Dean), Stacie Conrad (Alexis Knapp), Lilly Onakuramara (Hana Mae Lee), and Fat Amy (Rebel Wilson), but Kori and Mary Elise were kicked out of the Barden Bellas for having sex with a treblemaker the next day after. Jesse is also revealed to have joined the Bellas' all-male rival group, the Treblemakers, but his roommate Benji (Ben Platt) was rejected after being called weird by Bumper (Adam DeVine).
The Bellas participate in the 2012 ICCA Regionals at Carolina University where, at Aubrey's insistence, they perform the same medley that helped the Bellas advance to the finals the previous year. In spite of their old set list, the group manages to place second, thanks to Fat Amy putting her own spin on her solo, which sends them to the semi-finals. Unfortunately, disaster strikes for Beca when the Treblemakers cause an uproar with an old a capella group after the competition. The Bellas try to intervene, but Beca and Fat Amy accidentally smash a window with the trophy, which alerts a police officer standing outside who then arrests her. Jesse kindly waits for Beca outside the police station, but makes matters worse by getting her father involved in the situation, who is furious and tells Beca that he will no longer pay for her to move to Los Angeles because of the incident. This infuriates Beca, which turns her budding friendship with Jesse sour. In the meantime, Beca suggests to the Bellas to try to be more daring, but Aubrey insists that they will win with the repertoire the group has always used in the past.
At the ICCA Semi-Finals, Beca provides an impromptu layering of one of her favorite songs into the traditional song on the Bellas' set list in an attempt to reinvigorate the crowd after they seemed to have lost interest. Even though the audience seemed to enjoy Beca's remix, the Bellas come in third in the competition behind the Treblemakers and the Footnotes. Aubrey becomes furious with Beca, who in turn quits, with the Bellas losing on their chance to advance due to their third place ranking. Benji finds out that the Footnotes have recruited a high school student into their team and reports it, causing their disqualification and simultaneously advancing the Bellas to the finals by default. They re-form after spring break, with the notable exception of Beca. During rehearsals, Chloe stands up against Aubrey's stubbornness. The group starts to fall apart, which sparks a fight. Meanwhile, Beca tries to apologize to Jesse for being rude, which he declines by telling her she pushes away everyone who cares about her. Beca then apologizes to the Bellas for her actions during the semi-finals and asks to have another chance, which Aubrey eventually allows. After having a group heart-to-heart conversation, the Bellas decide to adopt Beca's more modern and original music style. Aubrey and Chloe relinquish their leadership to Beca. Meanwhile, Treblemakers leader Bumper leaves after being offered a job as a back-up singer for John Mayer. With Bumper gone, Jesse persuades the Trebles to let Benji join the group in Bumper's place.
At the a cappella national competition, the Treblemakers perform, with Benji performing for the first time. The Bellas sing a piece arranged by Beca, which includes "Don't You (Forget About Me)" a song featured in The Breakfast Club, one of Jesse's favorite movies. This acts as a more effective apology from Beca, and after the performance, she and Jesse kiss. The Bellas win the national competition, and six months later auditions for new members take place.
Cast
- The Barden Bellas
- Anna Kendrick as Beca Mitchell, an introverted and rebellious freshman who joins the Barden Bellas to appease her professor father and finds herself starting to enjoy being a part of the Bellas. Over the course of her first year at Barden, she begins to fall in love with one of her fellow Bellas, Chloe Beale.
- Rebel Wilson as Patricia "Fat Amy", a comical and super confident singer from Tasmania.
- Anna Camp as Aubrey Posen, the uptight and traditionalist co-leader of the Bellas.
- Brittany Snow as Chloe Beale, the kinder and more civil co-leader of the Bellas. She also begins to fall in love with one of the new additions to the Bellas, Beca Mitchell.
- Hana Mae Lee as Lilly Onakuramara, a strange quietly-spoken student but a talented beatboxer.
- Alexis Knapp as Stacie Conrad, a highly sexually driven member of the Bellas.
- Ester Dean as Cynthia Rose Adams, a soul singer.
- Kelley Alice Jakle as Jessica, bubbly yet absent-minded.
- Shelley Regner as Ashley, a beatboxer.
- Wanetah Walmsley as Denise, the group's original bassist.
- The Treblemakers
- Skylar Astin as Jesse Swanson, an outgoing Barden freshman who hopes to one day become a film score composer. He joins the Barden Treblemakers.
- Ben Platt as Benji Applebaum, Jesse's roommate, friend, and an illusionist. A fan of the Treblemakers, he was rejected during auditions.
- Adam DeVine as Bumper Allen, the egotistical leader of the Treblemakers.
- Utkarsh Ambudkar as Donald, Bumper's right-hand man, who beatboxes, raps, and is a lead vocalist. He had sex with Kori, leading to her expulsion from the Barden Bellas.
- Michael Viruet as Unicycle
- David Del Rio as Kolio
- Gregory Gorenc as Greg
- Wes Lagarde as "Hat." He is never referred to by his real name; Hat is Bumper's nickname for him.
- Steven Bailey as Steven
- Brian Silver as Brian
- Michael Anaya as Michael
- Additional characters
- Kether Donohue as Alice, the former leader of the Bellas when Aubrey and Chloe were juniors.
- Nicole Lovince as Kori, a former member of the Bellas who was kicked out for having sex with Donald, one of the Treblemakers.
- Caroline Fourmy as Mary Elise, a former member of the Bellas who was also kicked out for having sex with a Treblemaker.
- Freddie Stroma as Luke, the radio station manager who plays Beca's DJ mixes on the air. He refers to Beca as "Becky".
- Jinhee Joung as Kimmy-Jin, Beca's Korean American roommate, whose initial cold reception leads Beca to ask if she can speak English.
- Christopher Mintz-Plasse as Tommy, the university's constantly harassed audition launcher.
- John Michael Higgins as John Smith, a commentator for the ICCAs.
- Elizabeth Banks as Gail Abernathy-McKadden, a commentator for the ICCAs.
- John Benjamin Hickey as Dr. Benjamin Mitchell, Beca's father, a professor at the college, who insists that she attend classes and get involved
- Drew Seeley as male voice #5, he sings for the Treblemakers
- Donald Faison, Har Mar Superstar, Jason Jones, and Joe Lo Truglio as the Tonehangers, an acapella group made of graduated ex-Treblemakers.
Production
The film is based on Mickey Rapkin's non-fiction book Pitch Perfect: The Quest for Collegiate a Cappella Glory. Rapkin, senior editor at GQ magazine, spent a season covering competitive collegiate a cappella. He followed the Tufts University Beelzebubs, the University of Oregon Divisi (the loose inspiration for the Bellas), and the University of Virginia Hullabahoos, who have a cameo in the film. Rapkin's book mainly covers the singing, groupies, partying and rivalries. Two members of the a cappella community, Deke Sharon, who founded the International Championship of College A Cappella, and Ed Boyer, both in Rapkin's book, were brought on board to arrange songs, produce vocals and act as on-site music directors, where they ran a month-long "a cappella boot camp".[7] The film was shot throughout campus and inside buildings at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.[8] Elizabeth Banks is a co-producer and a co-star in the film.[8]
Casting
The casting department included Justin Coulter, Rich Delia, Allison Estrin, and Michael Roth.[9] Producer Elizabeth Banks appears throughout the film alongside John Michael Higgins as commentators for the competitions.[10]
Paul Brooks stated "First and foremost, we were looking for actors who had comedic instincts and thought we'd get lucky with terrific actors who happened to be funny and can actually dance and maybe sing. It turns out we did get lucky with our cast!"[11] According to producer Elizabeth Banks, "The character Beca required someone who was grounded, who has a strong point of view on the world, who is funny and empathetic and someone who we can all relate to and root for." Of Kendrick she said, "Anna is all those things, and there was no other choice." Fellow producer Brooks said "I saw Anna in Up in the Air and thought it was the most exquisite, elegant, balanced, sublime performance. Anna was our first choice for the role of Beca."[11]
When casting the character of Jesse, Max Handelman said "We were looking for a young John Cusack-type guy. We needed to find someone who was kind of awkward but not a geek, but not so cool that you're not rooting for him." Skylar Astin was chosen for the role. Of Astin's audition, Banks said the chemistry between Skylar and Anna when they read together prior to shooting was "clear and they were able to riff off each other."[11]
Rebel Wilson was recognized for her performance in the comedy film Bridesmaids upon auditioning for the role of Fat Amy, which she won instantly. Moore recalled Wilson singing Lady Gaga's "The Edge of Glory" while beating "on her chest with her fists." He said, "I didn't even hear the end of the song because I was laughing so hard. There's this beautiful openness to the way Rebel approaches everything, and that's what works great for the character. She's fearless."[11] Adam DeVine was personally chosen by Banks and Handelman for the role of Bumper after they saw him on the television series Workaholics. Banks confessed that she and her husband are "big Workaholics fans," and after watching one night during the film's casting, they saw DeVine and "immediately thought" he would be a good choice for Bumper. He initially declined because he was not a singer. DeVine eventually surprised Banks and Handelman with his vocal skills.[11] Anna Camp was chosen for the role of Aubrey. Producer Max Handelman said, "Elizabeth and I were huge fans of Anna's from True Blood. Aubrey is set up as the antagonist for Beca, and Beca's already a bit hard-edged, so it was so important to find an actress who could play Aubrey as someone who could marshal the crazy but also was sympathetic."[11]
Release
The film was released on September 28, 2012 in the United States.
Home media
Pitch Perfect was released on DVD, Blu-ray, and Blu-ray/DVD combo pack on December 18, 2012.[12] A 4K UHD Blu-Ray release followed on March 22, 2018.[13]
Reception
Box office
Pitch Perfect grossed $65 million in North America and $50.3 million in other territories for a total gross of $115.4 million since release, against a $17 million budget.[2]
The film opened in limited release in the United States and Canada on September 28, 2012, and wide release in the United States and Canada on October 5, 2012. It grossed $1.8 million upon its opening day of limited release and $4.9 million on its first day of wide release.[14] In its wide opening weekend, the film opened at number three, behind Taken 2 and Hotel Transylvania, grossing $14.8 million.[15] The opening weekend audience was 81 percent female, which is considered overwhelming. The opening weekend also attracted a younger audience with 55% of the opening weekend audience being under the age of 25.[16] The film is the third-highest-grossing music comedy film, behind its sequel, Pitch Perfect 2, and School of Rock.[2]
Critical response
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Rebel_Wilson.jpg/170px-Rebel_Wilson.jpg)
Pitch Perfect received positive reviews from critics. On the review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes the film has an approval rating of 79% based on 145 reviews, with an average rating of 6.4/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Pitch Perfect's plot is formulaic, but the performances are excellent and the musical numbers are toe-tapping as well."[17] Metacritic gives a weighted average score of 66 out of 100, based on reviews from 33 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[18] Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film a grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale.[19]
NPR's David Edelstein selected it as one of the top films of the year[20] and Entertainment Weekly chose the soundtrack as one of the year's best.[21] Chris Tookey of the Daily Mail praised Rebel Wilson in particular for her performance.[22] Roger Ebert gave the film 2 stars out of 4, praising Rebel Wilson for her "ebullient, unstoppable and raucous" performance, but also stating that "It's a twentysomething song-and-dance movie built around rival a cappella groups. That's more exciting than dueling string quartets, I suppose - but no, the quartets would be performing better material." [23]
Accolades
Soundtrack
Pitch Perfect: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack was released digitally on September 25, 2012, and physically on October 2, 2012.[27] Three of the songs from the album, including the highly covered "Cups", charted on the Billboard Hot 100. It was 2013's best-selling soundtrack album and has sold 1.2 million copies in the United States as of April 2015.[28][29]
On September 14, Kira Kazantsev won Miss America 2015 after performing "Happy" with cup percussion,[30] in a manner that was similar to Anna Kendrick's character in Pitch Perfect.[31]
Sequels
Pitch Perfect 2 (2015)
In December 2012, Skylar Astin revealed that he and Rebel Wilson had meetings with Universal about a potential sequel.[32]
In April 2013, it was confirmed that a sequel would be released in 2015.[33] Elizabeth Banks would direct the sequel, with Kay Cannon returning as screenwriter.[34] Brooks would produce for Gold Circle Films alongside Banks and Max Handelman. Cannon would co-produce with Gold Circle's Jeff Levine. Kendrick, Astin, Wilson, Camp, Snow, Platt, DeVine, Dean, Knapp, Jakle, Regner, Walmsley, Banks, and Higgins would all reprise their roles in the sequel. Additionally, Hailee Steinfeld and Chrissie Fit would join the cast as Emily and Flo, new Barden Bellas, while Katey Sagal would join as Emily's mother, and German YouTube star Flula Borg would appear in an unknown role.[35][36]
It was announced in January 2014 that the sequel would be released on May 15, 2015.[37] On June 10, 2015, plans for a third film were officially confirmed, with Kay Cannon returning to write the script.[38]
Pitch Perfect 3 (2017)
On June 10, 2015, a third film was officially confirmed, with Kay Cannon returning to write the script.[39] The film was slated to be released on July 21, 2017, before being pushed back to August 4, 2017, before moving back to the July 21 slot.[40] Finally it was decided to be released on December 22, 2017. Several days later it was announced both Kendrick and Wilson would reprise their roles, and later Brittany Snow was also confirmed to return.[41] Hailee Steinfeld is also going to reprise her role.[42] On October 18, 2016, Anna Camp was also confirmed to be returning. On January 2, 2017, Ester Dean and Chrissie Fit both confirmed that they were heading to Atlanta to film the third installment, reprising their roles.[43] Banks was going to return to direct, and also as a producer along with Max Handelman and Paul Brooks.[44] Banks later announced that she would be stepping down as director due to scheduling conflicts and parental responsibilities, but would remain a producer.[45]
References
- ^ "PITCH PERFECT". British Board of Film Classification. September 4, 2012. Retrieved February 26, 2013.
- ^ a b c d "Pitch Perfect (2012)". Box Office Mojo.
- ^ "Pitch Perfect Trailer, News, Videos and Reviews". ComingSoon.net. Retrieved October 1, 2012.
- ^ "Pitch Perfect (2012) – Filming Locations". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved June 14, 2013.
- ^ THR Staff (September 25, 2012). "'Pitch Perfect' Premiere Arrivals: Anna Kendrick, Rebel Wilson and Elizabeth Banks Gallery". The Hollywood Reporter.
- ^ Buchanan, Kyle (October 23, 2013). "Who Will Make 2014's Most Valuable Stars List?". Vulture. Retrieved October 29, 2014.
- ^ "PITCH PERFECT – Production Notes". Cinema Review. 2013. Retrieved June 14, 2013.
- ^ a b "'Pitch Perfect' finds ideal shooting locations on campus". Lsureveille.com. November 3, 2011. Retrieved February 7, 2014.
- ^ "Pitch Percect (2012); full cast and crew". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved June 14, 2013.
- ^ Stransky, Tanner (November 28, 2011). "Elizabeth Banks talks 'Hunger Games' and new film 'Pitch Perfect'". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved January 10, 2012.
- ^ a b c d e f "Production Notes" (PDF). Universal Studios. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 14, 2013. Retrieved May 15, 2018.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|dead-url=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ "Pitch Perfect (2012) DVD and Blu-ray". VideoETA. Retrieved June 9, 2014.
- ^ "Pitch Perfect - 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Ultra HD Review | High Def Digest". ultrahd.highdefdigest.com. Retrieved May 4, 2018.
- ^ "Pitch Perfect (2012) – Daily Box Office Results". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved June 14, 2013.
- ^ "Weekend Box Office Results for October 5–7, 2012". Box Office Mojo.
- ^ "Weekend Report: 'Taken 2' Kills, 'Frankenweenie' Fails". Box Office Mojo. October 7, 2012.
- ^ "Pitch Perfect (2012)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved June 25, 2017.
- ^ "Pitch Perfect reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved January 3, 2014.
- ^ Andrew Stewart (October 7, 2012). "'Taken 2′ nabs $50 mil to double predecessor's debut take". Variety.
- ^ Edelstein, David (December 21, 2012). "David Edelstein's Top 12 Movies of 2012". NPR. Retrieved June 14, 2013.
- ^ Valby, Karen (December 6, 2012). "'Les Miserables' and the best movie soundtracks of 2012". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved June 14, 2013.
- ^ Chris Tookey (December 21, 2012). "Pitch Perfect review: Rebel Wilson is a star of the future as Fat Amy hits the right note". Daily Mail.
- ^ Pitch Perfect Movie Review & Film Summary (2012) Roger Ebert
- ^ King, Susan (January 17, 2013). "'Argo,' 'The Hobbit' in contention for Golden Reel awards". Los Angeles Times. Tribune Company. Retrieved January 18, 2013.
- ^ Warner, Denise (April 14, 2013). "2013 MTV Movie Awards winners list". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved April 15, 2013.
- ^ Ng, Philiana (May 22, 2013). "Teen Choice Awards: 'Twilight: Breaking Dawn – Part 2' Leads First Wave of Nominees". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved May 23, 2013.
- ^ "Pitch Perfect Track List" (PDF). Universal Studios. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 20, 2012. Retrieved September 16, 2012.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ Grein, Paul (January 2, 2014). "Chart Watch: The Top 10 Albums and Songs of 2013". Yahoo! Music. Retrieved April 21, 2015.
- ^ Lipshutz, Jason (April 21, 2015). "Why Are Soundtracks Suddenly Back? Because They're Better Than Ever". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved April 21, 2015.
- ^ "Miss New York Kira Kazantsev Crowned Miss America 2015". WABC-TV. September 14, 2014. Retrieved September 15, 2014.
- ^ "A threepeat: Miss New York Kira Kazantsev crowned Miss America". CNN. September 15, 2014. Retrieved September 15, 2014.
- ^ Orange, B. Alan (December 19, 2012). "EXCLUSIVE: Pitch Perfect 2 in the Works; Rebel Wilson to Return". MovieWeb. Retrieved June 14, 2013.
- ^ Smith, Grady (April 16, 2013). "'Pitch Perfect' sequel coming in 2015". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved June 14, 2013.
- ^ Kroll, Justin (January 27, 2014). "Elizabeth Banks to Direct 'Pitch Perfect 2′". Variety. Retrieved January 27, 2014.
- ^ Highfill, Samantha (February 6, 2014). "Anna Kendrick, Rebel Wilson will return for 'Pitch Perfect 2'". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved February 7, 2014.
- ^ Bahr, Lindsaay (February 14, 2014). "Casting Net: Brittany Snow is back for 'Pitch Perfect 2'; Plus, Jessica Alba, more". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved February 15, 2014.
- ^ "'Pitch Perfect 2' release date set for May 2015". January 30, 2014. Retrieved February 17, 2014.
- ^ Kit, Borys (June 10, 2015). "'Pitch Perfect 3' Moving Forward at Universal With Writer Kay Cannon". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved September 3, 2015.
- ^ "'Pitch Perfect 3' Moving Forward at Universal With Writer Kay Cannon (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. October 6, 2015. Retrieved October 17, 2016.
- ^ "'Pitch Perfect 3' Changes Its Performance Date To August 2017". deadline.com. September 29, 2015. Retrieved October 17, 2016.
- ^ "'Pitch Perfect 3' Chimes In With Summer 2017 Date; Anna Kendrick, Rebel Wilson Back". deadline.com. June 15, 2015. Retrieved October 17, 2016.
- ^ "Hailee Steinfeld joins Pitch Perfect 3". mtv.com. August 13, 2015. Retrieved October 17, 2016.
- ^ http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/pitch-perfect-3-adds-anna-939099
- ^ "Elizabeth Banks to Direct 'Pitch Perfect 3' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. October 27, 2015. Retrieved October 17, 2016.
- ^ "Elizabeth Banks Pulls Out of 'Pitch Perfect 3' Directing Gig Due to Mom Duties". usmagazine.com. June 6, 2016. Retrieved October 17, 2016.
External links
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fa/Wikiquote-logo.svg/34px-Wikiquote-logo.svg.png)
- 2012 films
- 2010s buddy films
- 2010s musical comedy films
- 2010s teen comedy films
- American buddy films
- American female buddy films
- American films
- American musical comedy films
- American teen comedy films
- American teen musical films
- Buddy comedy films
- Culture of Baton Rouge, Louisiana
- Directorial debut films
- English-language films
- Films scored by Christophe Beck
- Films about competitions
- Films based on non-fiction books
- Films directed by Jason Moore
- Films set in 2012
- Films set in North Carolina
- Films set in universities and colleges
- Films shot in Louisiana
- Gold Circle Films films
- Universal Pictures films