After many years in development, Alita: Battle Angel was released earlier this year as a live-action adaptation of the manga by Yukito Kishiro as well as the previous 1993 OVA. Many were hoping that this would be the film that "saved anime movies," based on the efforts of James Cameron and Robert Rodriguez. So, how much did the film make during its domestic run? About $85 million in 85 days, roughly half its $170 million budget.
For frame of reference, "Avatar" had made well over $700 million domestically by the same point in its in initial run; and "Titanic" had also crossed $450 million by that time in its release before inflation. I acknowledge that these were all released in different times in cinematic history; and that this movie has at least made some of its money back internationally. Still, as someone who's resisted talking about this movie ever since it started being promoted; I thought I would give my first viewing thoughts ahead of a full review. Keep in mind that this is just my initial thoughts; and I am still formally retired from doing recaps for the most part. So, here we go.
First, I shall state this movie thankfully isn't the disaster I was worried it would be; but it'a also not the masterpiece that many of its defenders have claimed either. Like a fair amount of movies released in a given year, it merely exists to me for the most part. The story (which Cameron co-wrote alongside Laeta Kalogridis of Netflix's "Altered Carbon") adapts the first four volumes of the "Battle Angel Alita" manga, with some elements from later volumes and the 1993 OVA as well.
The basic plot follows the titular Alita (Rosa Salazar) as she tries to find her place in the world, while also fighting hostile androids in a post-apocalyptic landscape. Although the idea behind the story fascinates me (as stories exploring humanity in the machine age often do), the execution is not what I was hoping for.
I mean, this movie may not be in the same category as the godawful Dragonball Evolution and 2017 Ghost in the Shell or the hilariously-bad Netflix Death Note; but what I'm saying may surprise some of you. The casting may not be as big a sticking point as it was in those movies, but I again submit it's the least of the issues this film has with characters. I would even go so far as to suggest that while some characters keep their original names such as Vector (Academy Award Winner Mahershala Ali) and Chiren (Jennifer Connolly), others like Hugo (Keean Johnson) and Dr. Dyson Ido (Academy Award Winner Christoph Waltz) are so different from Yugo and Dr. Daisuke Ido that they're essentially totally new characters, rocket-axe be damned. I also understand this isn't a new way of translating characters either. It's the same reason why Yugi Moto keeps his name, but his bestie is Joey Wheeler and not Jonouchi Katsuya here; and why most people know Pikachu is a universal name, but his partner is called Ash Ketchum and not Satoshi here.
I digress: this movie has a lot going on the story; and while this isn't the worst screenplay adapted from a Japanese IP I've seen, it's also clear that adapting the equivalent of hundreds of pages of manga may have been a bit much for a single two-hour film. I mean, even most American comic book/superhero movies don't adapt every single story that's ever been published for their screenplays! Yet, one constant I do hope for anime and manga adaptations is that they start to get better after wading through all the years of crap.
Still, it was a bit bullish to suggest this film would do better than it did; and though it's not the complete trainwreck that I was worried about it being, it did not save anime movies if the box office numbers are any indication. Though international earnings have helped stop things from being a total wash (especially in China), I personally don't think it was a domestic disappointment because people found it "too weird." Quite the opposite: it may have been because people found it "not weird enough."
I mean, in an age where audiences regularly embrace the bonkers content from Marvel Studios and the tongue-in-cheek dark comedy of the Deadpool films; this movie may not have stood out as much as others thought, even with Rosa Salazar's CGI eyes. It also doesn't help that despite the best efforts of the film's defenders; I never really shared their enthusiasm. I will get into more detail in my full review, but to keep it brief: I felt this to be an incredibly average film that is another one that succumbs to the "John Carter" effect. Despite the influence of the source material, the manga's influence has spread so far that the film ironically borrows from many of the movies the original "Gunnm" inspired since it was first published.
As a result, it doesn't really look like a film from Cameron or Rodriguez. It doesn't feel like the story I read. It's not the worst anime and manga adaptation I've ever seen, but it's also far from the movie I would personally want from this material. So, no, this movie definitely did NOT save anime movies if the box office numbers are any indication. While the $404 million worldwide take is respectable, it's still a bit short of the $500-550 million the film needed just to break even. I honestly don't know how the proposed sequels will pan out with this in mind. I'd be more open to a soft reboot for digital streaming (maybe on Disney+ or Hulu, as of the recent Fox buyout).
I will get into more detail with my full review of this movie later on, so check back soon for my look at 2019's Alita: Battle Angel!
