— Moviegoers will see all sorts of miracles in “The Chronicles of
Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader,” including a painting that
springs to life, a star that becomes incarnate, and a book that
conjures up spells. The companies behind the latest big-screen
adaptation from
Producers Walden Media and
believe that the third “Narnia” picture, which opens Friday, can
reclaim the fans who embraced 2005’s “The Lion, the Witch and the
Wardrobe” but who were turned off by the darker 2008 sequel “Prince
Caspian,” whose comparatively poor performance raised serious doubts
about the series’ future.
“We strayed from our core audience,” said
who has produced all three “Narnia” movies. In trying — and largely
failing — to attract more teens, he said, the “Prince Caspian” movie
might have alienated families.
The producers hope the 3-D “Dawn Trader” will win them back.
studios always are looking for a repeatable movie series such as “Harry
Potter” and “Pirates of the Caribbean” that can sell millions of
tickets and DVDs while also spawning theme park attractions and
merchandise sales. At first, “Narnia” appeared to be the next such
breakout, with the first film grossing
Then, in a highly unusual move, Walt Disney Studios,
which co-financed and released the first two “Narnia” movies, walked
away from the series, citing financial and creative concerns.
Billionaire investor
whose film company Walden Media is committed to producing traditional
family entertainment and controls the movie rights to all seven
“Narnia” novels, wasn’t about to abandon the allegorical Christian
books that appeal to faith-based and general audiences alike. Walden
joined forces with Fox, and together they substantially downsized the
“Dawn Treader” production budget and revised its story to emphasize the
fantasy and adventure elements and lighter tone that distinguished the
first blockbuster.
“This franchise is obviously very important to us,” said
“This is a story of temptation, transformation, redemption and grace in
a way that you are immersed in a world of magic and wonder. It’s an
all-audience movie and a return to the first one.”
The story for “Dawn Treader,” which is the name of the
sailing ship, centers on the adventures of siblings Edmund and Lucy
Pevensie and their ill-tempered cousin, Eustace. The trio are
transported back to the mythical land of Narnia, where they join
on a voyage to mysterious islands. Along their journey, the three
children must resist temptation, including pride, envy and greed, as
they confront a variety of creatures, culminating in an epic battle
against a massive sea serpent.
Unlike “Prince Caspian,” which was a more serious and warlike drama, “Dawn Treader,” directed by
“We really wanted to make it light and fantastical,” said
whose Fox 2000 division oversaw the film with Walden and who had
initially tried to acquire the “Narnia” rights for Fox from the Lewis
estate but lost out to Anschutz, who subsequently partnered with
“‘
wasn’t for me as fun and magical,” Gabler added. To invoke the first
film, the “Dawn Treader” poster features a large close-up shot of
Aslan, the Christ-like lion who actually plays a more prominent role in
“The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” than in “Dawn Treader.”
At the same time, Fox and Walden rewrote the new film’s economics to improve its chances for profitability.
Walden never earned a profit on its sizable
investment in “Prince Caspian.” “For us it was a wash, or slightly
under a wash. We were hoping it would do as well or better than the
first one,” Weil said.
“Prince
And rather than shooting on the ocean, which can be costly, the crew built a 140-foot, 125-ton vessel costing
said a long preproduction schedule ensured that costs could be
contained before cameras rolled. He said additional savings were
realized by favorable currency rates during last year’s production and
with tax credits from
Fox and Walden felt strongly that returning “Narnia”
to its original December release date (“Prince Caspian” was released in
May) would also boost the film’s box-office prospects since it is the
season when families go to the movies together. That said, “Narnia”
will be competing for those family dollars against several other event
movies including the latest “Harry Potter” release and the 3-D animated
“Tangled,” along with two other 3-D spectacles opening a week later,
Fox and Walden will spend about
to market “Dawn Treader” around the world. That could be money well
spent: Each of the previous “Narnia” movies generated more than 60
percent of their ticket sales overseas.
The companies are targeting through early screenings
the same faith-based fans that helped make “The Lion, the Witch and the
Wardrobe” a blockbuster. “We’re reaching out to faith contingencies
around the world where
Rothman said Fox believes “Dawn Treader” is not a
single movie but a re-launch of a movie series that still has long-term
potential. In fact, the
studio and Walden already are talking about the next potential “Narnia”
movie, which probably would be “The Silver Chair.”
“We think this is a tremendously undervalued asset,” said Rothman. “We believe there is great life in the franchise.”
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