Also saw this movie today, was one of just two people in the theater. (Though I probably should've expected it, I live in an area where seemingly everyone turns up their nose at any motorsport that's not NASCAR or Drags.)
I did feel like the first half of the movie kinda dragged a bit, felt at times like the movie was more concerned with hyping up the game instead of establishing the characters. It got better as they got past the Academy and into the real racing, but it was the
Nurburgring crash
and the aftermath that really got me invested in the movie. I know others find it "problematic" but I truly think the film wouldn't have worked without it and that it handled the subject in a respectful way. It also sets up the "Finish the Lap" scene, which was by far the best moment of the film. To the point where it gave me actual feels. It's a great message of overcoming adversity and not letting a tragedy define who you are, and David Harbour's delivery of it was brilliant. Cinematography was excellent and I actually liked the videogame overlays on the racing a lot more than I thought I would.
I went in expecting an 8/10 movie and that's more or less what I got. It's not what I would call "Must See" but it's a decent enough watch for Racing Fans.
The movie grossed $17.3m in it's opening weekend in the US.
I've seen mention the budget was $60m, others have said closer to $100m. With the home video market and TV rights the movie should certainly make back it's budget and probably generate a profit. WOM seems pretty decent too.
I rather enjoyed it, despite being a well-worn plot device, albeit one based on a true story. I was most impressed by the sound effects and graphics from the series, though.
The movie grossed $17.3m in it's opening weekend in the US.
I've seen mention the budget was $60m, others have said closer to $100m. With the home video market and TV rights the movie should certainly make back it's budget and probably generate a profit. WOM seems pretty decent too.
The general rule is that for a movie to break even, it has to make at least twice it's production budget, because that extra money covers the things that are outside the scope of regular production, such as (and usually mostly) marketing costs. To that end, assuming the $60 million budget number is true, GT has to ideally make at least $120 million from the global box office before it can start actually making a profit. Almost all new movies also usually experience a major drop in sales after their opening weekend, and in GTs case probably won't be helped by Equalizer 3 and The Nun II being released within the next fortnight.
So, I saw the movie this past evening. Overall, it definitely wasn't a bad movie by any stretch (the movies marketing honestly made it seem a lot worse than it actually was imo), but I personally don't think it was great either. The actual racing scenes in Gran Turismo are goddamn fantastic. The cinematography and especially the sound design is top notch during said scenes. I'd honestly argue that a lot of the racing moments do better job than Ford vs. Ferrari at capturing how loud, violent, tense and demanding racing is on both the car and the driver, and Ford vs. Ferrari's racing scenes are pretty damn awesome in their own right. However, the things happening between those scenes are, while well-acted, imo lacking in any major staying power, because it's not like there's going to be any actual surprises in how the story goes (even with David Harbour, who is consistently great the entire time). It's a bog-standard "zero-to-hero" story, and it checks off all the important crowd-pleaser boxes.
The 2 main things that I really did not like about the movie were A) The large number of small details that the movie got wrong, many of which were jarring as both a GT and general motorsport fan, and B) as strange as it sounds, the constant reminders about Gran Turismo in the movie. With the former, it was mostly things like the movie showing FIA GT3 & GT4 cars hitting 300 KPH (186 MPH) at the Red Bull Ring, Jann detecting brake glazing because of his time tuning in the games, even though (to my knowledge) not a single GT game has ever simulated brake degradation at all, and how the antagonist races the way he does without facing any major consequences. Any driver in an official, (I'm assuming) FIA-Sanctioned race who purposely taps-out a fellow driver or grinds them against a metal wall Burnout-style would absolutely face major penalties, if not and instant DQ. Of course, the most egregious thing was how it seemed like most, if not all of the tracks the movie visits are all differently dressed up versions of the Hungaroring. It's especially bad during the Le Mans race at the end, where the Hungarorings final hairpin is used as the final turn for Le Mans. Just...no. Absolutely not.
With the latter, I know it sounds like a strange complaint, but stick with me for a sec. The constant Gran Turismo reminders got annoying because it felt like the movie was afraid that I was going to forget it was a movie called Gran Turismo. The GT-style 3rd-person IRL car cameras and cinematic in-game scenes are forgivable, since they were honestly pretty cool, but the random insertion of GT7s racing UI into the some driving scenes (most notably the police chase at the end of the 1st act), the position marker on the top of Janns car that uses the main menu(?) chime whenever he makes a pass, and especially the flashback to Jann practicing for GT Academy, a flashback that happens right in the middle of him racing to secure a podium finish on the final lap of Le Mans, which killed pretty much all of the tension in that moment imo, were just beyond aggravating after the halfway point in the movie. It genuinely felt like the movie was afraid I was too stupid to remember that it was a movie called "Gran Turismo," and had to constantly throw up reminders so that I wouldn't forget it.
There's a lot of ways I could describe Gran Turismo in one sentence, but I think I'd describe it as a perfect crowd-pleaser, but will likely be frustrating to watch if you're familiar with actual motorsport. Despite what my post might make it seem like, I did have a good time with the movie for the most part, but I'd probably rate it a 6.5/10.
Also, the movie drops the whole "It's not a game, it's a Simulator" line, which got a very exasperated sigh out of me.
Saw the movie a couple days ago and it exceeded my expectations. Compared to the Marvel crap that has filled up cinemas the past 5-10yrs this was a breath of fresh air. Blomkamp delivered another great movie with a decent story arc, good acting and just overall great production quality
Financial analysis of Gran Turismo: Based on a True Story (2023) including budget, domestic and international box office gross, DVD and Blu-ray sales reports, total earnings and profitability.
www.the-numbers.com
Gran Turismo Is In First Place As The Checkered Flag Gets Waved, And It's Off To A Pretty Ok Start
Unlike some of the other #1 films to hit theaters this summer (like James Mangold's Indiana Jones And The Dial Of Destiny and Christopher McQuarrie's Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part 1), Gran Turismo is not a blockbuster that, by modern Hollywood standards, cost a whole lot of money to produce. The feature, which qualifies as both a video game movie and a biopic, was produced for a modest $60 million, according to Deadline. That in mind, one can say that the theatrical release is off to a middling start, as it doesn't appear that domestic ticket sales alone are going to make it a winner – but factoring worldwide numbers, it's off to a pretty ok start.
Gran Turismo had its official opening weekend in the USA this weekend, coinciding with National Cinema Day, and perhaps a little surprisingly took top spot according to Sony’s figures...
I knew they were slightly (though not by any means abnormally) cooking the books a bit by including early week preview screenings for that total, but I didn't know they were including two weeks of preview screenings in the opening weekend numbers.
I know they are at completely different stages in their release schedule. But seeing headlines that Gran Turismo beat out Barbie is probably the first time some more casual movie goers have heard of the movie!
The movie grossed $17.3m in it's opening weekend in the US.
I've seen mention the budget was $60m, others have said closer to $100m. With the home video market and TV rights the movie should certainly make back it's budget and probably generate a profit. WOM seems pretty decent too.
It's probably $100m + including marketing the movie which can cost anywhere from $30m to $100m+ depending on how far they want to go advertising during major slots. So $40m marketing costs might be inthe right ballpark.
I just watched! And the first thing I did when I got home was listen to Jann's motivational song... (the instrumental one).
I was expecting a boring movie, but Gran Turismo hooked me more than the classic Grand Prix - which I have on DVD.
I really like the scene of the Porsche on the Dottinger-Hohe at sunset. There's a declared passion there.
it's actually good. Could've been better of course but honestly think it might be the best video game based movie so far (which isn't saying much).
I do wish they had kept things more accurate to how racing actually works. They could've still had all the same drama without having things happen that would never happen in real life but I guess then they might need some more exposition, or an audience that knows at least a little bit about racing but it seems like it's aimed at even the most clueless of audiences.
The movie did a lot right though (especially hiring Hopper)
Was able to attend the rare non-dubbed screening at the nearest cinema and it was OK-ish. Pretty much what the GTPlanet review said.
What I'm wondering is what that younger player (target audience imo) thinks after watching it and asking his/her parents for money to get the game and a Fanatec wheel only to discover the GT Academy has been discontinued.
After this movie, GT Academy should return next year with Toyota or Nissan. Participation numbers would probably be higher than ever. I loved every bit of the movie! Especially the cameo of Kaz Also the accident at Le Mans. It was exactly the same as this one; Anthony Davidson's accident at 2012 Le Mans, Toyota and Ferrari(of course).
After this movie, GT Academy should return next year with Toyota or Nissan. Participation numbers would probably be higher than ever. I loved every bit of the movie! Especially the cameo of Kaz Also the accident at Le Mans. It was exactly the same as this one; Anthony Davidson's accident at 2012 Le Mans, Toyota and Ferrari(of course).
Just saw it with my son. Much better than I thought it would be (they could have done a better trailer!).
A bit slow to get going but by the time it gets to the 24 Hour LeMans, I was hooked! Soundtrack is great.
Was able to attend the rare non-dubbed screening at the nearest cinema and it was OK-ish. Pretty much what the GTPlanet review said.
What I'm wondering is what that younger player (target audience imo) thinks after watching it and asking his/her parents for money to get the game and a Fanatec wheel only to discover the GT Academy has been discontinued.
It certainly seemed to have a very positive influence in the movie. If a "gamer" team can get 3rd at LeMans, in real a real race, that's something very special. I feel the marketing teams are missing an opportunity .....
)
Also the accident at Le Mans. It was exactly the same as this one; Anthony Davidson's accident at 2012 Le Mans, Toyota and Ferrari(of course).
