Japanese audiences flood in to see Deep Blue
Deep Blue, the major documentary feature film from BBC Worldwide and Greenlight Media, and distributed by Tohokushinsha Film Corporation, has broken the single theatre admission record in Japan. Since it opened on July 17, the feature film has overtaken the record made three months earlier by the Academy Award winning film Lost In Translation.
In its first three days at the Virgin Cinemas theatre in the prestigious new development in Roppongi Hills, Tokyo, Deep Blue performances sold out, scoring 7,870 admissions and outperforming Hollywood blockbuster titles such as Spiderman 2 and Harry Potter & the Prisoner of Azkaban. Deep Blue opened in nine more cinemas this weekend, and will soon be expanding nationwide.
Alix Tidmarsh, producer of the feature film and Director of IPM Factual, BBC Worldwide, commented on the record-breaking achievement, “Deep Blue has truly hit the zeitgeist for the Japanese people – we hope that audiences will continue to flock to see the film to share in the wonders of our planet.”
Nikolaus Weil, Executive Producer, Greenlight Media said, “Following our pre-release marketing campaign we had an indication that Deep Blue could do well in Japan, but the actual box-office results clearly went beyond our wildest expectations.”
Deep Blue explores life above, below and far beneath the ocean’s surface and was developed from the international hit TV series The Blue Planet, co-produced by the BBC and Discovery Channel. The film features an inspiring score composed by five-time Academy AwardÒ nominated George Fenton and performed by the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra (its first-ever recording of a movie score).
The film has been distributed all over the world including the UK, Italy, Australia and Poland later in the year and Miramax has acquired Deep Blue for North American release in early 2005. The film took more than $6 million in its first 12 weeks of release in France and, with more than $5 million in 13 weeks, became Germany’s best selling documentary feature film ever.
Filmed in more than 200 locations around the world with camera crews descending as far as 5,000 meters in the most powerful submersible craft known, Deep Blue was directed by Alastair Fothergill and Andy Byatt, produced by Alix Tidmarsh and Sophokles Tasioulis and executive producers were Nikolaus Weil, Stefan Beiten, Andre Sikojev and Mike Phillips. The narrator is acclaimed actor, Sir Michael Gambon.
26 July 2004
Further information:
Amy Castle, International Communications
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Note to editors:
BBC Worldwide Limited is the commercial consumer arm, and a wholly owned subsidiary, of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). The company was formed in 1994 to develop a co-ordinated approach to the BBC’s commercial activities: television, channels, publishing, product licensing, internet and interactive. BBC Worldwide exists to maximise the value of the BBC’s assets for the benefit of the licence payer, and re-invest in public service programming. In 2003/2004 BBC Worldwide returned £141 million to the BBC.
Greenlight Media provides development, finance, production and distribution for international quality films. It is committed to delivering strong entertainment brands to audiences all around the world in both film and non-film media. Founded in 1993, Greenlight Media took off with the launch of the wildly successful animated TV series ‘SimsalaGrimm’, Germany’s number one exported TV series of all time. Greenlight Media has previously produced television and theatrical documentaries such as “Sandstones”, “Iceland-Realm of the Gods” and “Giorgio Armani – A Man for All Seasons.”