Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets

Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets
A collage of the film's characters and other elements, mainly peering out of a "V" shaped opening.
Theatrical release poster
FrenchValérian et la Cité des mille planètes
Directed byLuc Besson
Screenplay byLuc Besson
Based on
Valérian and Laureline
by
Produced byVirginie Besson-Silla
Starring
CinematographyThierry Arbogast
Edited byJulien Rey
Music byAlexandre Desplat[1]
Production
companies
Distributed by
Release dates
  • 17 July 2017 (2017-07-17) (Grauman's Chinese Theatre)
  • 20 July 2017 (2017-07-20) (Germany)
  • 21 July 2017 (2017-07-21) (United States)
  • 26 July 2017 (2017-07-26) (France)
  • 25 August 2017 (2017-08-25) (China)
  • 26 August 2017 (2017-08-26) (Belgium)
  • 27 November 2017 (2017-11-27) (United Arab Emirates)
Running time
137 minutes[3]
Countries
LanguageEnglish
Budget
  • €197 million (gross)[6]
    (~$209 million)[7]
  • $177–205 million (net)[7][8][9]
Box office$226 million[2]

Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets (French: Valérian et la Cité des mille planètes) is a 2017 space opera film[10] written and directed by Luc Besson, and produced by his wife, Virginie Besson-Silla. It is based on the French science fiction comics series Valérian and Laureline, written by Pierre Christin, illustrated by Jean-Claude Mézières, and published by Dargaud. It stars Dane DeHaan and Cara Delevingne as Valerian and Laureline, respectively, with Clive Owen, Rihanna, Ethan Hawke, Herbie Hancock, Kris Wu and Rutger Hauer in supporting roles. Besson independently financed and personally funded the film. With a production budget of around $223 million, it is both the most expensive European and the most expensive independent film ever made.[11]

Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets was released on 20 July 2017 in Germany by Buena Vista International and Universum Film, in the United States on 21 July by STXfilms, in France on 26 July by EuropaCorp Distribution, in China on 25 August by China Film Group, in Belgium on 26 August by Belga Films, and 27 November in United Arab Emirates by Gulf Film.[12][13] It received mixed reviews from critics, who criticised the plot and some of the casting, but praised the visuals. It grossed $225 million worldwide but, due to its high production and advertising costs, was considered a box-office bomb following its release in the United States.[14][15][16]

  1. ^ Cabin, Chris (20 September 2016). "Alexandre Desplat Moves from 'Rogue One' to 'Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets'". Collider. Archived from the original on 8 January 2020. Retrieved 17 April 2020.
  2. ^ a b "Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets (2017)". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on 10 August 2019. Retrieved 12 October 2017.
  3. ^ "Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets [2D] (12A)". British Board of Film Classification. Archived from the original on 15 April 2022. Retrieved 8 June 2017.
  4. ^ "Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets". UniFrance. Archived from the original on 19 April 2022. Retrieved 20 July 2017.
  5. ^ a b c d e f "Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets (2017)". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 19 December 2022. Retrieved 19 December 2022.
  6. ^ Lemercier, Fabien (10 April 2017). "283 feature films produced by France in 2016". Cineuropa. Archived from the original on 21 August 2017. Retrieved 20 August 2017.
  7. ^ a b "'Dunkirk' and 'Valerian' Bring Big Budgets to the Weekend, but Will They Bring Big Box Office?". Box Office Mojo. 20 July 2017. Archived from the original on 14 December 2018. Retrieved 17 April 2020.
  8. ^ McClintock, Pamela (23 July 2017). "Box Office: 'Dunkirk' Conquers Competition With $50.5M Debut; 'Valerian' Bombs". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 25 July 2017. Retrieved 24 July 2017.
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference opening was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ Winfrey, Graham (7 July 2017). "'Valerian': How Luc Besson Made a $220 Million Indie That Can't Fail". IndieWire. Archived from the original on 28 October 2021. Retrieved 8 July 2017.
  11. ^ Cite error: The named reference breakeven was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  12. ^ McNary, Dave (6 December 2015). "Ethan Hawke Joins Luc Besson's 'Valerian' Movie". Variety. Archived from the original on 7 February 2019. Retrieved 6 January 2016.
  13. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (12 December 2015). "Luc Besson Announces That Herbie Hancock Is Joining 'Valerian'". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 26 August 2018. Retrieved 6 January 2016.
  14. ^ "'Valerian' And The City Of A Thousand Misconceptions: Who's On The Hook?". Deadline Hollywood. 25 July 2017. Archived from the original on 14 April 2022. Retrieved 16 August 2017.
  15. ^ Cite error: The named reference stocks was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  16. ^ Cite error: The named reference preview was invoked but never defined (see the help page).