2. Les Misérables (2012) is a
British drama musical (based
on a stage musical adapted
from the French novel Les
Misérables) set in 19th century
France following the life of an
ex convict avoiding capture
as he agrees to take care of a
dying prostitute’s illegitimate
daughter.
3. Production
Production for Les Miserables began in June 2011, with Tom
Hooper as director and the screenplay written by William
Nicholson. The all-star cast includes Hugh Jackman
(Jean), Russell Crowe (Javert), Anne Hathaway (Fantine)
and Amanda Seyfried (Cosette) though Emma Watson was
considered to play Cosette and Kate Winslet to play Fantine.
Filming mostly took place in areas of England like
Greenwich, Northamptonshire and Hampshire but also took
place in France. The budget was $61,000,000, due to the
high profile cast and Oscar winning director Tom Hooper and
was produced by Working Title Films.
4. Distribution
Les Miserables was distributed by Universal Pictures (the
parent of Working Title), one of the six major movie studios. It
was set to be released on the 14th December 2012 but was
postponed to Christmas Day in fear of conflicting with The
Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. It was released on the 11th
January 2013 in the UK.
6. Marketing
The marketing campaign for Les
Miserables was mostly viral and promoted
through the film’s Facebook page in order
to reach more people and create a buzz.
It started with the release of a teaser
trailer online in May 2012. In September
2012, more buzz was generated from a
“first look” video uploaded on Facebook in
which users could see the extensive
singing training the actors had to endure
for the film and enjoy exclusive behind the
scenes footage, as well as the
international trailer.
Following this, in late September 2010, a
new poster for the film was released and
then in October, several character posters
were released. Footage of the film’s
premiere in New York was streamed
online.
Having been based on a book and stage
play, Les Miserables already had a pre-
sold audience. Versions of the book were
also published with the front cover as a
poster of the movie (tie in production)
7. About the Director…
Tom Hooper is a British
director, best known for directing
films such as Les Miserables
and historical drama The King’s
Speech (2010). The King’s
Speech won seven BAFTA’s and
four Academy Awards, including
Best Director for Hooper. This
partly explains the high budget
for Les Miserables as Hooper
had, by this point, become a
critically acclaimed film director.
8. About the Production
Company…
Working Title is a British Film Company that was founded in
1983. After the huge success of British films such as Bridget
Jones: The Edge of Reason, Love Actually, Billy Elliot and
Shaun of the Dead- Working Title could branch out with
American films such as Burn After Reading. Considering it is
a subsidiary of Universal Studios and one of the most
successful British film companies, it makes sense that their
films would be successful at the box office.
9. Classification
Les Miserables has
a classification of
12A due to the
presence of violence
and sexual material
but also as not to
restrict its audience.
10. Box Office
Due to the pre-sold audience of Les Miserables. the high
profile cast (star power) and the list of award nominations, it
is not surprising that it was hugely successful at the box
office.
In the US, Les Miserables broke the record for the highest
opening day gross for a musical film and was also the
second highest opening day gross for a film released on
Christmas day, premiering in 2,208 screens and grossing
$27.3 million in it’s opening weekend.
In the UK, it grossed £8.1 ($13.1) million in its opening
weekend and was not only the largest opening weekend for
a musical film but for Working Title.
To date, Les Miserables has grossed $132,229,075.
