Disney’s CG-animated Chicken Little will be going beak to beak with Sony’s high-flying, well-reviewed new family movie, Zathura today. Based on the best-selling children’s books by Chris Van Allsburg (Jumanji, The Polar Express), the movie centers on two brothers who discover a vintage board game that launches them into outer-space. Directed by Jon Favreau (Elf, Swingers), the film showcases spectacular CG and model effects, courtesy of Sony Pictures Imageworks, Digital Domain, Stan Winston Studio and Zoic Studios.
By the way, if the voice of the robot in the film sounds familiar, it’s because it belongs to the great Frank Oz, who has also lent his voice to characters as wide-ranging as Sesame Street’s Bert, Grover and Cookie Monster, The Muppet Show’s Animal, Miss Piggy and Swedish Chef and Star Wars’ ageless Yoda!
Zathura opens in 3,223 theaters throughout the U.S. today. To give you a little bit of perspective, remember that back in December of 1995, Jumanji ‘opened in 2,487 screens and made $11 million in its first weekend. It went on to take in $100 million domestically. Next week, both Chicken Little and Zathura will face tough competition as the Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire opens in theaters. Critics have already praises the Warner Bros. release as the best in the series to date.
