Peter Rabbit (film)

Peter Rabbit
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Will Gluck
Produced by
  • Will Gluck
  • Zareh Nalbandian
Written by
  • Rob Lieber
  • Will Gluck
Based on Peter Rabbit
by Beatrix Potter
Starring
Narrated by Margot Robbie
Music by Dominic Lewis[1]
Cinematography Peter Menzies Jr.
Edited by Christian Gazal
Production
company
Distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing
Release date
  • February 3, 2018 (2018-02-03) (The Grove)
  • February 9, 2018 (2018-02-09) (United States)
  • March 22, 2018 (2018-03-22) (Australia)
Running time
 95 minutes[3]
Country United States[4]
Language English
Budget $50 million[5]
Box office $351.2 million[6]

Peter Rabbit is a 2018 American live-action/computer-animated comedy film directed by Will Gluck and written by Rob Lieber and Gluck, based on the stories of Peter Rabbit created by Beatrix Potter. The film stars the voice of James Corden as the title character, with Rose Byrne, Domhnall Gleeson, Sam Neill, Daisy Ridley, Elizabeth Debicki, and Margot Robbie also starring. The film was released on February 9, 2018, and grossed $351 million worldwide. A sequel is set to be released on February 7, 2020.

Plot

In England's Lake District, Peter Rabbit, his cousin Benjamin Bunny, and Peter's triplet sisters Flopsy, Mopsy, and Cottontail, spend most of their days picking on Mr. Joe McGregor and stealing vegetables from his garden. They are friends with a local woman named Bea who spends her time painting pictures of the rabbits as well as the surrounding nature. Bea takes on a mother-like relationship with the rabbits due to the death of their parents, who were killed by McGregor. One day, Peter is forced to leave his jacket in McGregor's garden and goes back to retrieve it. McGregor spots and catches him, but suddenly dies of a heart attack due to decades of unhealthy eating habits. Enthralled, Peter invites all of the local animals and takes over McGregor's manor.

Meanwhile in London, McGregor's grandnephew Thomas McGregor, an uptight, controlling workaholic, works at the toy department of Harrods department store where he waits for a promotion to associate general manager. He indifferently accepts the news about his great-uncle's death, someone he was completely unaware of, but is infuriated over losing the promotion to a lazy nephew of the managing director and is fired for losing his temper. His now-former manager encourages him to get a hobby and spend some time in the country.

When Thomas learns that his great-uncle's manor is valuable and that he's inherited it, he decides to appraise and prepare it for resale in order to start his own toy store to get even with his former employers. He kicks out Peter and his friends and begins to upgrade the security of the garden wall and gates, despite Bea's objections. When Peter and Benjamin sneak back into the garden, Thomas catches the latter and attempts to drown Benjamin in a river. His cousins rescue him; Thomas instead accidentally drops a prized set of binoculars that Bea had given him earlier, forcing him to retrieve it.

Thomas and Peter start a war with each other by setting up traps and other offensive nuisances. Thomas and Bea end up falling in love with each other, which causes Peter to become jealous and wanting to separate them more. This all culminates when Peter rewires an electric fence set up by Thomas, prompting Thomas to throw dynamite at Peter's burrow. Thomas then attacks Peter in the garden, telling Peter that his antics caused him to become aggressive. When Peter detonates the dynamite to prove to Bea that Thomas was using it, he ends up knocking down the tree on top of the burrow, which crushes Bea's art studio. Bea, ignoring Thomas’s explanation of his quarrel with the rabbits, breaks up with him, and he goes back to London to work at Harrods again.

Peter feels bad for what he has done, and upon learning that Bea intends to leave the neighborhood, he and Benjamin head to London to find Thomas at Harrods. Tricking Thomas into believing he was imagining the rabbits’ ability to communicate, Peter apologizes for his part of the conflict and convinces Thomas to follow his heart. They rush back to the country, where Peter shows Bea the detonator and presses it for her to see, confirming Thomas’s previous claims that the rabbits were responsible for the explosion. Peter and Thomas apologize and convince Bea not to leave her home.

Wishing to remain with Bea, Thomas no longer wants to sell the manor but discovers that an unpleasant wealthy couple had already bought the house and finalized the sale. Peter and his friends use their tricks to force the couple out of the house, allowing Thomas to move back in. Thomas and Bea resume their relationship, and he permits the wildlife to freely take food from the garden as long as it's within reason. Peter and his family restore the burrow with Bea and Thomas’s help. Thomas sets up his own toy shop in the village, where Bea showcases her illustrations of the rabbits.

Cast

Live-Action Actors

Voice Cast

The Singing Sparrows were voiced by Jessica Freedman, Shana Halligan, Katharine Hoye, Chris Mann, Chad Reisser, and Fletcher Sheridan.

Production

The film was first revealed in April 2015 through email leaks as a result of the Sony Pictures hack.[7] The official announcement of the film came that December.[8]

In August 2016, Will Gluck was reported to direct from a script by Gluck and Rob Lieber. James Corden was cast to voice Peter Rabbit, and Rose Byrne was selected to play one of the live-action roles.[9] Gluck produced the film along with Zareh Nalbandian of Animal Logic, which will be providing the visual effects and animation for the film.[9]

Daisy Ridley and Elizabeth Debicki joined the cast in September 2016, and the live action production was scheduled to commence in Sydney, Australia, in January 2017.[10][11][12] The next month, Domhnall Gleeson was cast as Thomas McGregor, the descendent of the original Mr. McGregor, and Margot Robbie joined the cast, expected to voice a bunny.[13][14] In November, Sia was cast as Mrs Tiggy-Winkle.[15]

Filming

On December 18, 2016, a first image of the title character, along with the film's logo, was revealed.[16] Production began in December 2016.[17][18] Live action scenes were filmed at Centennial Park in Sydney.[19] In March 2017, filming took place at Mortuary railway station, Sydney, which was depicted as London Paddington station.[20]

Release

Peter Rabbit was originally scheduled to be released on March 23, 2018,[8] but it was moved up to February 9, 2018.[21]

Trailer criticism

The first trailer received negative feedback from critics and fans of the character, many of whom labelled the film as being too modern and insulting to Beatrix Potter's works. Collider called the trailer "garbage" and a "low brow 'comedy' cringe fest".[22]

Stuart Heritage from The Guardian stated that "the Peter Rabbit film looks like the result of some blisteringly inept manhandling [...] there's something genuinely harrowing about the sight of Peter Rabbit – gentle, Edwardian Peter Rabbit – thoughtlessly injuring some birds, or grabbing a pile of lettuce leaves and making it rain like a banker in a strip club, or literally twerking" and argued "there is no way on Earth that [Beatrix Potter would] have ever given the green light to a slow motion car crash like this."[23]

Metro writer James Baldock found that the trailer was "so gut wrenchingly bad" and that "if the movie lives up to its two minute preview – [it] is set to be the greatest abomination to grace the big screen since The Emoji Movie." He finished by writing "Listen carefully, and you can just about hear the sound of Beatrix Potter, turning furiously in her grave."[24] On November 7, a new trailer for the United Kingdom was released.[25]

Home media

The film was released on digital platforms on April 20, 2018. A Blu-ray and DVD and 4K followed on May 1, 2018.[26]

Reception

Box office

Peter Rabbit grossed $115.3 million in the United States and Canada, and $235.9 million in other territories (including $20.5 million in Australia), for a worldwide total of $351.2 million, against a production budget of $50 million.[6]

In the United States and Canada, the film was released alongside Fifty Shades Freed and The 15:17 to Paris, and was projected to gross around $16 million from 3,725 theaters in its opening weekend, with some estimates as high as $25 million.[27] It ended up making $25 million over the weekend, finishing second at the box office behind Fifty Shades ($38.8 million).[28] The film dropped 30% in its second weekend to $17.5 million ($23.4 million over the four-day Martin Luther King Jr. weekend), finishing second behind newcomer Black Panther.[29]

In the UK, Peter Rabbit became the biggest family film of 2018, overtaking Pixar's Coco with $56.3 million.[30] Totals from other markets include China ($26.5 million), Australia ($20.2 million), France ($12.3 million) and Germany ($12.1 million).[31]

Critical response

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 64% based on 133 reviews and an average rating of 5.8/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Peter Rabbit updates Beatrix Potter's classic characters with colorfully agreeable results that should entertain younger viewers while admittedly risking the wrath of purists."[32] On Metacritic, the film has a score of 51 out of 100 based on 26 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[33] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A−" on an A+ to F scale.[34]

Controversy

In the first week after the film's release, groups in multiple countries criticized it for "allergy bullying" and called for an apology from Sony. The accusations focused on a scene where Thomas McGregor — whose character has a known severe allergy to blackberries — is pelted with the berries until one enters his mouth, causing him to enter anaphylactic shock and grab for his Epipen.[35][36][37] In response, Sony published a statement saying "We sincerely regret not being more aware and sensitive to this issue, and we truly apologize".[38]

Sequel

Sony is developing a sequel set to be released on February 7, 2020. Gluck will return to write and direct the film.[39]

References

  1. ↑ filmmusicreporter (September 5, 2017). "Dominic Lewis to Score 'Peter Rabbit'". Film Music Reporter. Retrieved September 6, 2017.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Film Releases". Variety Insight. Variety Media. Archived from the original on February 5, 2018. Retrieved March 22, 2018.
  3. ↑ "PETER RABBIT (PG)". BBFC. February 6, 2018. Retrieved March 23, 2018.
  4. ↑ "Peter Rabbit (2018)". AllMovie. RhythmOne. Retrieved May 9, 2017.
  5. ↑ Pressburg, Matt (July 17, 2017). "Why Sony, LStar Movie Finance Deal Fell Apart: Flops, 'Ghostbusters' and Feet on Desk (Exclusive)". TheWrap. Retrieved July 19, 2017.
  6. 1 2 "Peter Rabbit (2018)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved August 20, 2018.
  7. ↑ Tweedie, Steven (April 17, 2015). "Leaked Sony emails reveal 'Peter Rabbit' feature film is in the works". Business Insider. Retrieved October 31, 2016.
  8. 1 2 Perry, Spencer (December 22, 2015). "Emoji Movie, Animated Spider-Man and Peter Rabbit Get Release Dates". ComingSoon.net. CraveOnline Media. Retrieved December 23, 2015.
  9. 1 2 Kit, Borys; Siegel, Tatiana (August 4, 2016). "James Corden, Rose Byrne in Talks to Star in Sony's 'Peter Rabbit'". The Hollywood Reporter. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved August 7, 2016.
  10. ↑ Kroll, Justin (September 26, 2016). "Daisy Ridley, Elizabeth Debicki Join 'Peter Rabbit' Live-Action/Animated Pic (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Penske Business Media. Retrieved September 27, 2016.
  11. ↑ Gaul, Lou (October 14, 2016). "'Wish' list: Bruce Willis to fill Charles Bronson's shoes". Burlington County Times. GateHouse Media. Retrieved October 30, 2016.
  12. ↑ Evry, Max (September 26, 2016). "Peter Rabbit Movie Coming from Columbia Pictures". ComingSoon.net. CraveOnline Media. Retrieved October 30, 2016.
  13. ↑ Galuppo, Mia (October 18, 2016). "Domhnall Gleeson to Play Mr McGregor in Live-Action 'Peter Rabbit'". The Hollywood Reporter. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved October 22, 2016.
  14. ↑ Kit, Borys; Ford, Rebecca (October 24, 2016). "Margot Robbie in Talks to Join 'Peter Rabbit' Film (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved October 25, 2016.
  15. ↑ Sia [@Sia] (November 7, 2017). "The new UK trailer for #PeterRabbitMovie has arrived! Catch Sia as Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle in 2018 - Team Siapic.twitter.com/2fNIdnJwX5" (Tweet). Retrieved April 6, 2018 – via Twitter.
  16. ↑ Chipman, Bob (December 18, 2016). "Peter Rabbit Images Offers First Look at New Beatrix Potter Adaptation". Screen Rant. Retrieved December 19, 2016.
  17. ↑ "PETER RABBIT". Movie Insider. Retrieved December 30, 2016.
  18. ↑ Anderton, Ethan (December 17, 2016). "Peter Rabbit First Look Photo Shows Off The Bunny Voice by James Corden". /Film. Retrieved January 11, 2017.
  19. ↑ "Rose Byrne, look alike body double, Domhnall Gleeson begin filming for Peter Rabbit in Centennial Park". The Daily Telegraph. News Corp Australia. January 10, 2017. Retrieved January 11, 2017.
  20. ↑ Crofts, Cassie (March 8, 2017). "These new signs at Central station are freaking Sydneysiders out". Smoothfm. NOVA Entertainment. Retrieved April 6, 2018.
  21. ↑ "Peter Rabbit". ComingSoon.net. CraveOnline Media. Retrieved 12 February 2018.
  22. ↑ Trombore, Dave (September 21, 2017). "First 'Peter Rabbit' Trailer Gives Us Another Reason to Be Mad at James Corden". Collider. Complex Media. Retrieved November 3, 2017.
  23. ↑ Heritage, Stuart (September 25, 2017). "James Corden's Peter Rabbit: another kids' classic wrecked forever". The Guardian. London, England: Guardian Media Group. Retrieved November 3, 2017.
  24. ↑ Baldock, James (September 25, 2017). "Here's the trailer for the new Peter Rabbit movie – and it's a total disaster". Metro. Retrieved November 3, 2017.
  25. ↑ Cowdrey, Katharine (November 7, 2017). "Sony launches trailer for upcoming Peter Rabbit film". The Bookseller. London, England: Bookseller Media. Retrieved February 12, 2018.
  26. ↑ "Peter Rabbit (2018)". DVDs Release Dates. Retrieved May 9, 2018.
  27. ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony (February 7, 2018). "'Fifty Shades Freed' Worldwide Opening Weekend Will Steam Franchise Past $1 Billion – B.O. Preview". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Business Media. Retrieved February 7, 2018.
  28. ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony (February 11, 2018). "'Fifty Shades Freed' Builds E.L. James Trilogy To $1 Billion Climax; 'Peter Rabbit' Bounces To $25M Opening". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Business Media. Retrieved February 11, 2018.
  29. ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony (February 18, 2018). "'Black Panther' Rips Apart Box Office Records: 3-Day Opening Rises To $194M+; 4-Day At $223M+". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Business Media. Retrieved February 18, 2018.
  30. ↑ Gant, Charles (April 4, 2018). "Peter Rabbit outruns Ready Player One at UK box office". The Guardian. Guardian News and Media. Retrieved May 6, 2018.
  31. ↑ Tartaglione, Nancy (May 20, 2018). "'Deadpool 2' Sets Fox Record With $176M Overseas Bow; 'Avengers: Infinity War' Tops $1.81B WW – International Box Office". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Business Media. Retrieved May 20, 2018.
  32. ↑ "Peter Rabbit (2018)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved July 16, 2018.
  33. ↑ "Peter Rabbit Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved July 16, 2018.
  34. ↑ "Peter Rabbit". CinemaScore. Retrieved July 16, 2018.
  35. ↑ Guardian staff (February 11, 2018). "Peter Rabbit film criticised for depicting allergy bullying". The Guardian. Guardian News and Media. Retrieved April 6, 2018.
  36. ↑ Seselja, Edwina; Dawes, Samantha (February 11, 2018). "Peter Rabbit: Calls for Sony Pictures to apologise after food allergy bullying scene in new movie". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved April 6, 2018.
  37. ↑ Ward, Victoria (February 11, 2018). "Peter Rabbit film accused of food bullying as rabbits pelt allergic man with blackberries". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved April 6, 2018.
  38. ↑ "Peter Rabbit film producers apologise over allergy scene". BBC News. BBC. February 12, 2018. Retrieved April 6, 2018.
  39. ↑ Kit, Borys (May 4, 2018). "'Peter Rabbit 2' in the Works From Sony Pictures". The Hollywood Reporter. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved May 4, 2018.
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