Kill Bill Vol. 1
Release Date:
October 10, 2003
Quentin Tarantino established himself as a force in Hollywood when he burst on the scene back in 1994 with the unprecedented $107 million indie hit Pulp Fiction. That film was nominated for seven Academy Awards®, with Tarantino winning for Best Original Screenplay, and marked the beginning of Miramax's domination when it came to all things Oscar®.
Since that time, Tarantino's directorial work has been somewhat sparse. He headed an episode of ER and directed a segment of Four Rooms before completing the modestly-successful Jackie Brown in 1997. He'll finally be making a return to the big screen as a writer/director in 2003 when Miramax releases Kill Bill, which is an action/crime/thriller that seems to be very much in the same vein as his previous projects.
Tarantino favorite Uma Thurman will headline the cast, playing a character known simply as The Bride, who had once been part of a group of world-class female assassins until her employer (and husband) Bill (Kung Fu's David Carradine) and others in the group turn against her and have her shot. Five years later, she awakens from her coma and, to put it politely, she's pissed. She heads off around the world seeking bloody revenge with plans to kill each person involved, saving Bill for the grand finale.
Much as Pulp Fiction employed a unique chronology, Kill Bill will be told in chapter format, making the narrative flow seem like a book come to life onscreen. In fact, Tarantino will be releasing a book called Kill Bill just prior to the film's release, which should build interest in the theatrical production, though apparently the book will not spoil the movie. Another fact that is sure to add to the buzz surrounding the project is the involvement of fight choreographer Yuen Woo-Ping, who is becoming quite a familiar name thanks to his work on Iron Monkey, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, and the Matrix films. Not only will he direct the action sequences, but he will also be featured in the film as Pei Mei, a trainer who teaches The Bride how to fight. Sonny Chiba, famous for the Streetfighter trilogy, will play Samurai sword-master Hattori Hanzo.
The remainder of the cast is really quite impressive, with Vivica A. Fox (Two Can Play That Game), Darryl Hannah, Lucy Liu, Michael Madsen (Reservoir Dogs) and American Pie's Jason Biggs all currently slated to appear. Also playing a bit of an odd role will be Bruce Lee's yellow track suit from Game of Death, which Thurman will be wearing during the movie.
This noir film is likely to garner a lot of attention, and may be able to do so as early as the 2003 Cannes Film Festival, for which it is already a strong candidate. Depending on early buzz from these initial screenings, along with reaction to the book that will be released first, Kill Bill is a film with all the potential for breakout on paper. (Kim Hollis/BOP)
July 16, 2003
Miramax head and BOP nemesis Harvey Weinstein has now confirmed that the potentially three+ hour first cut of Kill Bill will be split into two separate movies. The first movie is still scheduled to be released in October, while the second one will be released anywhere from two to six months after that. Not that we believe anything that Harvey says about release dates anymore. *shaking fist at the sun* (Calvin Trager/BOP)
Comparison films for Kill Bill Vol. 1 |
Title |
Date |
Opening |
Adjusted Opening |
Screens |
PSA |
Adj PSA |
Total BO |
Adjusted Total |
Mult |
| Payback |
2/5/99 | 21.22 |
25.28 |
2720 |
7801.00 |
8906.7 |
81.52 |
97.14 |
3.84 |
| Natural Born Killers |
8/26/94 | 11.17 |
16.50 |
1510 |
7397.00 |
10515.3 |
50.28 |
74.30 |
4.50 |
| Avengers, The |
8/14/98 | 10.31 |
13.25 |
2466 |
4181.00 |
5170.5 |
608.48 |
30.23 |
2.28 |
| Pulp Fiction |
10/14/94 | 9.31 |
13.75 |
1338 |
6958.00 |
9891.3 |
107.93 |
159.50 |
11.59 |
| Jackie Brown |
12/26/97 | 9.01 |
11.83 |
1370 |
6577.00 |
8310.8 |
39.67 |
52.11 |
3.08 |
| L.A. Confidential |
9/19/97 | 5.21 |
6.84 |
769 |
6775.00 |
8561.0 |
64.62 |
84.89 |
12.40 |
| Gattaca |
10/24/97 | 4.32 |
5.67 |
1279 |
3378.00 |
4268.5 |
12.35 |
16.22 |
2.86 |
| True Romance |
9/10/93 | 4.02 |
5.85 |
1254 |
3206.00 |
4491.5 |
12.29 |
17.90 |
3.06 |
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