Gulliver’s Travels movie is 1st Philippines box office hit for 2011

Wow! the movie Gulliver’s Travels is the top grosser after it's release on the start of year 2011. I think people got excited to watch great foreign films after the long holiday break and also the MMFF blockade last December 2010. Congrats to 20th Century Fox and our Philippine cinemas for marking the 1st box office hit for 2011 and earning 23 million pesos within two days after the release of the movie.

more details below

20th Century Fox opens enormously big at 2011 as “Gulliver’s Travels” heaped up a gigantic 23 million gross nationwide at the box-office in its first two days alone. “Gulliver’s Travels” is Fox’s (Phils.) first release for the year that became the top-grosser among the foreign films that opened 2011.

Jack Black takes on the titular role of Gulliver who works as a mailroom clerk in a Manhattan newspaper. Imaginative and immensely open for adventure, Gulliver then bluffs his way to a writing assignment on the mysterious Bermuda triangle. His assignment then takes him to a miniature kingdom where he learned that size doesn’t matter to make a big difference. The movie also stars Emily Blunt, Amanda Peet and Jason Segel.

Jack Black remains to be a humongous comedic force as kids and adults laughed
and roared at the movie’s crazy antics. Daniel Floresca, a 12-year old who is also a contributing writer at the Manila Bulletin’s Funpage shares, “I laughed so many times during the movie. I was amazed because the little people with the giant Gulliver looked so real on screen. I was also impressed by the appearance of the buildings and small objects in Lilliput. Kids should see Gulliver's because it teaches lessons like don't pretend to be someone that you're not and that even small people can do big things if they really want to."

Among the cinemas that recorded the biggest at the box office are Trinoma (P1.3M); SM Mall of Asia (P1.13); Powerplant (P929,543); SM North Edsa-The Block (P805, 820); SM Megamall ({772, 050); Greenbelt 3 (P747, 532); Alabang Town Center (P705, 365); Glorietta4 (P668, 616); Shang Cineplex (P655, 850); Eastwood (P652, 117).
The gigantic bulk of the film’s box-office is likewise contributed by Gateway Cineplex-Ali Mall (P516, 969); SM Cebu (P481, 848); TheatreMall (P462, 412); Market!Market! (P450, 304); Newport (P426, 720); Robinson’s Ermita (P399, 518); Gaisano Davao (P368, 389); Filinvest (P365, 259); Robinson’s Galleria (P361, 222); Ayala Cebu (P357, 480).

“Gulliver’s Travels” is now showing in theaters nationwide from 20th Century Fox distributed by Warner Bros.

Emily Blunt as Princess Mary in "Gulliver's Travel (opens today January 8)

Emily Blunt, the uptight fashion assistant who came to mainstream attention in “The Devil Wears Prada” throws in comedic poetry in the family-3D movie “Gulliver’s Travels” with Jack Black.

The movie starts in modern-day New York City where Jack Black’s Gulliver works in the mailroom of a newspaper who has a long-time secret crush on the paper’s travel editor Darcy, (Amanda Peet). Hoping to impress Darcy, Gulliver bluffs his way to a writing assignment at the Bermuda Triangle only to find himself washed away in the miniature island of Lilliput where Princess Mary (Blunt) resides.


When Gulliver is washed ashore on this strange new world, among the first he meets is General Edward Edwardian (Chris O’Dowd), the commander of the Lilliput army. Edward’s distrust of the gargantuan creature – Gulliver – that has suddenly appeared in Lilliput, as well as the general’s ambitions, leads him to take Gulliver prisoner. As Gulliver becomes a hero to the Lilliputians, the newly emboldened giant takes Lilliputian commoner Horatio under his wing and helps him woo the once unattainable Princess Mary, who is “engaged” to Edward.

Princess Mary, being the object of both Horatio’s and Edward’s affections, spends most of her days preparing for and being kidnapped by the enemy Blefuscians. The once-weekly occurrence isn’t exactly what the princess wants to be doing with her entire life; moreover, the perfunctory courtship of pre-destined paramour Edward is boring her to death. So the romantic attentions of the intriguing Horatio are at least something new for the princess.

Emily Blunt is also known for portraying hard-edged characters, like the intensely neurotic executive assistant in “The Devil Wears Prada” and a biohazard/crime scene clean-up specialist in “Sunshine Cleaning,” relished the chance to take on what she calls her most “girly” role to date. “It was time to play someone sweet and innocent for once,” says Blunt, who also appreciated the theme of changes and modernization that run through the story. “Gulliver has an edgy, modern sensibility that Jack really brings to life,” she says. “His Gulliver comes to our little world and gets everyone riled up, enabling them to see the world in a new way.”
Blunt’s strong early debuts onstage in 2002 as Juliet in “Romeo and Juliet” and in “The Royal Family” opposite dame Judi Dench landed her roles on television and eventually on her highly acclaimed movie “My Summer of Love.” Her role in the movie won her the Most Promising Newcomer award at the 2005 Evening Standard British Film Awards and was nominated in the Best Newcomer category at the 2004 British Independent Film Awards.

She continued to reap attention in her performance in the critically-acclaimed miniseries “Gideon’s Daughter” opposite Bill Nighy and Miranda Richardson where she won a Golden Globe for Best Performance in a Supporting Role. Her next notable role in “The Devil Wears Prada” further imprinted her in worldwide recognition as the movie opened to great acclaim and produced great box-office returns. Blunt was nominated in the Breakout Female category at the 2006 Teen Choice Awards for her performance and was honored with the Breakthrough Award at the 2006 Movieline Young Hollywood Awards. She was also nominated in the Best Supporting Actress category at the Golden Globes and the BAFTAs for the role. Blunt went on to be nominated for the Rising Star Award at the 2007 BAFTAs. Her other works include “The Great Buck Howard,” “Dan in Real Life,” “The Jane Austen Book Club,” “Sunshine Cleaning,” “Charlie Wilson’s War” and “The Young Victoria.”

“Gulliver’s Travels” opens January 8 (Saturday) in all formats in cinemas across the Philippines from 20th Century Fox to be distributed by Warner Bros.

source: 20th Century Fox Philippines

Start small and go BIG in Gulliver's Travels (a tiny movie review)

I watched the movie press screening of Gulliver's Travels and I totally recommend that you watch this movie especially if you are a Jack Black fan or curious about the story of Guilliver being stranded in an island filled with people that their size is small like a GI JOE action figure. This movie is revived from Jonathan Swift's 1726 novel with the same title. The movie is super laugh trip and a good comedy film for the start of the year 2011.

Read more below if you want to read this tiny movie review with BIG fonts
I watched the movie press screening of Gulliver's Travels and I totally recommend that you watch this movie especially if you are a Jack Black fan or curious about the story of Guilliver being stranded in an island filled with people that their size is small like a GI JOE action figure. This movie is revived from Jonathan Swift's 1726 novel with the same title. The movie is super laugh trip and a good comedy film for the start of the year 2011.

Any movie with Jack Black in it, will fire up your laughing nerves, its funny that I mixed all of those funny Tenacious D and School of Rock movies and blend it with fantasy story. His attitude and comedy elements are all the same from all his previous movies, well except from the movie - Airbone, which he was early been seen as one of the villain. But here in Gulliver's Travels movie, a modernized version of the super timeless classic tale of a world under the Bermuda Triangle, everything is small and also BIG.

If you watch the movie in Digital 3D, you will get a chance to watch a mini short film featuring Scrat of Ice Age, its a super funny film and this will serve as your energizer before the movie starts. I like to post more about the film, but just stick on the comedy lines and scenes and avoid on looking on some technical angles and questions like "how do they do that", its a fantasy film, and everything is possible.

I like this film because it shows to everyone that something I learned 6 years ago, start small in your career and then go big! The movie will inspire everyone to do better in their career and life. And with that message, I feel more inspired because I felt down the past few days.

Your money for this movie will not be wasted, because the funny scenes and Jack Black's comedic performance will sure entertain everyone. I just can't image that I'm screaming in laughing already but I'm glad that I am not alone inside the theater and people behind almost jump out of their seats in laughing. Just think of a movie of Tenacious D + School of Rock + Fantasy novels.

watch it! while its hot on January 8 in all Philippine cinemas.

for my rate, I'll give 4 out of 5 dancing bananas

Here are some reviews by our movie bloggers

Movie item loot of the day

wow! first movie item loot of the day! My official movie merchandise collection is now expanding on the start of 2011. I wish that I can start collecting movie props and replicas. I'm also interested in having those prop items and costumes from our local films.


Team Gulliver shirt


On Stranger Tides metallic pin

Jack Black's interview about his role in "Gulliver’s Travels" (opens on January 8)

I'm not very familiar about the story and I haven't read the whole book at Guilliver's Travels,all I know is that he is big and everyone around him is small. I see pictures and drawings in some children's book back in my grade school days, but I never got the chance to read it and got more interest in reading art books and hobby crafts how to's in UST. But I'm glad that they are bringing back the classic story via movie with a modern treatment and it will be helpful for me and for others, especially for kids to embrace another timeless and classic story that we aren't familiar with it. Jack Black is here in the movie as Lemual Gulliver and this movie will open up something for us and get us back  reading books after we watch this movie.

Read below an interview of Jack Black about his role and about the movie


Jack Black stars in the heartwarming family 3D comedy “Gulliver’s Travels” as Lemuel Gulliver, a very imaginative clerk in a newspaper’s mailroom who dreams of being a travel writer someday. Black’s Lemuel Gulliver, is a small man in a big pond -- the monstrous canyons of Manhattan, where he toils in a clerical position at a newspaper. He talks a big game, but he’s achieved very little because he is always afraid he will fail. After Gulliver convinced the travel editor Darcy (Amanda Peet) for whom he has a long-time crush into an assignment writing about the Bermuda Triangle, he goes there only to be transported to an undiscovered land, Lilliput.

In this fantastical new world, Gulliver is, at last, a bigger-than-life figure -- in size and ego – especially after he starts telling tall tales, taking credit for his world’s greatest inventions, and placing himself at the center of its most historic events. But when Gulliver loses it all and puts the Lilliputians in peril, he must find a way to undo the damage.

Ultimately, Gulliver becomes a true giant among men only when he learns that it’s how big you are on the
inside that counts. Jack Black further narrates in the following on filming Gulliver’s.

Q: What is your character Gulliver like?
A: “He’s always aspiring for something bigger and better. But he doesn’t have the courage to put himself out there. Fear is his obstacle. But once he gets to Lilliput, he’s like a king. In New York, Gulliver feels really small and wants to do big things, but he’s afraid to make it happen. When he lands in Lilliput, he starts to feel really big, but it’s a feeling based on false pretenses.”

Q: Are you familiar with the book when you were a kid?
A: “I was fond of the story when I was a kid. But I never read the unabridged version back then; it’s pretty dense material. It’s only fairly recently that I read the actual book. Once they offered it to me, I said yes, and then I read the book and it was a double yes.”

Q: How did you adapt the movie for this generation?
A: “There is a lot of material in the book that didn’t make it into the movie because there are some very spicy passages. It gets pretty violent and graphic. The original piece is not really for kids; it was a satire for adults.”

Q: Has having children changed you?
A: “It is extremely rewarding and challenging. They are magical creatures and I love them to death. You need to spend time with them. You can’t just go and work on the computer—you need to give them attention and listen to them and play with them and those crazy pretending games take a lot of energy.”


Q: In the movie, Gulliver relished much fame, are you like him?
A: “It is always fun to meet new people who have enjoyed my work. Sometimes it can be exhausting if you have had a long day and what would take one minute ends up taking an hour because you have to sign pictures and talk to people but for the most part it is very gratifying. I like it because I am always being thanked and high fived, there is a lot of positivity coming my way.”


Black who also serves as the movie’s executive producer will soon be seen in “Kung Fu Panda 2,” “The Big Year” and “Bernie.” His numerous hit movies include “School of Rock,” “Tropic Thunder,” “Nacho Libre,” “King Kong,” “Bob Roberts,” “High Fidelity,” “Saving Silverman,” “Shallow Hal,” “Orange County, “Envy,” “Shark Tale,” “The Holiday,” 2000’s independent drama “Jesus’ Son” and “Margot at the Wedding.”

“Gulliver’s Travels” opens January 8 in (Phils.) theaters from 20th Century Fox to be distributed by Warner Bros.





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source: 20th Century Fox Philippines