Film Exploration

Explore the production, distribution and exhibition of your chosen film

Production

The Martian is a 2015 American science fiction survival film directed by Ridley Scott, starting matt Damon. Originally, Matt Damon was concerned that The Martian would be similar to his previous film Interstellar (2014) that also featured him stranded alone on a planet. It also stars Jessica Chastain and Kristen Wiig. The film is based on Andy Wier’s 2011 novel The Martain, which Drew Goddard modified into a screenplay. The producer Simon Kinberg began to develop the film the film after 20^th century fox optioned the novel in March 2013. Drew Goddard adapted the novel into a screenplay and was initially going to direct it but the film didn’t move forward, this caused Ridley Scott to replace Drew Goddard.

The Filming of The Martian began on November 4^th 2014 and lasted approximately 70 days. Ridley Scott chose to film The Martain with 3D cameras. There were 20 sets built on a sound stage in Budapest, Hungary. Wadi Rum in Jordan was also used as a practical backdrop for Mars. The Martian had a budget of $108 million. The Production companies were Scott Free Productions, Kinberg Genre and TSG Entertainment. Actual potatoes were grown in a sound stage next to the one they used for filming. They were planted at different times so that the different stages of growth could be shown in film scenes. According to Ridley Scott the irst cut of the film was 2 hours and 45 minuets long. Ridley also said that an extended version of the movie will be released on home video.

Distribution

The film premiered at the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival on September 11, 2015. The film has a running time of 141 minutes. 20^th century Fox released the film in theatres in the United States on October 2, 2015, and in the UK on September 30^th, 2015. Two months before The Martian’s release, BoxOffice predicted that the film wound gross $46 million on its opening weekend in the United States. The film received positive reviews and has grossed over $624 million worldwide, becoming Ridley Scott’s highest-grossing film to date. 20^th century fox is the distribution company that distributed the film. It is Fox's third-highest-grossing film ever behind Avatar and Kingsman: The Secret Service.

Exhibition

Internationally, the Martian was released in a total of 81 countries. The Martian was released in the Dolby Vision format in Dolby Cinema in North America. The film was released in theatres in 2D and 3D. The film was shown in all of the main cinemas across the world. The BBFC classified the Martian as a 12, saying that it has infrequent strong language and injury detail. All known versions of the film passed uncut.