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Continuing the revitalized genre of heroic Americans in combat, subsequent to the successful box-office of Saving Private Ryan, Black Hawk Down recounts the based-on-true events of an elite force of American commandos on a mission to abduct two Somalian warlord lieutenants. When the two commando helicopter transports are shot down in the midst of war-torn Mogadishu, Somalia, a lengthy firefight ensues, leaving 18 Americans and hundreds of Somalis dead in the aftermath. The movie is based on Mark Bowden's novel of the same name.

Oscar-nominated director Ridley Scott (Gladiator), and action-flick producer Jerry Bruckheimer (Pearl Harbor) team up with a reported $95 million budget to bring the little war to the big screen. These two names alone, in a collaborative effort, would seem to indicate a film of blockbuster proportions and status, and indeed Black Hawk Down was initially slated for an early November 2001 release. Whether due to post-production considerations, or the expected competition of Spy Game and Windtalkers during the same November frame, the exact reasons behind the rescheduled March release are unclear, and may yet prove to be a propitious marketing/release strategy. While no official word from the studio suggests the possibility, don't be surprised if Black Hawk Down sees a limited platform release in December to qualify for AMPAS consideration for the Oscars.

A credible ensemble cast, featuring the likes of Josh Hartnett (Pearl Harbor, "O"), Tom Sizemore (Saving Private Ryan), and Ewan McGregor (Star Wars: Episode 1) should provide enough familiar faces to sustain a likely multimedia marketing blitz as the film approaches its release date.

Typically, American war/combat films have experienced uneven success at the box office, and whether or not a story of the American commandos' battle betwixt humanitarian foreign policy and the realities of war will engender widespread appeal and blockbuster box office in the month of March remains to be seen, but the duo of Scott and Bruckheimer at the reins shouldn't hurt the prospects for Black Hawk Down. (Cal Hubbard/BOP)

October 29, 2001
The official site now lists the opening date for this film as the currently crowded January 18, 2002. (Kim Hollis/BOP)

October 31, 2001
Blackhawk Down will now be released in two cities for a limited engagement on December 28th so it will be eligible for Oscar consideration. (Kim Hollis/BOP)

Vital statistics for Black Hawk Down Main Cast Josh Hartnett, Ewan McGregor, Jason Isaacs, Tom Sizemore, William Fichtner, Eric Bana Supporting Cast Sam Shepard, Ewen Bremner, Tom Hardy, Ron Eldard, Charlie Hofheimer, Hugh Dancy, Tom Guiry, Brian Van Holt, Steven Ford Director Ridley Scott Screenwriter Ken Nolan Distributor Sony/Columbia Trailer Click Here for Trailer Official Site http://www.sonypictures.com/movies/blackhawkdown/ Rating R Running Time 144 minutes Screen Count 3,143 Awards Awards page for Black Hawk Down Talent in red has entry in The Big Picture

Comparison films for Black Hawk Down
Title	Date	Opening	Adjusted Opening	Screens	PSA	Adj PSA	Total BO	Adjusted Total	Mult
Pearl Harbor	5/25/01	59.08	63.05	3214	18382.00	18870.0	198.54	211.90	3.36
Hannibal	2/9/01	58.00	61.90	3230	17958.00	18434.8	164.97	176.07	2.84
Armageddon	7/3/98	36.09	46.40	3127	11541.00	14272.5	201.58	259.17	5.08
Gladiator	5/5/00	34.82	38.95	2938	11852.00	12753.5	186.61	208.76	5.36
Saving Private Ryan	7/24/98	30.58	39.31	2463	12416.00	15354.5	216.12	277.86	7.07
Gone in 60 Seconds	6/9/00	25.34	28.34	3006	8430.00	9071.2	101.61	113.67	4.01
Rock, The	6/7/96	25.07	34.20	2392	10481.00	13753.3	134.07	182.91	5.35
Con Air	6/6/97	24.13	31.69	2824	8545.00	10797.6	101.12	132.84	4.19
Remember the Titans	9/29/00	20.91	23.39	1865	11212.00	12064.9	115.60	129.32	5.53
Enemy of The State	11/20/98	20.04	25.76	2393	8374.00	10355.9	111.54	143.40	5.57
U-571	4/21/00	19.55	21.87	2583	7569.00	8144.7	79.07	88.45	4.04
Crimson Tide	5/12/95	18.61	25.79	2382	7813.00	10417.3	91.37	126.65	4.91
Coyote Ugly	8/4/00	17.32	19.37	2653	6528.00	7024.6	60.76	67.97	3.51
Three Kings	10/1/99	15.85	18.88	2942	5387.00	6150.5	60.65	72.27	3.83
Bad Boys	4/7/95	15.52	21.51	2132	7280.00	9706.7	65.65	91.00	4.23
Gladiator (1992)	3/6/92	3.31	4.80	1295	2556.00	3572.2	8.21	11.92	2.48