EDDIE THE EAGLE : Promotion and Box Office

[jo]

Talking about producers, one of them is Matthew Vaughn's wife. The name is not listed on IMDB ( although someone was listed as being the assistant of Matthew and his wife for the movie. Her being a producer was mentioned on another site.

But maybe not everybody knows that she was the world's top supermodel in her day. She is CLAUDIA SCHIFFER ( now VAUGHN).

She is German and maybe she was there for the filming in Bavaria?

Jo

[hughmanity]

An interview with Taron Egerton  and Hugh Biceps  -uh- Jackman.   Only watched; didn't listen.  LOL

[jo]

Hugh Jackman Verified account 
‏@realhughjackman Day 1. Interview 1. Laughter 1. Focus 0. With @taronegerton @eddieeaglemovie @20thcenturyfox

http://instagram.com/p/BBJYN8PChFQ

[jo]

It's almost SuperBowl time -- probably the only sports event that can upstage the OLYMPICS in the USA...

Will EDDIE THE EAGLE, a veteran of the Winter Olympics show up on February 7? Or join the ground events scheduled at that time.

We'll see !!


www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/super-bowl-ryan-reynolds-deadpool-860289?utm_source=twitter


Excerpts --

Super Bowl: Ryan Reynolds' 'Deadpool' to Invade the Big Game (Exclusive)

by Pamela McClintock

1/29/2016 1:15pm PST

Fellow Fox movies 'X-Men: Apocalypse' and 'Independence Day: Resurgence' will also have a major presence, while Disney will be another big player; Universal and Paramount have also bought time...




Deadpool isn't the only Fox title using the game and convergence of the world's press to whip up headlines. The cast of Independence Day: Resurgence (June 24), including Liam Hemsworth and Jeff Goldblum, will attend the Super Bowl, while one or two actors from X-Men: Apocalypse (May 27) could be on hand. Major on-the-ground events are also planned for those titles, as well as sports comedy Eddie the Eagle (Feb. 26), but insiders are keeping mum as to what they are....







The Super Bowl, broadcast this year on CBS, is the most-watched live television event of any given year, providing Hollywood an unparalleled opportunity to build awareness for their films. Last year, 114.4 million people watched the game on NBC. The pre-game show is also a popular landing pad...




Fox likewise declined to say exactly which movie spots it will air during the game and preshow. Deadpool would be the likely candidate, along with X-Men, Independence Day and Eddie the Eagle (Feb. 26).

Deadpool — a passion project for Reynolds — follows the adventures of Wade Wilson (aka Deadpool), a foul-mouthed, witty superhero who was bestowed with special powers after going through an experimental treatment for cancer. The actor first appeared as the character in X-Men Origins: Wolverine. In Deadpool, the superhero searches out the men who subjected him to the treatment...

I understand the 30-second spot could cost as much as $ 5 million. Will Fox spend that much money to promote EDDIE THE EAGLE ?

*It's a sports drama/comedy and it happens at the most major event in the sports world ( the Olympics)...so the correlation with the huge 100 million SuperBowl audience is logical.

*It has gathered very favorable reviews in its surprise premiere at Sundance. Will this translate to very good box office results... so the Superbowl spot can be rationalized? Deadpool ( like other XMEN movies is expected to heat up the box office when it is released on February 12).

*While the movie itself can be a crowd pleaser for male  fans ( the majority of whom will be glued to their TVs at Superbowl time), EDDIE THE EAGLE  can also draw in a fairly good share of potential female viewers --  those who actually watch Superbowl...or those legions of Hugh Jackman (and maybe Taron Egerton ?) fans who may get a shoutout from the male-viewing public, if the spot comes on.

And the movie has been praised for its family-friendly vibes ( and whole families can be watching the Superbowl).

*Hey, the Wolverine character is still a fan favorite among male fans!

*The movie has released only one major trailer and one major clip, so this could be a good time to do a final one.

I wonder if the potential link to the SUPERBOWL is one of the reasons why the movie's  USA release date was pushed forward to February?


Again, we'll see... 

Jo

[jo]

Tweeted by a media professional --

Shaun Leonard ‏@shaun_leonard · 10m10 minutes ago  Park City, UT
Got waitlisted for #EddieTheEagle ! See you there @realhughjackman @taronegerton? #sundance @sundancefest #Sundance2016

There was a request from the festival itself to show a second screening because the secret screening was mainly for the community and may have excluded many of the film media who were covering other films and/or did not know about the secret screening of EDDIE.

Sundance Film Festival Thanks for bringing the movie to our secret Townie Screening tonight! We’re thrilled to be able to show it to the town of Park City, and we’d love to show it again to our Sundance Festival attendees as well. Can you guys make that happen?!

Maybe this is the second screening, as this tweet was uploaded only a few minutes ago?


Jo

[jo]

[jo]

One film site put their photos together --

[jo]

The LA Times gives an account of the screening --

5:28 P.M.
|
Park City, Utah
Steven Zeitchik

Hugh Jackman gets a Sundance crowd excited about ski jumping





Hugh Jackman had barely been in the Sundance theater two minutes when he decided to lead the crowd in a chant of "Aussie Aussie Aussie, Oi Oi Oi."

"I mean, it's Australia Day," he said, before adding, improbably, "I've never been to [this] festival."

As Jackman may have quickly surmised, Sundance is underdog heaven. Whether it's the scrappy filmmaker seeking some cash for his killer short or the ticket supplicant looking to get into that unmissable midnight movie, the festival is built for feel-good scrappy stories.

Those tales don't usually come in the form of bespectacled ski jumpers, though.

On Tuesday night at the festival's Library Theater, Sundance and Fox offered a sneak screening of "Eddie the Eagle," a charming crowd-pleaser of a movie about the titular ski-jumper, starring Jackman and Taron Egerton, and directed by Dexter Fletcher (the "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels" co-star).

"We sat with friends and family and they tell us it's good," Fletcher (wry, voluble) told the audience, the first public group to see it. "But how can we believe them?"

As any sports fan of a Gen-X age or older will remember, Eddie "The Eagle" Edwards became a media sensation for his grit, or badness, or both, at the 1988 Winter Games in Calgary, Canada. Egerton stars as the man whose talent is as thin as his spandex uniform and Jackman as Bronson Peary, his alcoholic has-been coach, who finds his own form of redemption guiding his young (non-) talent, and also gets a chance to make some choice Bo Derek references besides.

Egerton (convincing, likable) plays the real-life Edwards, who from the earliest age is hell-bent on being an Olympian. There’s only one problem -- he's a terrible athlete. Failed attempts in various sports eventually lead him to ski jumping, because a) the Brits haven't fielded a ski jumper at the international level in decades, so competition is slight and b) Edwards is a kamikaze with no fear of broken bones, so why not?

What follows are a series of obstacles in training and qualifying -- the movie is pitched between inspirational drama and fish-out-of-water comedy -- before it arrives at the Games themselves. There, Edwards’ exuberance outshines his more accomplished, dour British teammates, and his legend begins. (Olympic completists and Helsinki-oriented pop-culture fans, take note: The character of Matti "The Flying Finn" Nykänen makes an appearance, early on as a jerk and later as a kind of wisdom-dispenser, a stoic poet of the inrun.)

The movie, out at the end of February, should play well to sports fans, in part for nostalgia reasons and in part because one rarely gets to see the majestic winter sport of ski jumping on the big screen.

At least majestic is one way to put it. "Have you gone a bit crazy?" Egerton quipped to an audience member before the screening when asked if he'd done a jump himself. Jackman and Egerton thought about it, before realizing there were better ways to traverse a 70-meter ramp. "I kind of wanted to do it until I sat up there on the bench," Jackman said.

The project had been in development for over a decade, Fletcher said, often getting bogged down because the real-life Edwards didn't love the portrayal of him. "He read early drafts and he was a loser and fool and that made him reticent,” Fletcher said. "I didn't want to do that [portrayal]." (Sean Macaulay and Simon Kelton wrote the shooting script; Matthew Vaughn of "Lock, Stock" and "X-Men" fame, produced.)

The significance of the film -- if can one say that about a movie in which men faceplant in skintight clothing -- is of the media sort. Long ahead of the days of viral video, Edwards became accidentally famous, a sports-fan in-joke amid the seriousness of the Olympics. He was a meme before the word meme became a meme.

The screening was designed for locals as part of so-called "Townie Tuesday." It had a suitably spirited feel, and really picked up when a local woman in this mountain-sport town said she was a ski jumper and actually competed against Edwards -- as an 11-year-old.

"He's still devastated you beat him, isn't he?" Jackman joked to her from the podium.

The actor then added that “every parent should show [the movie] to their kids because it means you don't actually have to win to be a winner in life." Then he led one more chant of "Aussie Aussie Aussie" and exited the stage.

[jo]

Hugh was not there for the L.A. post-screening Q&A, but Taron and Dexter say " But we are here " --

highschool.latimes.com/orange-county-school-of-the-arts/eddie-the-eagle-qa-with-taron-egerton-and-director-dexter-fletcher/

“Eddie the Eagle” Q&A with Taron Egerton and Director Dexter Fletcher
January 31, 2016 - 12:00PM | By Cassandra Hsiao

Moderator Scott Mantz, Taron Egerton and Director Dexter Fletcher seen at Twentieth Century Fox Special Screening of "Eddie The Eagle" on Thursday, January 28, 2016, in Los Angeles, CA. (Photo by Dan Steinberg/Invision for Twentieth Century Fox/AP Images)



The audience of journalists and critics is buzzing, high off of the fantastic victory that is the film Eddie the Eagle as credits roll and lights come on. We are anticipating the Q&A to follow with Hugh Jackman, Taron Egerton, and Director Dexter Fletcher only to be met with the announcement that unfortunately, Wolverine is unable to make it.

“But I’m here!” says Fletcher.

“And so am I. Please don’t leave, that would hurt my ego,” chimes in 26-year-old Egerton, looking quite different from his portrayal of Eddie on-screen. And just like that, our disappointment dissolves—we’ve got two accomplished, easy-going, funny stars in front of us discussing their latest endeavor, Eddie the Eagle.

UK-native Egerton, fresh out of drama school, is no stranger to Q&As and junkets ever since his major breakthrough in the widely popular Kingsman: The Secret Service (the sequel is about to kick into production). Now, he takes on a drastically different character in the biopic based on Eddie Edwards, an awkward, endearing Olympic ski jumper who finished last in the 1988 Winter Olympics.

“I didn’t do any weight loss,” says Egerton on preparing for the role, a welcome break from the strenuous workout he undertook for Kingsman. “Dexter told me early on that he wanted Eddie to look like an unlikely hero, an unlikely athlete, and told me don’t spend any time in the gym. I immediately made a fist bump and punched the air.”

Egerton is refreshingly self-deprecating and attributes his brilliant performance to merely adapting an under bite and wearing thick glasses. But Fletcher disagrees—and throughout the night they continue to shower each other as well as Jackman (who plays Eddie’s trainer) with high praise.

“What you get when you watch the film is how much heart and determination Taron brings to Eddie. We admire that determination and that relentlessness,” explains Fletcher. “We were always very clear we wanted to treat Eddie with warmth and affection because we really admire him.”



There was always a risk of taking the easy route and portraying Eddie Edwards as a figure of fun. After all, despite the media’s enthusiasm and the world’s love for the Eagle, some athletes and officials saw him as a laughingstock and labeled him as a joke. Striking a balance was a “tightrope walk,” according to Egerton.

“We don’t shy away from the fact that he’s an unlikely hero—he looks a bit silly—but I feel and I hope the audience feels that the heart of it is that he was someone who was incredibly, incredibly passionate,” says Fletcher. “Watching it as many times as I have, the real challenge for Taron was to make him complex and not make him two-dimensional. He’s very multi-layered…And that’s a testament to this young man’s talent.”

Egerton brushes Fletcher’s praise off as the crowd cheers. But Fletcher admits that Egerton was not the first person who leapt to Fletcher’s mind when casting for the perfect Eagle.

“Matthew [Vaughn] (producer) called and said we should look at Taron. And I thought, ‘He’s just too good looking.’ He’s a movie star,” says Fletcher.

“Stop it,” interrupts Egerton, grinning abashedly.

“It’s just my personal opinion,” shoots back Fletcher.

But Fletcher is correct—both in terms of looks and personality, ski jumper Eddie seems like the complete opposite of British teenage spy Eggsy. And that was precisely why Egerton leaped at the chance to play the legend.

“As an actor the dream is to play different parts, to do different sorts of things. The variety is the real joy of it,” says Egerton. “I really hope everyone likes, but if the world didn’t, it would still be a wonderful experience. From start to finish, it’s been incredible making this movie.”

the young star, it was a dream come true to work with Jackman. According to Fletcher, “Taron very much wanted to impress Hugh. And Hugh was impressed.” Though Egerton laughs it off, it’s those moments that make the film so special.

“I started the movie… with the intention of making Hugh Jackman laugh on camera whenever I could, to sabotage his career,” deadpans Egerton. “It was quite a fun game.”


Egerton and Jackman became such good friends, cracking up on set and singing in between takes, that they even found compatibility in music.

“[The end credits song] was me being backed up by Hugh—which is a source of pride for me,” laughs Egerton. “Matthew [Vaughn] had this idea right about six months ago to record an 80s’ track… we recorded it!”

As for Fletcher, the joy was found in the spontaneity and unpredictability that is always found in directing, or utilizing “ugly but effective methods,” as Eddie and his trainer do in the film.

“There’s a great deal of planning and preparation that has to go into making any film. You’re shooting for eight weeks, you’ve got to shoot the script, and you can’t guarantee that… it’s going to come together when you edit,” says Fletcher in response to my question. “But when you’re there in the moment, on set directing, or finding the moments, you’ve got to be open to going for the ugly but effective methods. ‘A little bit of wee came out’ is something that happened on the day,” he continues, quoting a line from the film. “But that’s allowing those moments of inspiration… and what made it so much fun.”

It’s safe to say that the Olympics athlete was duly satisfied—Eddie Edwards was seated next to Egerton for their very first screening and teared up. Ultimately it was the story of real-life Eddie that carried the movie. It was his never-give-up attitude and courage to attempt 90 meter slopes that won him the world’s admiration, and it’s clear that Egerton and Fletcher are honored to bring that story to life.

“I think we live in a culture where we put so much emphasis on being the best, being the utmost you can be, which of course is a great idea,” reflects Egerton. “But we put people on a pedestal and we live in celebrity culture and when someone comes along who isn’t the best, but has such determination and passion, I think people connect with that.”

Eddie the Eagle soars into theaters Feb. 26.

According to Hugh, Jess Platt ( who has coached Hugh for a very long time - since Kate and Leopold or thereabouts) told him that he had never seen Hugh corpsing so much ( to corpse is a term in British theatre which means to laugh involuntarily or inopportunely while on stage).

Btw, Hugh was out singing " I STILL CALL AUSTRALIA HOME" elsewhere that evening.

[jo]

Cinemablend recommends 10 movies in 2016 that are eagerly awaited or suitable to the SuperBowl theme or can be helped by an ad during the SUPERBOWL. As another movie TRIPLE NINE (also being released on Feb 26) was already already mentioned earlier, I did not think EDDIE THE EAGLE would be included on the list. But CINEMABLEND put up the ski-jumping feel-good sports movie also among the 10! Up there with Batman vs Superman, Captain America, Deadpool, Apocalypse...

www.cinemablend.com/new/2016-Super-Bowl-Movie-Trailers-10-We-Need-See-During-Big-Game-109467-p9.html

Eddie The Eagle




Unfortunately, there aren’t any football movies coming up soon in 2016 that can take advantage of Super Bowl Sunday, but there is a sports film arriving in the next couple of weeks that could potentially use the push. Dexter Fletcher’s Eddie The Eagle is a sort-of-based-on-a-true-story underdog tale made in the spirit of the great family-friendly sports films of the 1980s and 1990s, and while it’s mostly been going under the radar, a Super Bowl trailer could get it a lot of attention.

Eddie The Eagle just had its premiere at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this month and has earned a good bit of positive buzz as a result – with critics commending its joyful, crowd-pleasing enthusiasm, and the performances by both Taron Egerton and Hugh Jackman. Basically, think about a 21st century version of Cool Runnings, only with a strange British ski jumper instead of a Jamaican bobsled team. Set to come out on February 26th, the movie hasn’t gotten too much attention just yet, but a Super Bowl spot could perhaps give the film an edge towards becoming a sleeper hit.

[jo]

Hugh Jackman Verified account  ‏@realhughjackman · 30m30 minutes ago
Doin' the eagle with @taronegerton today on @theellenshow. @eddieeaglemovie @20thcenturyfox

[wildfire]

They ran the short trailer during Grease last night!

[jo]

EDDIE THE EAGLE is an Editor's Pick for this site --

www.movienewsguide.com/eddie-eagle-look-inspirational-feel-good-film-year/151438

[carouselkathy]

I'm confused. Does this mean it will show the trailer during the Super Bowl? Is the writer just wishing it would show a trailer during the Super Bowl? If one isn't scheduled to show, Hugh should pay for it himself!

[jo]

There is a possibility of a Superbowl ad -- because The Hollywood Reporter ( if I am not mistaken) has reported that FOX bought 2 ad space for the top sporting event. They think that DEADPOOL will likely get one spot... but there is speculation that the 2nd one might either be for APOCALYPSE or INDEPENDENCE DAY 2 or even EDDIE THE EAGLE. Btw, each 30-second TV spot costs between $ 4.6 million to $ 5 million. The original box office forecast by BoxOffice.com for EDDIE was a modest $ 7 million for opening weekend and cumulative for the USA of $ 34 million, although there are better other forecasts of a range from $ 12 million opening weekend to cumulative results for USA of $ 41 million. Can they justify a single ad of $ 5 million even if the returns are going to be modest? Maybe after the reactions derived from the Sundance showing that FOX is going to take a risk so the movie can be a great sleeper hit?

But I think the THR report was more assured that there might be some presence at the grounds of the SUPERBOWL ( in the San Francisco stadium) of a team from EDDIE THE EAGLE!

Btw, FOX has slated WIDE distribution for the movie on its opening weekend!

Hopefully, the appearance on popular talk shows like ELLEN and JIMMY (the sure ones) will up the public awareness of the movie.

But a Superbowl ad will get many talking!! Maybe a second trailer ( not a clip from the movie) via a Superbowl ad can still happen!

Jo

[hughmanity]

This apparently from a screening in NYC tonight?

[hughmanity]

Guess so!

[jo]

That facial hair has really a life of its own wolverine

Were both Taron and Hugh at the screening, doing the eagle egyptian egyptian

[jo]

At the NYC screening --

[jo]

The NYC screening on February 2 at Landmark Sunshine Cinema ( Houston St.) which is more known as a modern arthouse cinema looked more like a scaled-down premiere. A lot of guests attended the affair, some actually dressed up for the affair...and there were some prominent ones ( Sting, Calvin Klein, film director Paul Haggis, etc).

www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-3429655/Hugh-Jackman-giggles-comedian-Caroline-Rhea-Eddie-Eagle-screening-New-York.html

But where was Taron ?


Jo

[jo]

A shoutout from Hugh for Taron!

Hugh Jackman Verified account  ‏@realhughjackman · 39m39 minutes ago
Call all friends in the U.K. my great mate @taronegerton has been voted for EE @bafta Rising Star Award. Vote here ee.co.uk/ee-and-me/why-ee/tickets-events/ee-baftas/risingstarnominees …

[jo]

Hugh gets chatty with EXTRA -- on everything

extratv.com/videos/0-7f6r969f/

[jo]

The screening also made it to PAGE SIX of the New York Post --

pagesix.com/2016/02/03/hugh-jackman-screens-upcoming-film-eddie-the-eagle/

[jo]

According to this site, the London (red carpet) premiere of EDDIE THE EAGLE will be held on MARCH 17, 2016.


www.cornucopia-events.co.uk/red-carpet-film-premieres/

[jo]

According to this promo from DELTA AIRLINES, the New York red carpet premiere will be on February 23, 2016.

www.skymilesauction.com/cgi-bin/ncommerce3/ProductDisplay?prrfnbr=132946563&prmenbr=71802779&aunbr=132946563&cgrfnbr=34423393