Hugh Jackman and Chris Pine are two of the most popular actors alive, from fantasy to the superhero genre and animation. Jackman is best known for his portrayal of Wolverine, whom he played in 10 movies in Fox’s X-Men franchise before recently reprising the role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Deadpool & Wolverine. He has also headlined films in various other genres, including his Oscar-nominated performance in the musical Les Misérables, and has lent his voice to the animated films Flushed Away, Happy Feet, and Missing Link.
Pine is also best known for his franchise roles, starting with Captain Kirk in the Star Trek reboot movies, which include 2009’s Star Trek, 2013’s Star Trek Into Darkness, and 2016’s Star Trek Beyond. From there, he also starred as Steve Trevor in the DCEU movies, 2017’s Wonder Woman and its 2020 sequel, Wonder Woman 1984. He also frequently stars in fantasy films – including Into the Woods, A Wrinkle in Time, and most recently Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves – and lends his voice to animated movies such as Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and Disney’s Wish.
Rise Of The Guardians Becomes A Global Netflix Hit
It Ranks 3rd For This Week
Rise of the Guardians has become a global Netflix hit. DreamWorks’ 2012 animated film follows the Guardians – including Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy, the Easter Bunny, and the Sandman – as they recruit Jack Frost to help them battle the sinister Pitch Black, who threatens to plunge the world into darkness by destroying children’s dreams. Rise of the Guardians‘ voice cast includes Pine as Jack Frost and Jackman as the Easter Bunny, in addition to Alec Baldwin, Jude Law, and Isla Fisher.
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15 Best DreamWorks Movies, Ranked
From Shrek to The Prince of Egypt to Megamind, DreamWorks animation has managed to put out animated films that push the boundaries of the medium.
Now, 13 years after its release, the animated movie has become a global hit on Netflix. Rise of the Guardians ranks third on Netflix’s Global Top 10 movies this week with 5.4 million views and 9 million hours viewed. It ranks below The Life List, Alpha, and above Meet the Khumalos, The Croods, Bloodshot, One of Them Days, Despicable Me 4, Lucy, and PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie.
Rise of the Guardians is in Netflix’s Top 10 movies in 41 countries this week, including Mexico, Germany, Italy, South Africa, Australia, and more.
What Rise Of The Guardians’ Netflix Success Means For The Movie
It Has Some Enduring Appeal As A Holiday Classic
Rise of the Guardians received mixed reviews from critics at the time of its release for its stunning animation and lively pace, but flat storytelling. Though it made over $300 million at the box office, it was considered a disappointment due to its $145 million budget, reportedly losing the studio around $87 million after factoring in marketing and distribution expenses. While Rise of the Guardians seemed to be mostly forgotten, it has likely become popular on Netflix due to the upcoming Easter holiday on April 20, suggesting that it has some enduring appeal as a holiday classic.
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Rise of the Guardians Key Facts |
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Domestic Box Office |
$103.4 million |
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Global Box Office Total |
$306.9 million |
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Tomatometer (RT Critics Score) |
75% |
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Popcornmeter (RT Audience Score) |
80% |
Looking at the Rotten Tomatoes scores, however, it is not entirely surprising that this movie was able to recover. There may have been digs at the storytelling, but the film still ended up with a 75% Tomatometer. Audiences were even more forgiving of this film, giving it an 80% Popcornmeter. Even if they did not flood to theaters at the time, the audience’s positive response shows that Rise of the Guardians always had the potential to succeed. In this case, it is finding its time 12 years later on streaming.
How Rise Of The Guardians Fits Into Pine And Jackman’s Career
Pine And Jackman Were Not Known As Voice Actors
Rise of the Guardians fits into the group of animated films that rely on big name recognition in order to boost ticket sales. This is seen today through the casting of MCU actors like Chris Pratt in The Super Mario Bros. movie, even though he is better known for live-action movies. While the results of this strategy were clearly mixed for Rise of the Guardians, the casting of Jackman and Pine alongside people like Baldwin and Law clearly demonstrated their attempt to reach audiences through A-list stars, and that may be part of why the film connects today.
Though he is still much better known for his live-action work, Jackman made a foray into voice acting in the 2000s. Prior to Rise of the Guardians, his animation work included voice acting roles for Flushed Away and Happy Feet. Rise of the Guardians gave him a further chance to explore this side of his career, while audiences may have been drawn in by knowing him as Wolverine in the X-Men movies.
As for Pine, this was his second-ever voice acting role, making it even more clear that this star was likely brought on to boost name recognition. 2012, arguably, was one of the times that Pine was most recognizable, as he had just made his Star Trek debut as Captain Kirk in 2009. While he is still primarily in live-action movies, Pine has continued to voice act today in projects like Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse and Robot Chicken. Reflecting on Rise of the Guardians, it’s worth wondering whether this casting approach contributed to the movie’s long-term life.
Source: Netflix
6/10
- Release Date
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November 21, 2012
- Runtime
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97 minutes
- Director
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Peter Ramsey
- Writers
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David Lindsay-Abaire, William Joyce