Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief
Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief | |
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Directed by | Chris Columbus |
Screenplay by | Craig Titley |
Based on | The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan |
Produced by |
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Starring | |
Cinematography | 20th Century Fox |
Release dates |
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Running time | 119 minutes[1] |
Countries | |
Language | English |
Budget | $95 million[3][4] |
Box office | $226.4 million[4] |
Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief (also known as Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief) is a 2010 action fantasy film directed by Chris Columbus and written by Craig Titley, based on the 2005 novel The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan. The film is the first installment in the Percy Jackson film series. It stars Logan Lerman as Percy Jackson alongside an ensemble cast that includes Brandon T. Jackson, Alexandra Daddario, Sean Bean, Pierce Brosnan, Steve Coogan, Rosario Dawson, Catherine Keener, Kevin McKidd, Joe Pantoliano, and Uma Thurman.
In 2004 20th Century Fox acquired the film rights to the book series. In 2007 Chris Columbus was hired to direct. Filming began April 2009 in Vancouver. Some shots were filmed in Tennessee and Las Vegas, and some exterior scenes were shot in New York.
Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief was released theatrically in the United States on February 12, 2010, by
Plot
At the top of the
A 16-year-old Percy struggles with
Waking up three days later, Percy learns he is Poseidon’s son, Grover is a
At a
In the Underworld, Hades finds the bolt hidden inside Luke's shield, revealing that Luke was the thief all along. Hades tries to kill the trio, but Persephone turns on him in retaliation for imprisoning her and gives the bolt to Percy. As they only have three pearls, Grover remains behind, while Percy, Annabeth, and Sally teleport to the Empire State Building, the secret entrance to Olympus. However, before they can enter, they are ambushed by Luke, who reveals that he stole the bolt to demolish Olympus and establish the demigods (and himself) as Olympus' new rulers. After a battle across Manhattan, Percy defeats Luke, returns the bolt to Zeus, and reconciles with his father. Having been reunited with Grover, Percy and Annabeth continue to train back at Camp Half-Blood.
Cast
- Logan Lerman as Percy Jackson, the demigod son of Poseidon[8]
- Sean Bean as Zeus, god of the sky, thunder, lightning, king of the twelve gods of Mount Olympus and brother of Poseidon and Hades
- Kevin McKidd as Poseidon, Percy's father, god of the seas, earthquakes, and horses[10]
- Steve Coogan as Hades, Percy's Uncle, god of the Underworld, the dead, and riches[11]
- Melina Kanakaredes as Athena, Annabeth's mother, goddess of crafts, domestic arts, strategic warfare, peace and wisdom[10]
- Rosario Dawson as Persephone, goddess of springtime, wife of Hades and admirer of Grover[11]
- Dylan Neal as Hermes, Luke's father, god of trade, thieves, travelers, sports, athletes, and messenger of the gods of Mount Olympus
- Erica Cerra as Hera, goddess of birth, family, marriage, women and queen of the twelve gods of Mount Olympus, sister and wife of Zeus
- Stefanie von Pfetten as Demeter, goddess of agriculture, fertility, and the harvest, sister of Zeus and mother of Persephone
- Dimitri Lekkos as Apollo, god of the sun, light, knowledge, healing, plague and darkness, the arts, music, poetry, prophecy, archery, and twin brother of Artemis
- Ona Grauer as Artemis, goddess of the hunt, virginity, the moon, and all animals, and twin sister of Apollo
- Serinda Swan as Aphrodite, goddess of love, beauty, wife of Hephaestus and lover of Ares
- Conrad Coates as Hephaestus, god of fire, forge, blacksmiths, craftsmen and husband of Aphrodite
- Ray Winstone as Ares, god of war, lover of Aphrodite (uncredited)
- Luke Camilleri as Dionysus, god of wine, celebrations, ecstasy, and theatre
- gorgon cursed by Athena[10]
- Pierce Brosnan as Mr. Brunner/Chiron, a centaur who is a high school teacher and also trains heroes at Camp Half-Blood, the immortal son of Kronos and brother of Zeus, Poseidon, Hades, Demeter, and Hera
- Fury, servant to Hades
- River Styx, servant to Hades
- Catherine Keener as Sally Jackson, Percy's mother[12]
- Joe Pantoliano as Gabe Ugliano, Percy's abusive stepfather
Production
In June 2004,
During production, Riordan was disappointed with the changes made to the story and warned the studio that it would likely alienate the readers of the book series that it was depending on to buy tickets. In two emails commenting at length on a draft of the script that he posted to his blog in 2018, he specifically warned the studio that trying to make the story more attractive to a teenage audience by aging the characters and including some profanity in the script might move a significant portion of the books' readers to leave the theater in disgust long before the movie ended. He also felt the introduction of Persephone's pearls as a plot device made no sense, having no basis in mythology and distracting Percy from his goal of recovering the stolen lightning.[21]
Reception
Box office
The film opened on February 12, 2010, in 3,356 theaters; its opening weekend box-office results totaled $31.2 million
Critical response
On Rotten Tomatoes the film has an approval rating of 49% based on reviews from 150 critics, with an average score of 5.30/10. The site's consensus reads: "Though it may seem like just another Harry Potter knockoff, Percy Jackson benefits from a strong supporting cast, a speedy plot, and plenty of fun with Greek mythology."[24] On Metacritic it has a score of 47 out of 100, based on 31 reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[25] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film a grade B+ on a scale from A+ to F.[26]
The author, Rick Riordan, publicly criticized the final script. He revealed email recommendations for script changes with names redacted. Regarding future support for a reboot Riordan said, "In the future, if some project actually does get underway, I may not be able to comment on it for contractual reasons, but you can tell how I'm feeling about it by what I do or don’t say. Am I talking about it? Promoting it? Sharing cool things? I am probably happy. Am I completely ignoring it and never mentioning it on social media? Yeah . . . that’s probably not a good sign. For instance, check out my website, rickriordan.com. Do you see any indication there that the Percy Jackson movies ever existed? No. No, you do not."[31][32][33] He also shared in the same email “The script as a whole is terrible. I don't simply mean that it deviates from the book, though certainly it does that to point of being almost unrecognizable as the same story. Fans of the books will be angry and disappointed.”[34]
Accolades
Award | Category | Recipients | Result | References |
---|---|---|---|---|
2010 MTV Movie Awards | Breakthrough Performance | Logan Lerman | Nominated | [35] |
Best Fight | Logan Lerman vs. Jake Abel | Nominated | ||
Teen Choice Awards 2010
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Choice Movie Actress: Fantasy
|
Rosario Dawson | Nominated | [36][37] |
Choice: Breakout Female | Alexandra Daddario | Nominated | ||
Choice: Breakout Male | Logan Lerman | Nominated | ||
Choice: Fight | Logan Lerman vs. Jake Abel | Nominated | ||
37th Saturn Awards | Best Performance by a Younger Actor | Logan Lerman | Nominated | [38] |
2010 Scream Awards | Best Cameo | Rosario Dawson | Nominated | [39] |
Soundtrack
Video game
A video game based on the film developed by
Home media
The film was released on June 29, 2010 on DVD[6] and Blu-ray.[7] The movie itself charted at the top of the charts (DVD sales) with $13,985,047 in revenue in its first week.[43] As of October 2011, the movie had sold 2,087,368 DVDs with over $37 million in sales.[44]
Sequel
In October 2011,
References
- ^ "PERCY JACKSON & THE LIGHTNING THIEF". British Board of Film Classification. Archived from the original on January 13, 2015. Retrieved April 29, 2017.
- ^ a b "Percy Jackson & The Olympians The Lightning Thief (2010)". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on November 23, 2020. Retrieved December 3, 2020.
- ^ "'Valentine's Day,' 'Percy Jackson' and 'Wolfman': The more they cost, the less they made". Los Angeles Times. February 15, 2010. Archived from the original on March 14, 2021. Retrieved February 16, 2010.
The debut of "Percy Jackson" was good, but not great given its $95-million production budget funded by 20th Century Fox, Dune Entertainment and Ingenious Film Partners.
- ^ a b c d e Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief at Box Office Mojo
- ^ "Contact Information and FAQ:Rick Riordan". Archived from the original on June 12, 2010. Retrieved January 22, 2010.
- ^ a b ASIN B003HARV3Y, Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief
- ^ a b ASIN B002ZG98J6, Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief [Blu-ray]
- ^ a b Siegel, Tatiana (March 2, 2009). "'Percy Jackson' finds lead actors". Variety. Archived from the original on April 13, 2009. Retrieved May 15, 2009.
- ^ Fernandez, Jay A. (March 18, 2009). "'Lightning Thief' finds female lead". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on January 28, 2010. Retrieved December 24, 2009.
- ^ a b c d Siegel, Tatiana (March 25, 2009). "Fox 2000 bulks up 'Percy Jackson'". Variety. Archived from the original on April 30, 2009. Retrieved May 15, 2009.
- ^ a b Hewitt, Chris (May 7, 2009). "Dawson And Coogan Join Percy Jackson". Empire. Archived from the original on January 20, 2012. Retrieved May 15, 2009.
- ^ Kit, Borys (April 15, 2009). "Catherine Keener joins 'Percy Jackson' film". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on April 19, 2009. Retrieved May 15, 2009.
- ^ Brodesser, Claude (June 23, 2004). "'Lightning Thief' strikes Maverick". Variety. Archived from the original on April 30, 2009. Retrieved May 15, 2009.
- ^ Gilstrap, Peter (April 17, 2007). "Columbus struck by 'Lightning'". Variety. Archived from the original on April 24, 2009. Retrieved May 15, 2009.
- ^ "Credits | Mammoth Studios". Archived from the original on June 3, 2021. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
- ^ "City Hopes To Build Madison Nature Center – Community News Story – WSMV Nashville". July 3, 2009. Archived from the original on July 3, 2009. Retrieved July 12, 2023.
- Wireimage. Retrieved October 26, 2010.
- ^ Caranicas, Peter (October 20, 2009). "Goldblatt, Deakins follow similar path". Variety. Archived from the original on January 3, 2010. Retrieved December 24, 2009.
- ^ Knowles, Harry (November 20, 2009). "New trailer for Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief hits..." Ain't It Cool News. Archived from the original on November 23, 2009. Retrieved December 24, 2009.
- ^ Roberts, Sheila (February 8, 2009). "Exclusive Chris Columbus Interview". Roll Credits. Archived from the original on February 14, 2010. Retrieved February 8, 2009.
- ^ Riordan, Rick (November 16, 2018). "Memories from my TV/Movie Experience". Rickriordan.com. Archived from the original on March 3, 2020. Retrieved November 20, 2018.
- ^ "Valentine's Day (2010) - Daily Box Office Results - Box Office Mojo". Archived from the original on January 10, 2019. Retrieved April 20, 2020.
- ^ Brandon Gray (February 16, 2010). "Weekend Report: 'Valentine's Day' Massacres Presidents' Day Record". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on May 14, 2010. Retrieved May 7, 2010.
- ^ "Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief (2010)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Archived from the original on January 27, 2013. Retrieved January 24, 2022.
- ^ "Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief". Metacritic. CBS Interactive Inc. Archived from the original on November 3, 2020. Retrieved November 1, 2020.
- ^ "'Valentine's Day,' 'Percy Jackson' and 'Wolfman': The more they cost, the less they made". Los Angeles Times. February 15, 2010. Archived from the original on November 9, 2020. Retrieved November 2, 2020.
the movie got a B+ grade from moviegoers, according to market research firm CinemaScore, a sign of healthy word-of-mouth.
- ^ Turan, Kenneth (February 12, 2010). "Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief Review". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 12, 2010.
- ^ "Critic Review for Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on March 25, 2010. Retrieved February 12, 2010.
- YouTube
- ^ "Septemberfest". Mark Kermode and Simon Mayo's Film Reviews. BBC Radio 5 live. September 17, 2010. Archived from the original on September 3, 2012. Retrieved September 19, 2010.
- ^ "Memories from my TV/Movie Experience". November 16, 2018. Archived from the original on March 3, 2020. Retrieved August 21, 2019.
- ^ Petski, Denise (June 8, 2020). "Rick Riordan Slams 'Percy Jackson' Movies But Remains Optimistic About Disney+ Series Adaptation". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on June 9, 2020. Retrieved June 11, 2020.
- ^ Rico, Klaritza (June 8, 2020). "'Percy Jackson' Author Slams Films: 'It's My Life's Work Going Through a Meat Grinder'". Variety. Archived from the original on June 9, 2020. Retrieved June 11, 2020.
- ^ "Memories from my TV/Movie Experience | Rick Riordan". November 16, 2018. Archived from the original on November 17, 2018. Retrieved June 28, 2022.
- ^ "MTV Movie Awards: When Twilight & Betty White Collide!". E! Online. 2010. Archived from the original on June 29, 2011. Retrieved May 12, 2010.
- ^ "First Wave of "Teen Choice 2010" Nominees Announced". The Futon Critic. June 14, 2010. Archived from the original on December 5, 2012. Retrieved June 15, 2010.
- ^ "Winners of 'Teen Choice 2010' Awards Announced; Teens Cast More Than 85 Million Votes". Archived from the original on August 19, 2010. Retrieved August 9, 2010.
- ^ "37th Annual Saturn Award Nominations". Archived from the original on March 27, 2016. Retrieved February 26, 2011.
- ^ 2010 Scream Awards#Best TV Show
- ^ "Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief for DS - Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief Nintendo DS - Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief DS Game". Gamespot.com. Archived from the original on July 22, 2010. Retrieved May 7, 2010.
- ^ Splechta, Michael. "Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief Review". GameZone.com. Archived from the original on March 5, 2010. Retrieved February 26, 2010.
- ^ "Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on July 3, 2013. Retrieved July 18, 2013.
- ^ "US DVD Sales Chart for Week Ending Jul 4, 2010". Archived from the original on July 15, 2014. Retrieved April 20, 2020.
- ^ "Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief - DVD Sales". The Numbers. Archived from the original on November 10, 2013. Retrieved April 20, 2020.
- ^ Weinstein, Joshua L. (October 12, 2011). "Fox Sets Valentines Day 2013 Release for Next 'Die Hard'". Reuters. Archived from the original on January 27, 2016. Retrieved October 12, 2011.
- ^ "Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters Moved up to August 7". comingsoon.net. April 6, 2013. Archived from the original on October 22, 2013. Retrieved April 21, 2013.