The Nutcracker in 3D

The Nutcracker in 3D
Theatrical poster
Directed by	Andrei Konchalovsky
Produced by	Paul Lowin Moritz Borman
Written by	Chris Solimine Andrey Konchalovskiy
Based on	The Nutcracker by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Starring	Elle Fanning Charlie Rowe Shirley Henderson Julia Vysotskaya John Turturro Frances de la Tour Aaron Michael Drozin
Music by	Eduard Artemiev Lyrics: Tim Rice
Cinematography	Mike Southon
Editing by	Mathieu Bélanger Andrew Glen
Distributed by	Freestyle Releasing & Cinemarket Films (USA)[1]
Release date(s)	November 24, 2010 (2010-11-24)
Running time	110 minutes
Country	Hungary United Kingdom
Language	English
Budget	USD$90,000,000
Box office	$14,678,806

The Nutcracker in 3D is a 2010 3D fantasy film adaption of the ballet The Nutcracker, directed by Andrei Konchalovsky. The film met with universally negative reviews from critics upon its release, and became a failure at the box office.

Plot

Mary's (Elle Fanning) seemingly dull Christmas is suddenly filled with excitement and adventure following the arrival of her Uncle Albert (Nathan Lane), who gives her a Nutcracker as a gift. The Nutcracker comes to life and takes her on a wondrous journey.^[2]

Cast

• Elle Fanning: Mary
• Charlie Rowe: The Prince
• Shirley Henderson: Voice of the Nutcracker
• Julia Vysotskaya: The Snow Fairy
• Aaron Michael Drozin: Max
• John Turturro: The Rat King
• Frances de la Tour: The Rat Queen
• Nathan Lane: Uncle Albert
• Richard E. Grant: Mary and Max's Father

Production

Development

Director Konchalovsky has stated that The Nutcracker in 3D had been his "dream project" for over 20 years.^[3] Konchalovsky was inspired to adapt the film into 3D for several reasons; he believed that the format would be useful in conveying the fantastical nature of the material, capturing the emotions of CGI characters, and appealing to a family audience.^[4] At the same time, he opted to adapt the film with no ballet sequences because, according to him, "ballet cannot work in cinema very well."^[4]

Konchalovsky gave the rats who try to take over the fantasy kingdom Nazi-like qualities in his production, one of the many elements in the adaptation which alienated both critics and audiences.

Filming

The film was announced at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival and was shot primarily in Budapest, Hungary that summer, before the set was moved to the Stern Film Studio in Pomáz.^[5]

Soundtrack

The music for the film is derived from Tchaikovsky's original music for The Nutcracker, the composer's ballet version of the E.T.A. Hoffmann story, and lyricist Tim Rice wrote lyrics for it. Many of the songs are based on the ballet's dances. Other songs are based on Tchaikovsky's other compositions, such as his Symphony No. 5.^[4]

Release

The Nutcracker in 3D was first screened at the European Film Market on February 5, 2009. The film was shown in Montreal and entered limited release in the United States on November 24, 2010, showing on 42 screens. It was released in Estonia and Russia on January 1, 2011.^[6]

Box office

The Nutcracker in 3D did not do well at the box office. During the film's US opening weekend it grossed a total of USD $65,944. The film then grossed $195,459 in the United States as well as take in $93,759 overseas, for a total gross of $289,218 USD worldwide. By mid-March 2011, almost 4 months after its initial release, The Nutcracker in 3D had brought in a total of $14,678,806 USD worldwide, making it a box office bomb.

Over $13 million of this sum came from Russia, where its success was due to Konchalovsky's popularity in the region.^[7] In all The Nutcracker in 3D has lost approximately $75 million dollars.^[8] The film's meager box office earnings can be blamed on mishandling by distributors as well as the extremely negative reviews it has received.^{[neutrality is disputed]}

Critical reaction

Upon its non-release in North America The Nutcracker in 3D was widely panned by critics. The film managed a 0% "rotten", or 2.8/10 rating, on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, based on 28 critics' reviews. The site's consensus was: "Misguided, misconceived, and misbegotten on every level, The Nutcracker in 3D is a stunning exercise in astonishing cinematic wrong-headedness." ^[9][10] It achieved a score of 18 out of 100 "overwhelming dislike" on fellow aggregate Metacritic. Metacritic would later rank The Nutcracker in 3D the "Worst Limited Release" film of 2010.^[11][12] Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film one out of four stars and asked "From what dark night of the soul emerged the wretched idea for The Nutcracker in 3D?" Ebert went on to claim The Nutcracker in 3D as "One of those rare holiday movies that may send children screaming under their seats." ^[13]

Claudia Puig of USA Today accused the film of being "contrived, convoluted, amateurish and tedious," and panned it for lacking any trace of ballet, unlike several previous versions of The Nutcracker.^[14] Entertainment Weekly reviewer Lisa Schwarzbaum gave the film its only positive review from a professional film critic, awarding it a B+ and remarking "Attention, university film clubs: Here's your cult-ready midnight-movie programming."^[15]

Awards and nominations

Awards and nominations

Ceremony	Award	Category	Recipients	Outcome
Metacritic's Best and Worst Films of 2010	None	Worst Limited Release Film of 2010	The Nutcracker in 3D	Won
31st Golden Raspberry Awards	Golden Raspberry	Worst Eye Gouging Misuse of 3D	n/a	Nominated
Young Artist Awards 2011	Young Artist Award	Best Young Actress	Elle Fanning	Nominated

See also

• List of biggest box office bombs
• The Nutcracker

References

1. ^ "3D 'Nutcracker' lands Distributor". Box Office Mojo. 30 August 2010. http://www.boxofficemagazine.com/news/2010-08-30-3d-nutcracker-lands-distribution-deal?q=Nathan+Lane. Retrieved 2011-03-19. 
2. ^ "Plot Summary". Internet Movie Database. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1041804/plotsummary. Retrieved 2011-03-19. 
3. ^ "Seattle: The Nutcracker in 3D". Seattle Weekly. http://www.seattleweekly.com/movies/the-nutcracker-in-3d-nutcracker-and-the-rat-king-1086194/. Retrieved 2011-03-19. 
4. ^ ^{a b c} "EXCLUSIVE: Andrei Konchalovsky Talks The Nutcracker in 3D". Movieweb. 23 November 2010. http://www.movieweb.com/news/NElZVCG5q9Bupm. Retrieved 4 December 2010. 
5. ^ "Filming locations". http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1041804/locations. Retrieved 2011-04-03. 
6. ^ "The Nutcracker in 3D Release Info". Internet Movie Database. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1041804/releaseinfo. Retrieved 2011-03-19. 
7. ^ "The Nutcracker in 3D (2010)". Box Office Mojo. http://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?page=intl&id=nutcracker3d.htm. Retrieved 2011-03-23. 
8. ^ "The Nutcracker in 3D (2010)". Box Office Mojo. http://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=nutcracker3d.htm. Retrieved 2011-03-19. 
9. ^ "Nutcracker in 3D Movie Reviews". Rotten Tomatoes. http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/nutcracker-the-untold-story/. Retrieved 2011-03-19. 
10. ^ "Top Critics Numbers". Rotten Tomatoes. http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/nutcracker-the-untold-story/#top-critics-numbers. Retrieved 2011-03-19. 
11. ^ "The Nutcracker in 3D at Metacritic". CBS Interactive. http://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-nutcracker. Retrieved 2011-03-19. 
12. ^ "The Best and Worst Movies of 2010". CBS Interactive. 7 January 2011. http://features.metacritic.com/features/2011/best-and-worst-movies-of-2010/3/. Retrieved 2011-03-19. 
13. ^ "The Nutcracker in 3D". Chicago Sun-Times. 23 November 2010. http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20101123/REVIEWS/101129987. Retrieved 2011-03-19. 
14. ^ "'Nutcracker in 3D' is not at all relative". USA Today. 25 November 2010. http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/reviews/2010-11-23-nutcracker3D_ST_N.htm. Retrieved 2011-03-19. 
15. ^ "The Nutcracker in 3D". Entertainment Weekly. 23 November 2010. http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20444630,00.html. Retrieved 2011-03-19. 

External links

• Official website^{[dead link]} Warning! This site has a poor reputation.
• The Nutcracker in 3D at the Internet Movie Database
• Nutcracker in 3D at Rotten Tomatoes