Director Bong Joon-ho‘s new film Mickey 17 premiered in North America on the 7th (local time), facing mixed reviews. The film holds an 82% freshness rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
However, reviews for Mickey 17 have been mixed. The New York Times praised Bong’s storytelling, stating, “He keeps the story moving nimbly so that weighty ideas don’t drag the film down.” Empire Magazine noted, “Like Mickey himself, the film is inconsistent, but it’s more fun and thoughtful than expected especially appealing in today’s climate.” USA Today also gave a positive review, saying, “Mickey 17 offers a fitting escape, overcoming brutality with empathy on the other side of the galaxy.”
On the other hand, The Hollywood Reporter expressed concerns, stating, “Robert Pattinson’s dual performance keeps Mickey 17 engaging, but its satirical momentum feels heavy-handed.” The Toronto Star shared similar sentiments, saying, “The film evokes both admiration for Bong Joon-ho’s bold vision and frustration with its cluttered execution.”
Meanwhile, Mickey 17 is expected to earn between $18 million and $20 million (approximately 260–290 billion KRW) in its opening weekend across 3,770 theaters in North America. Variety questioned, “Can Parasite director Bong Joon-ho and Robert Pattinson inject some life into a sluggish box office?” and projected the film’s global opening weekend revenue to be around $40 million to $45 million (approximately 580–650 billion KRW).
According to foreign media, the production cost of “Mickey 17” is about 150 million dollars (~185.6 billion won). This number has proven the rising status of Bong Joon Ho after the success of “Parasite”.
The production scale has changed significantly. Plan B Entertainment, which is represented by actor Brad Pitt and co-produced “Minar”, is the main production company for this movie. Bong Joon Ho’s production company Offscreen also joined the production.
It is true that Warner Bros. is the sponsor and it reportedly invested a large amount of money, which is comparable to the production cost of a “Marvel” blockbuster, in Bong Joon Ho’s film “Mickey 17”.
“Mickey 17” has been filming in London since August 2022, and the team plans to wrap their filming in the first half of this year.
“Mickey 17” is based on the novel Mickey7 by an American writer about cloned humans. Robert Pattinson, best known for his performances in “Tenet” and “The Batman”, will play the main character – the 17th cloned Mickey. Naomi Ackie, Toni Collette, Mark Ruffalo and Tilda Swinton also joined the leading cast.
The production staff members of “Mickey 17” also form a dream team. Darius Khondji, who participated in “Okja”, joined as the camera director. “The Favourite” Fiona Crombie is in charge of artworks. The characters’ costumes are created by Catherine George, who worked on “Okja”, and “Snowpiercer”. In addition, there are also “Parasite” editor Yang Jin Mo and music director Jung Jae Il.
“Mickey 17” tells the story that takes place when cloned humans are sent to colonize an ice world. Mickey, the cloned human that was put into that dangerous mission, is an “expendable” whose body can be regenerated even if he dies during the operation. This is an SF film supported by a dystopian worldview in which information and memories are updated and accumulated even after death.
Many movie fans are curious about the new topic that Bong Joon Ho, who has pointed out global environment issues and class conflicts through “Okja”, “Snowpiercer” and “Parasite”, will present this time. Earlier, Warner Bros. confirmed that “Mickey 17” would be released on March 29, 2024 and emphasized that it is not a project aimed at the Cannes Film Festival or Oscar.
Source: Daum