VFX HQ: January 1997

Spotlight : January 1997

Effects Briefs
By Todd Vaziri

A whole batch of DANTE'S PEAK ads have flooded the airwaves, and it looks like it will be a pretty intense movie. The interesting thing about the ads is Digital Domain's significant credit in the commercials. In a single screen, all of the major credits are listed, and right in the center of the screen is "Visual Effects and Animation by DIGITAL DOMAIN". I think this is great for the industry. It's about time that more companies are getting recognition for their excellent work.

Links: DANTE'S PEAK, Digital Domain

It looks like this summer will be yet another effects filled movie season, which is great for effects fans. More significantly, it will be the season of disaster/man against nature flicks. Take a look at the films coming out this year: VOLCANO and DANTE'S PEAK (volcanoes), TURBULENCE (good ole' airplane genre), THE FLOOD (self-explanatory), THE LOST WORLD (more dinosaurs), THE RELIC (ancient beast), among others. What's next? Earthquakes? Geysers?

Links: VOLCANO, DANTE'S PEAK, TURBULENCE, THE LOST WORLD, THE RELIC

Speaking of THE RELIC, the Peter Hyams film will finally be released this month after being delayed since last summer. VIFX supplied many effects sequences for the film, which stars Tom Sizemore and Penelope Ann Miller, and was shot in my backyard, Chicago. Hopefully, the film will be a lot better than last summer's Chicago film, CHAIN REACTION. Since Sizemore and Miller aren't household names, Paramount is hyping the film as "from the producer of ALIENS and TERMINATOR 2." Gale Anne Hurd is a fantastic producer, but isn't it a stretch for Paramount to mention a ten year old film (albiet a classic) and a film that was actually produced by James Cameron (Hurd was executive producer)?

Links: THE RELIC, CHAIN REACTION

It was a fairly even season for effects films at the North American box office. The big winner was 101 DALMATIANS, which will end up earning over $100 million. STAR TREK: FIRST CONTACT and SPACE JAM also did very well at around $90 million. JINGLE ALL THE WAY and MARS ATTACKS! both had decent opening weekends but dropped in the rankings quickly; each will earn around $50 million. The big losers at the box office were DAYLIGHT and THE LONG KISS GOODNIGHT, each earning around $35 million.

Links: 101 DALMATIANS, STAR TREK: FIRST CONTACT, SPACE JAM, JINGLE ALL THE WAY, MARS ATTACKS!, DAYLIGHT, THE LONG KISS GOODNIGHT

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