Here is the rewritten article: Comedy animation Harold And The Purple Crayon heads the new releases at this weekend’s UK-Ireland box office, open
Here is the rewritten article:
Comedy animation Harold And The Purple Crayon heads the new releases at this weekend’s UK-Ireland box office, opening in 595 cinemas through Sony.
The live-action/animation fantasy comedy is adapted from Crockett Johnson’s 1955 children’s book of the same name, with the film serving as a sequel to the book.
Harold And The Purple Crayon follows a character in a book who can make anything come to life by drawing it; and who draws himself off the book’s pages and into the physical world.
Zachary Levi leads the cast, which also includes Lil Rel Howery, Zooey Deschanel, Jemaine Clement, Alfred Molina and 2020 Screen Star of Tomorrow Tanya Reynolds.
It is directed by Brazilian filmmaker Carlos Saldanha, from a screenplay by David Guion and Michael Handelman.
Having honed his skills on films including Anastasia (£5.6m total) and Fight Club (£5.7m), Saldanha has established himself as one of the eminent animation directors of the last two decades.
He co-directed 2002’s Ice Age (£15.1m) and 2005’s Robots (£12.5m), before directing the next two Ice Age films The Meltdown (£29.6m) and Dawn of the Dinosaurs (£35.2m). He has also directed Rio and Rio 2, while his most recent directorial feature was 2017’s Ferdinand (£10.2m).
In a strong weekend for animation, Modern Films is opening Neil Boyle and Kirk Hendry’s Kensuke’s Kingdom in 175 sites, across both independent and multiplex sites.
Adapted by Frank Cottrell Boyce from Michael Morpurgo’s 1999 novel, the film tells the story of a young boy shipwrecked on a remote island who must adapt to life alone.
It debuted at Annecy Film Festival in 2023, going on to play BFI London Film Festival and Bucheon International Animation Festival. Aaron MacGregor leads the voice cast, which also includes Ken Watanabe, Cillian Murphy, Sally Hawkins and Raffey Cassidy.
Kensuke’s Kingdom is produced by Camilla Deakin and Ruth Fielding for the UK’s Lupus Films, who previously made 2016’s Ethel & Ernest (£94,255); with Anne-Laure Labadie for France’s Le Pacte, Working Title co-founder Sarah Radclyffe, Barnaby Spurrier, Adrian Politowski of Align and Martin Metz.
It received over £1.8m in BFI funding, including the biggest production and distribution award of 2020 at £1.62m.
Universal is starting Sean Wang’s Didi in 20 Picturehouse cinemas. Inspired by Wang’s own childhood, the film is set in 2008, and follows a group of first-generation teens through the eyes of a 13-year-old Taiwanese American boy.
The film picked up the US Dramatic Audience Award and the Special Jury Award for best ensemble cast on debut at Sundance in January, just before Focus Features acquired worldwide rights.
It has subsequently gone on a substantial festival run, including SXSW, Beijing and Munich film festivals, plus Sundance offshoots in London and Asia.
Limited releases include Joseph Curran’s documentary A Story Of Bones, about a woman attempting to reclaim the identity of the island of St. Helena after the remains of thousands of enslaved Africans are uncovered there, in 10 sites across its first week through Tull Stories.
Sony is starting its re-run of the Spider-Man films by putting Sam Raimi’s 2002 Spider-Man (£29m original run) in 568 sites; while Warner Bros is playing Wolfgang Petersen’s The NeverEnding Story (£2.1m) in 238 cinemas for its 40th anniversary.
Elysian Film Group Distribution is playing Studio Ghibli classic My Neighbour Totoro in 141 cinemas; while in limited re-releases, Curzon has Bela Tarr’s 2000 mystery Werckmeister Harmonies (£18,560) in 16 sites, and T A P E Collective has Ayoka Chenzira’s comedy-drama Alma’s Rainbow in six sites on its 30th anniversary.
Southeast Asian cinema continues to hold a strong presence in UK-Ireland cinemas, with four new Indian titles this weekend in addition to several holdovers.
DJ Tech is opening Nahas Nazar’s Adios Amigo and Chimbudeven’s survival thriller Boat; while Bakrania Media has action drama Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha in 74 sites and thriller Ulajh in 19.
Holdovers should maintain the top few spots, including Disney’s Deadpool & Wolverine – which recorded the biggest opening of the year last weekend – Universal’s Despicable Me 4 and Warner Bros’ Twisters.
FAQs:
* What is the main movie being released this weekend?
+ Harold And The Purple Crayon
* Who is the director of the main movie?
+ Carlos Saldanha
* What is the plot of Harold And The Purple Crayon?
+ A character in a book who can make anything come to life by drawing it; and who draws himself off the book’s pages and into the physical world.
* What are some of the other movies being released this weekend?
+ Kensuke’s Kingdom, Didi, A Story Of Bones, Adios Amigo, Boat, Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha, Ulajh, Werckmeister Harmonies, Alma’s Rainbow
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