Inferno (2016 film)

Inferno is a 2016 American action mystery thriller film directed by Ron Howard and written by David Koepp, loosely based on the 2013 novel of the same name by Dan Brown. The film is the sequel to The Da Vinci Code (2006) and Angels & Demons (2009), and is the third and final installment in the Robert Langdon film series. It stars Tom Hanks, reprising his role as Robert Langdon, alongside Felicity Jones, Omar Sy, Sidse Babett Knudsen, Ben Foster, and Irrfan Khan.

Inferno
Theatrical release poster
Directed byRon Howard
Produced by
  • Brian Grazer
  • Ron Howard
Screenplay byDavid Koepp
Based onInferno
by Dan Brown
Starring
Music byHans Zimmer
CinematographySalvatore Totino
Edited by
  • Dan Hanley
  • Tom Elkins
Production
companies
  • Columbia Pictures
  • Imagine Entertainment
  • LSG Productions
  • LStar Capital Film Corporation
  • Mid Atlantic Films
Distributed bySony Pictures Releasing
Release date
  • October 8, 2016 (2016-10-08) (Florence)
  • October 28, 2016 (2016-10-28) (United States)
Running time
121 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$75 million[2]
Box office$220 million[2]

Filming began on April 27, 2015, in Venice, Italy, and wrapped on July 21, 2015, in Budapest. The film premiered in Florence on October 9, 2016, and was released in the United States on October 28, 2016, ten years after release of The Da Vinci Code, in 2D and IMAX formats.[3] The film received generally negative reviews from critics, but grossed $220 million against a production budget of $75 million.[4][2]

Plot

Harvard University professor Robert Langdon awakens in a hospital room in Florence, Italy, with no memory of what has transpired over the last few days, but being plagued with hellish visions. Dr. Sienna Brooks, the doctor tending to him, reveals that he is suffering from amnesia as a result of a bullet wound to the head. An orderly says the police are there to question Langdon but the officer turns out to be Vayentha, an assassin, who shoots the orderly while coming up the hallway. Brooks helps Langdon to escape, and they flee to her apartment.

Among Langdon's personal belongings, Langdon and Brooks find a Faraday pointer, a miniature image projector with a modified version of Sandro Botticelli's Map of Hell, which itself is based on Dante's Inferno. They soon realize this is the first clue in a trail left by Bertrand Zobrist, a dangerously unstable billionaire geneticist who believed that rigorous measures were necessary to reduce the Earth's growing population, and who committed suicide three days earlier after being chased by armed government agents.

Langdon and Brooks figure out that Zobrist, who was obsessed with Dante, has created a viral superweapon he has dubbed "Inferno", with the potential of annihilating half the world's population. In the meantime, they have been traced by both Vayentha and agents from the World Health Organization (WHO), who try to raid the apartment, forcing them to flee again. The WHO agents are headed by Elizabeth Sinskey, an old lover of Langdon's, and are trying to prevent the release of the virus. Vayentha reports to her employer Harry Sims, the CEO of a private security company called "The Consortium", who is acting on behalf of Zobrist, who gives her instructions to kill Langdon as he had become a liability.

Langdon's knowledge of Dante's work and history, and of hidden passages in Florence, allows the two to follow clues such as letters and phrases which lead to various locations in Florence and Venice, while inadvertently killing Vayentha and evading the WHO. Along the way, Langdon discovers that he helped a friend of his steal and hide the Dante death mask, a crucial clue, an event he also does not remember. Zobrist had provided Sims with a video message about the virus, to be broadcast after it has been released. Shocked by its content, Sims allies with Sinskey to prevent the outbreak. However, Langdon and Brooks are contacted by Christoph Bouchard, a man purporting to be working for WHO, warning them that Sinskey has a double agenda and is after the Inferno virus for her own profit. The three cooperate for a while, until Langdon realizes that Bouchard is lying and seeking to profit from Inferno himself, forcing the duo to flee on their own again.

Langdon figures out that the virus is in the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul. With that knowledge, Brooks abandons Langdon, revealing that she was Zobrist's lover and that she will ensure the release of the virus. Zobrist and Brooks used to play treasure hunt games; this trail was the backup plan in case something happened to Zobrist. Langdon is recaptured by Bouchard, but Sims kills Bouchard and rescues Langdon, who then re-teams with Sinskey, who asked him for help in interpreting the imagery from the Faraday pointer. Sims reveals he was hired by Brooks to kidnap Langdon when Zobrist had been killed, and drugged with benzodiazepine to induce a memory loss; the events in the hospital were all staged.

They realize the virus is in a plastic bag hidden under water in the Basilica Cistern in Istanbul. The WHO team – joined by Langdon, Sims, and Sinskey – race to locate and secure the bag, while Brooks and her allies attempt to detonate an explosive that will rupture the bag and aerosolize the virus. Sims is killed by Brooks, and when Langdon confronts her, she attempts to release the virus by triggering a suicide bombing. The detonation is able to rupture the bag but because it was already trapped in a special containment unit, the virus was secured in time, and after struggling in vain against Sinskey and Langdon to destroy the container, Brooks' allies are killed. The virus is then taken by WHO, and Langdon goes back to Florence in order to return the Dante Death Mask.

Cast
  • Tom Hanks as Professor Robert Langdon, a professor of symbology at Harvard University.[5]
  • Felicity Jones as Dr. Sienna Brooks, a doctor who helps Langdon escape.[6]
  • Omar Sy as Christoph Bouchard, head of the SRS team (Surveillance and Response Support), of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control.[6]
  • Ben Foster as Bertrand Zobrist, a transhumanist scientist, intent on solving the world's overpopulation problem.[7][8]
  • Sidse Babett Knudsen as Elizabeth Sinskey, head of the World Health Organization.[6]
  • Irrfan Khan as Harry "The Provost" Sims, head of The Consortium, helping Zobrist in his mission.[6]
  • Paul Ritter as CRC Tech Arbogast, right-hand man to Sims.
  • Ana Ularu as Vayentha, The Consortium's agent in Florence who has orders to follow Langdon.[8]

Production

On July 16, 2013, Columbia Pictures set Ron Howard to direct Dan Brown's fourth novel in the Robert Langdon series, Inferno, with David Koepp writing the script.[9] Imagine Entertainment was set to produce the film, while Tom Hanks was again set to reprise his role as Robert Langdon.[9] On August 26, 2014, Sony had finalized the deal with Howard and Hanks, and set the film for April start of production in Italy.[5] Brian Grazer was also set to produce the film with Howard.[5]

On December 2, Felicity Jones was in early talks to join the film.[10] On February 17, 2015, studio revealed the confirmed cast for the film, including Jones as Dr. Sienna Brooks, Omar Sy as Christoph Bruder, Irrfan Khan as Harry "The Provost" Sims, and Sidse Babett Knudsen as Elizabeth Sinskey, head of the World Health Organization.[6] Ben Foster was set for an unspecified villainous role on March 10, 2015, which later revealed to be the role of Bertrand Zobrist.[7]

Filming

Filming began on April 27, 2015, in Venice, Italy,[11] and continued in Florence, Italy, starting at the end of April. Outdoor scenes featuring Hanks were filmed near the Palazzo Vecchio and elsewhere in the historic center of the city, starting on May 2, 2015. Some second unit stunts were filmed at an apartment building close to the Ponte Vecchio, in Florence. Low-flying aerial shots of Florence landmarks, its river and bridges were filmed on May 11, 2015.[12] A sequence displayed in an early trailer features a Padova railway station sign, but locals immediately recognized the scene as recreated somewhere else.[13] As of June 5, 2015, most of the film was planned to be shot in Budapest, Hungary at Korda Studios.[14] Filming wrapped on July 21, 2015.[15]

During location filming, its production codename was "Headache", a reference to a concussion suffered by Langdon early in the story.[12][16]

Release

In July 2013, Sony set the film a release date for December 18, 2015.[9] However, due to the date clash with Star Wars: The Force Awakens, the release date was moved to October 14, 2016.[17] In early 2016, the release date was pushed back two more weeks to October 28, 2016.[18] It was released in both 2D and 3D formats.[19]

On May 9, 2016, Sony Pictures released the first teaser trailer for the film.[20] The film premiered in Florence, Italy on October 8, 2016, at the New Opera Theater[21] and also held a premiere in India on October 13, 2016, due to the popularity of actor Irrfan Khan.[22]

Box office

Inferno grossed $34.3 million in the United States and Canada and $185.7 million in other countries for a worldwide total of $220 million, against a production budget of $75 million.[2]

In the United States and Canada, Inferno was initially expected to top the box office with around $25 million from 3,546 theaters in its opening weekend.[23][24] It made $800,000 from Thursday night previews and $5.6 million on its first day, lowering weekend projections to $15 million. It ended up opening to $14.9 million, finishing second at the box office behind Boo! A Madea Halloween and marked the fourth straight domestic disappointment for director Ron Howard.[25]

Internationally, the film was released two weeks ahead of its North American debut, across 53 overseas markets (about 66% of its total international market) in order to avoid competition from Disney/Marvel Studios' Doctor Strange. It finished at first place at the box office in 45 of those countries. In total, it opened to $49.7 million, of which $2.6 million came from IMAX theaters, the second biggest amount of October.[26][27] It fell 49% in its second weekend, earning $28.9 million from 58 markets and was surpassed by Jack Reacher: Never Go Back at the chart.[28] Italy, where the film was partly shot, delivered the biggest opening with $5 million. This was followed by Germany ($4.4 million), where it competed for No. 1 with the animated Finding Dory. Russia similarly opened to $4.4 million, followed by the United Kingdom and Ireland ($3.8 million), Spain ($2 million) and the Netherlands ($1.2 million).[26] Inferno's £2.97 million debut in the U.K. is considerably less than the first (£9.50 million) and the second film (£6.05 million).[29] In Latin America, the film debuted in first in all 11 markets, earning a combined $9 million. Brazil led with $4 million, followed by Mexico ($2.6 million).[26] Similarly in South East Asia, it saw top openings in six out of seven markets for a combined $6 million. Japan ($3.3 million), Taiwan ($1.7 million), India ($1.9 million) and Indonesia ($1 million) posted the biggest debuts.[26] In China, it opened at number one with $13.3 million.[30] In the Oceania region, Australia launched with $1.8 million. Inferno opened to number one across the Middle East for a regional total of $1.8 million.[26] The film opened in France on November 9 and grossed $24.3 million on its opening weekend.[31]

Critical reception

Inferno received generally negative reviews from critics.[32] On Rotten Tomatoes, a review aggregator, the film has an approval rating of 23% based on 247 reviews; the average rating is 4.6/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Senselessly frantic and altogether shallow, Inferno sends the Robert Langdon trilogy spiraling to a convoluted new low."[33] On Metacritic, the film has a score of 42 out of 100 based on 47 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[34] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale.[35]

British film critic Mark Kermode gave the film a negative review, calling it, "intergalactically stupid".[36] Cinema Blend wrote Inferno is "insufferable. And while you're obviously meant to take Inferno with a dash of salt, it's so preposterously stupid and dumb that this rancid popcorn flick becomes increasingly nauseating the further you taste."[37]

See also
  • Dante Alighieri and the Divine Comedy in popular culture

References
  1. "Inferno (12A)". British Board of Film Classification. July 15, 2016. Retrieved July 15, 2016.
  2. "Inferno (2016)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved January 10, 2017.
  3. "Inferno". www.imax.com.
  4. "Was Inferno a Box Office Success?". Screen Rant. November 17, 2016. Retrieved April 11, 2017.
  5. Fleming Jr, Mike (August 26, 2014). "Sony Pictures Locks Tom Hanks, Ron Howard For April 'Inferno' Start". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 4, 2015.
  6. Hipes, Patrick (February 17, 2015). "Robert Langdon Pic 'Inferno' Adds Omar Sy & More As Cast Goes Global". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 18, 2015.
  7. Kit, Borys (March 10, 2015). "Ben Foster Joining Tom Hanks in 'Inferno' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved May 4, 2015.
  8. "'Da Vinci Code' Sequel 'Inferno' Starring Tom Hanks Starts Filming In Italy: See Behind-The-Scenes PHOTOS". Fashion & Style. Archived from the original on July 16, 2015. Retrieved June 7, 2015.
  9. Kilday, Gregg (July 16, 2013). "Sony Sets Release Date for Film Adaptation of Dan Brown's 'Inferno'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved May 4, 2015.
  10. Jaafar, Ali (December 2, 2014). "Felicity Jones In Early Talks To Join 'Inferno' With Tom Hanks". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 7, 2014.
  11. Lesnick, Silas (April 27, 2015). "Production Begins on Ron Howard's Da Vinci Code Sequel, Inferno". ComingSoon.net. Retrieved April 28, 2015.
  12. "Inferno, riprese in città: attenzione c'è il "rischio" di finire nel film" [Inferno, location shooting in the city: beware of "risk" of ending up in the film]. Firenze Today (in Italian). May 7, 2015. Retrieved May 13, 2015.
  13. "Tom Hanks inseguito in stazione? Non è Padova quella in "Inferno"" [Tom Hanks chased in Padua's train station? That's not Padua]. Il Mattino di Padova (in Italian). May 11, 2016. Retrieved May 11, 2016.
  14. "Tom Hanks To Move To Budapest For Shooting Of New Movie "Inferno"". Hungary Today. January 16, 2015. Retrieved June 5, 2015.
  15. Ron Howard [@RealRonHoward] (July 21, 2015). "Wrapped #InfernoMovie and now heading into the editing rooms. #TomHanks #FelicityJones & Co were a blast pic.twitter.com/QKM1U2TLII" (Tweet). Retrieved July 27, 2015 – via Twitter.
  16. "San Marco torna set cinematografico Ron Howard dirige Tom Hanks" [San Marco back film set Ron Howard directs Tom Hanks]. Il Gazzettino (in Italian). April 27, 2015. Retrieved May 13, 2015.
  17. Sneider, Jeff (October 9, 2014). "Tom Hanks, Ron Howard's 'Inferno' Moves Off 'Star Wars: Episode VII' Release Date". TheWrap. Retrieved May 4, 2015.
  18. Gallagher, Brian (February 17, 2016). "'The Ring' Sequel 'Rings' Gets a New Halloween Release Date". MovieWeb. Retrieved March 14, 2016.
  19. "October 2016 Releases". Film Distributors' Association. Retrieved January 27, 2016.
  20. Sony Pictures Entertainment (May 9, 2016), INFERNO - Teaser Trailer (HD), retrieved May 10, 2016
  21. FOTI, TITTI GIULIANI (October 8, 2016). "Cinema: Inferno, red carpet stile Hollywood a Firenze, Tom Hanks superstar / FOTO - La Nazione".
  22. Team, Fabnewz (September 29, 2016). "'Inferno' to Release in India First, Due to Irrfan Khan's Popularity".
  23. "Will 'Madea' Kick 'Jack Reacher' In The Shins? – Box Office Preview". Deadline Hollywood.
  24. "Box Office: Tom Hanks' 'Inferno' Looks to Ignite With $25 Million Debut". Variety.
  25. "'Inferno' Takes on the World Series as 'Doctor Strange' Debuts Overseas". Box Office Mojo.
  26. Nancy Tartaglione (October 16, 2016). "'Inferno' Ignites With $50M Offshore; 'Miss Peregrine' Tops $130M – Intl Box Office". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved October 17, 2016.
  27. Pamela McClintock (October 30, 2016). "Weekend Box Office: 'Inferno' Loses to 'Madea' in Stunning Halloween Upset". The Hollywood Reporter.
  28. Nancy Tartaglione (October 23, 2016). "'Jack Reacher' Cuffs $31M; 'Girl', 'Inferno', 'Peregrine' At Milestones – Intl Box Office". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved October 24, 2016.
  29. Charles Gant (October 18, 2016). "The Girl on the Train still UK's top ticket as Bridget Jones's Baby makes history". The Guardian. London. Retrieved October 19, 2016.
  30. Nancy Tartaglione (October 30, 2016). "'Doctor Strange' Brews $86M In Overseas Bow; Tops Comps, Sets IMAX Records – International Box Office Update". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved October 31, 2016.
  31. "France and Algeria, Monaco, Morocco and Tunisia Box Office Index". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. 2018. Retrieved May 28, 2018.
  32. "'Inferno' Critical Roundup: Reviewers Unimpressed With 'Fantastically Boring' Thriller". IndieWire.
  33. "Inferno (2016)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved May 23, 2019.
  34. "Inferno Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved October 28, 2016.
  35. "CinemaScore". Retrieved November 17, 2016.
  36. "Inferno reviewed by Mark Kermode". YouTube. October 14, 2016. Retrieved October 14, 2016.
  37. "Inferno is preposterously stupid". Cinema Blend. October 30, 2016. Retrieved October 30, 2016.
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