Race (2016 film)
Race | |
---|---|
![]() Theatrical release poster | |
Directed by | Stephen Hopkins |
Produced by |
|
Written by |
|
Starring | |
Music by | Rachel Portman |
Cinematography | Peter Levy |
Edited by | John Smith |
Production company |
|
Distributed by | Focus Features |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 134 minutes[1] |
Country | |
Language | English |
Budget | $5 million[3] |
Box office | $24.8 million[4] |
Race is a 2016 biographical sports drama film about African American athlete Jesse Owens, who won a record-breaking four gold medals at the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games.[5] Directed by Stephen Hopkins and written by Joe Shrapnel and Anna Waterhouse, the film stars Stephan James as Owens, and co-stars Jason Sudeikis, Jeremy Irons, William Hurt and Carice van Houten.
Principal photography began on July 24, 2014, in Montreal, Canada. Forecast Pictures, Solofilms, and Trinity Race produced the film, Entertainment One released the film in Canada, Focus Features in the United States on February 19, 2016, Eagle Pictures in Italy on March 31, 2016, and SquareOne Entertainment in Germany on May 5, 2016. The film was supported by the Owens family, the Jesse Owens Foundation, the Jesse Owens Trust and the Luminary Group.[5]
Cast
- Stephan James as Jesse Owens
- Jason Sudeikis as Larry Snyder
- Jeremy Irons as Avery Brundage
- Carice van Houten as Leni Riefenstahl
- William Hurt as Jeremiah Mahoney
- Shanice Banton as Ruth Solomon-Owens
- Amanda Crew as Peggy
- Jeremy Ferdman as Marty Glickman
- Barnaby Metschurat as Joseph Goebbels
- Chantel Riley as Quincella
- David Kross as Carl "Luz" Long
- Glynn Turman as Harry Davis
- Jonathan Aris as Arthur Lill
- Shamier Anderson as Eulace Peacock
- Tony Curran as Lawson Robertson
- Nicholas Woodeson as Fred Rubien
- Giacomo Gianniotti as Sam Stoller
- Eli Goree as Dave Albritton
- Anthony Sherwood as Rev. Ernest Hall
- Jon McLaren as Trent
- Tim McInnerny as General Charles
- Vlasta Vrána as St. John
- Adrian Zwicker as Adolf Hitler
- Jonathan Higgins as Dean Cromwell
Production
Development
![](../I/m/Jesse_Owens3.jpg)
John Boyega was initially set to star as Owens, however he eventually dropped out to star in Star Wars: The Force Awakens.[6][7] and was subsequently replaced by Stephan James.[8] German and Canadian distribution is being handled by Squareone Entertainment and Entertainment One [9] with Focus Features handling the distribution in the United States.[10]
Filming
Principal photography started on July 24, 2014, in Montreal, and on location at Olympic Stadium in Berlin.[11]
Release
On October 1, 2014, Focus Features originally set a release date for April 8, 2016.[12] However in August 2015, the release date was pushed up to February 19, 2016.[13]
On February 15, an advanced screening was shown at Mershon Auditorium at Ohio State University, Owens' alma mater. James and Owens' two daughters were in attendance and addressed the crowd. The President of Ohio State, Michael V. Drake, also addressed the crowd and spoke briefly about Owens' global impact and life at Ohio State.[14]
Reception
Box office
Race grossed $19.1 million in North America and $5.7 million in other territories for a worldwide total of $24.8 million.[4]
In the United States and Canada, pre-release tracking suggested the film would gross $4–7 million from 2,369 theaters in its opening weekend, trailing fellow newcomer Risen ($7–12 million projection) but similar to The Witch ($5–7 million projection).[15] It ended up grossing $7.4 million in its opening weekend, finishing in sixth at the box office.[16]
Critical response
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a rating of 60% based on 126 reviews and an average rating of 6.1/10. The site's critical consensus reads: "Race is nowhere near as thrillingly fleet or agile as its subject, but the story – and a winning central performance from Stephan James – are enough to carry it over the finish line".[17] Metacritic reports a score of 56 out of 100 based on 35 reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[18] On CinemaScore, audiences gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale.[16]
References
- ↑ "RACE (PG)". British Board of Film Classification. April 20, 2016. Retrieved April 20, 2016.
- 1 2 3 "Race (2016)". British Film Institute. Retrieved November 15, 2016.
- ↑ "Race (2016)". The Numbers. Retrieved November 15, 2016.
- 1 2 "Race (2016)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved August 31, 2016.
- 1 2 Fleming Jr, Mike (July 16, 2014). "Focus Features First To Start Line On Crowded Field Of Jesse Owens Biopics". deadline.com. Retrieved July 28, 2014.
- ↑ McNary, Dave (January 24, 2014). "Jesse Owens Biopic Finds Its Leading Man". variety.com. Retrieved July 28, 2014.
- ↑ Zimmerman, Amy (April 30, 2014). "John Boyega, the Hero of 'Star Wars: Episode VII,' Has the Force". thedailybeast.com. Retrieved July 28, 2014.
- ↑ Sneider, Jeff (May 28, 2014). "'Star Wars' Hero John Boyega to Be Replaced by 'Selma' Actor in Jesse Owens Biopic". thewrap.com. Retrieved July 28, 2014.
- ↑ Barraclough, Leo (February 7, 2014). "Jesse Owens Biopic Gets Boost From Family". variety.com. Retrieved July 28, 2014.
- ↑ Sneider, Jeff (May 7, 2014). "Focus Features in Negotiations to Board Jesse Owens Biopic 'Race'". thewrap.com. Retrieved July 28, 2014.
- ↑ Kit, Borys (July 16, 2014). "Jason Sudeikis, Jeremy Irons Join Jesse Owens Drama 'Race'". hollywoodreporter.com. Retrieved July 28, 2014.
- ↑ "Jesse Owens Biopic 'Race' Release Date Set For April 2016; William Hurt Joins Cast". deadline.com. October 1, 2014. Retrieved October 2, 2014.
- ↑ Sneider, Jeff (August 27, 2015). "Focus Features Moves Up Jesse Owens Drama 'Race' to February 2016". thewrap.com. Retrieved November 25, 2015.
- ↑ "Media Advisory: The Ohio State University to celebrate Jesse Owens' legacy with red-carpet preview screening of new movie "Race" | News Room - The Ohio State University". News.osu.edu. 2016-02-09. Retrieved 2016-10-09.
- ↑ "'Deadpool' Still Cool In Weekend 2 With Superhero Set To Pass $200M – Box Office Preview". Deadline.com.
- 1 2 "'Deadpool' Strong With Second Weekend Of $55M; 'Risen' Takes $11.8M, 'Witch' At $8.7M". Deadline.com.
- ↑ "Race (2016)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved July 7, 2016.
- ↑ "Race reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved February 25, 2016.
External links
- Race at the Internet Movie Database