Like most western heroes,Nic Cage's character doesn't say much, but his actions speak loud and clear. The crew was applauding him at the end. Meanwhile, teenager Liv Hawthorne gets handcuffed by her parental guardian, Hayesville's sheriff Eloise Lund, due to her previous attempts to burn the building. As Cammy stalks him in an arcade, Chris calls Lund for help; she goes with deputy sheriff Evan Olson upon learning that Liv is there. I never expected it to be as positive and cultish as it was. Tom and Jerry: Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory [New DVD] $14.99. He's like, "If you want to do something good, you're going to have to make a movie." We just loved it. The third comic was released on March 30, 2022, showing the origins of Tito Turtle, Ozzie Ostrich and Knighty Knight. There's nothing here but the novelty, but here's why it works. Just leave us a message here and we will work on getting you verified. As stated above, Nicolas Cage had a spending problem. Coming Soon. Copyright Fandango. Full financial estimates for this film, including domestic and international box office, video sales, video rentals, TV and ancillary revenue "[28], In an interview, G. O. Parsons stated he had an idea for a sequel if the film got enough support. It started out like La La Land, where you do a play and one person's in the audience, or two people and they're on their cell phone the whole time. [9] Cage also agreed to produce the film along with producers Jeremy Davis from JD Entertainment and veteran actor-turned-producer Grant Cramer from Landafar Entertainment, in collaboration with Mike Nilon from Cage's Saturn Films. He used to be a very solid dramatic actor, but the craziness of his performances has been there since the beginning as well. Movie's Real Filming Locations", "Willy's Wonderland: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack", "There's Now an Official 'Willy's Wonderland' T-Shirt Based on the One Nicolas Cage Wears in the Movie", /comics/3671411/willys-wonderland-prequel-comic-releasing-halloween-season/ ", "Willy's Wonderland Trailer: Nicolas Cage Must Slay Animatronics To Survive", "VOD film review: Willy's Wonderland (2021)", "[Review] Nicolas Cage Battles Evil Animatronics in Willy's Wonderland and We Likey", "Willy's Wonderland review punch and pop aplenty from Cage, mighty and moody as ever", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Willy%27s_Wonderland&oldid=1141305316, This page was last edited on 24 February 2023, at 11:10. Archer pretending to be Castor, which actually felt like a guy pretending to be a guy who was crazy and not just him doing his same Castor shtick. 1. Somewhat inspired by the video gameFive Nights at Freddy's, Willy's Wonderland sees Cage's charactertasked with cleaning the abandoned, titular restaurant where the animatronics come to life and kill whoever is trapped inside. But this wonderland has a dark secret that the "The Janitor" is about to discover. I worked on a movie for a couple of years that looked like it was going to get green lit and then it just collapsed. Willy's Wonderland (22,792) 5.5 1 h 25 min 2021 X-Ray 16+ A loner wages war against the possessed animatronic mascots of Willy's Wonderland. Nic is into reptiles, he is into amphibians, and he's into dinosaurs. Am I going to recommend this one to mainstream audiences? Nicolas Cage doesn't speak in Willy's Wonderland. I was like, "Sounds good to me.". Nate's Grade: C+. The mundane tasks suddenly become an all-out fight for survival against wave after wave of demonic animatronics. However, Willy's Wonderland could have used more drafts and variety to really tap into the sheer gonzo potential of its ridiculous pitch. I have an idea but it's only an idea at this stage. The guy worked tirelessly, man. Director: Kevin Lewis. We want to hear what you have to say but need to verify your email. Nicolas Cage improvised the pinball dance. Or is he, like the weeping Alexander, ready to accept there are no worlds left to conquer? In recent years, Cage has appeared in a lot more films due to his financial problems. A quiet loner finds himself stranded in a remote town when his car breaks down. "You can't take it seriously," screenwriter G.O. The film received mixed-to-positive reviews, with praise to Cage's performance, the dark humor and the animatronics' realistic movements but with criticism for its screenplay, plot and characters. ", "All the horror fans are digging it," director Kevin Lewis told EW of the film, which costars Emily Tosta and Beth Grant. Get some good popcorn in, and something to drink and enjoy! During the party, Willy and the rest of the mascots attack and kill the attending guests and staff forcing an evacuation. Your Ticket Confirmation # is located under the header in your email that reads "Your Ticket Reservation Details". What does the mechanic have in his mouth all the time? It's the kind of film that's trying to do one thing and one thing alone; Entertain people. So long as its just Cage silently clobbering mechanical humanoid bears and birds, this picture is amusingly absurd. Directed by Kevin Lewis, from a script by G.O. Principal photography began in February 2020 for a month in various parts of Atlanta, Georgia. After the animatronics kill a few of the staff, Jed confesses to Tex that the spirits of Jerry and the others are inside the animatronics, but Tex decides to keep the place open as he and Jed dispose of the bodies. Tito the Turtle is an unnamed laborer who, upon being ridiculed for his love of turtles, killed every single last one of his co-workers, and was caught shortly after where he met Jerry Robert Willis and Love, joining the "Crazy 8". A new monster? In addition to Nic Cage not talking inWilly's Wonderland,he's also given no backstory, and viewers can only extrapolate his history. And Nicolas Cage was just sitting there going, "No, this is exactly the kind of movie which needs to be made.". Whether he was throwing vampires into wood chippers or driving Ford Mustangs off cliffs, Nic was always the hardest working man in the grindhouse. Directors Kevin Lewis Starring Nicolas Cage, . Horror, . They committed a satanic ritual to transfer their souls into the animatronics before committing suicide. You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times. In particular, we adjust weekly sales figures for the quarter once the total market estimates are published by the Digital Entertainment Group. The silent hero archetype used for Nicolas Cage's mute character inWilly's Wonderlandis also clever subversion made better by the audacious actor in the role. Willy's Wonderland [Blu-ray] [2021] [Region Free] - DVD R1VG The. [30], Last edited on 24 February 2023, at 11:10, causing the closure of theaters across the globe, "Movie Review Willy's Wonderland (2021)", "Watch Nicolas Cage battle giant animatronic animals in 'Willy's Wonderland' teaser", "Nicolas Cage To Star In Genre Thriller 'Wally's Wonderland', "WILLY'S WONDERLAND Interview: Director Kevin Lewis On Casting Nicolas Cage, Possible Sequel, & More", "Everything We Know So Far About Willy's Wonderland", "Nicolas Cage to Star in Twisted Theme Park Thriller 'Wally's', "The Making of Willy's Wonderland Pinball", "New Shot of Nicolas Cage in 'Wally's Wonderland', "Where Was Willy's Wonderland Filmed? We wont be able to verify your ticket today, but its great to know for the future. "You have to be able to mock it and say, 'This thing just attacked him and now he's cleaning a stove? They won't be able to see your review if you only submit your rating. That was really fun. Nicolas Cage was nominated best actor in a horror movie by critics choice super awards, cage was also nominated for his performance in Pig best actor in critics choice awards. Cage plays a taciturn, no-named stranger, who gets stuck in a small Nevada town when the locals sneakily wreck his car. Below, Lewis and Parsons talk us through the making of Willy's Wonderland and tease a possible second adventure for Cage's Janitor. Willy's Wonderland isn't quite as much fun as its premise would suggest -- but it's still got Nicolas Cage beating the hell out of bloodthirsty animatronics, which is nice. Also appearing in the film are Jason Tyler as Eric Miller, a construction worker hired to demolish the restaurant; Ryan Kightlinger as a biker hired as a previous janitor; Joseph and Jessica Teagle as a Hippie couple also hired as previous janitors; Lawreen K. Yakkel, Ashann Bachan, Kevin Brown, Eduardo Lozano, Nathaniel Smith Jr., and D. J. Stavropoulos as members of Jerry Robert Willis' satanic cult; Michael Woodruff, J. J. Madaris, Robert Howell, Chris Speck, Benton Eden, and Elliott Boswell as ATF agents; Jared Soto as a homeless man; Kandace Lee as a smoker killed by Willy Weasel, and Miles Woodruff as a birthday boy from the flashbacks. Presented by Tea Time Productions & Chri So, I started making the plays events, where you could bring drinks and your friends. Actor Nicolas Cage was once a top earner in Hollywood, worth around $150 million, but he didn't hold onto the fortune for long. Today we are taking a look at Willy's Wonderland! [7] He put the script on Blood List, seeking to have it produced as a full-length film. Nicolas Cage's character's car breaks down and the mechanic tells him he can get it fixed for free if he cleans this building and makes it ready to reopen. Which potatoes are the best for chips? To survive, he must fight his way through each of them. My wife pitched a team-up where he and Willy have to fight a new foe together. Figures will therefore fluctuate each week, and totals for individual titles can go up or down as we update our estimates. Audiences speak, and they've spoken, and they dig it, and it's awesome.". What else do you need? Where he's dancing and doing the pinball stuff? His taste is a little suspect. Lewis: Oh, that was fantastic. Cage plays a drifter who has car trouble but can't pay for the repairs so agrees to clean up an abandoned indoor children's play park. He silently fulfills his end of the bargain and cleans the disgusting restaurant, showing his unique sense of honor. Parsons: That is a giant boulder that falls upon me to figure out. Unable to pay for the repairs he needs, he agrees to spend the night cleaning Willy's Wonderland, an abandoned family fun center. He has even noted in interviews that he made big mistakes and is paying for them now. Fists fly, kicks land, titans clash -- and only one side will make it out ali Read allA quiet drifter is tricked into a janitorial job at the now condemned Willy's Wonderland. [4] The film stars Nicolas Cage, who also served as producer, along with Emily Tosta, Ric Reitz, Chris Warner, Kai Kadlec, Christian Del Grosso, Caylee Cowan, Terayle Hill, Jonathan Mercedes, David Sheftell and Beth Grant. . The project was announced in October 2019, with screenwriter Parsons having conceived the idea based on his 2016 short film Wally's Wonderland, which was also the script's original name. It's an enjoyable movie that begins to feel its length on multiple occasions. Parsons originally penned the script with no dialogue for the character as he imagined a no-budget version where he would play the role. Cage lost it and most of his fortune. He'd beat Gus and after he beat Gus, he'd go and play pinball. Siren Sara is depicted as a dance teacher who, upon seeing her assistant, Debbie, making out with Gary, her boyfriend (or possible husband), suddenly snaps and kills them both with an ax. The college kids are loving it. I'll credit the creature designs of the many killer animatronic animals inhabited by the spirits of a dead Satanic cult demanding sacrifice. I wanted a movie where they just picked the wrong dude and he mopped the floor with them the entire time. Perhaps they just told him where to lurk while the animatronic weasels and alligators chewed up prying teenagers. We had a couple of puppeteers in green smocks manipulating Ozzy. Free shipping for many products! I would love to see more adventures with the Janitor. Quotes Liv: He's not trapped in there with them. Meanwhile, the Janitor is attacked by Gus in the restrooms; he kills him by curb stomping his face into a urinal. Parsons: The reaction is over the moon. theaters, 3.7 weeks average run per theater. As this Yahoo! The mundane tasks suddenly become an all-out fight for survival against wave after wave of demonic animatronics. See production, box office & company info, AniMat's Crazy Cartoon Cast: Kamping Kalamity. Now available on-demand, Willy's Wonderland realistically will likely be hated by many viewers, but I had quite a bit of fun watching it. Parsons: I had given the script to a casting director whose name was Venus Kanani. Verified reviews are considered more trustworthy by fellow moviegoers. Unable to pay for the repairs he needs, he agrees to spend the night cleaning Willy's Wonderland, an abandoned family fun center. There's probably just going to be me doing this, so I'll keep it in one location, and then, if I'm running the camera and doing all this other stuff, I probably shouldn't give myself a lot of lines. If I don't end up praising the film for anything else, that's okay. Action, I think his wacky ideas could lead to something great one day. Willy's Wonderland review - it's weird even for Nicolas Cage. He and Willy are staring at each other, he goes, "Come at me, bro.". Here, Variety gives you . Nobody is going to watch this thing." While her friends douse the perimeter with gasoline, Liv enters the restaurant through the vents to get the Janitor out. Offers may be subject to change without notice. To cover the costs of a steep repair bill, he takes a job cleaning an abandoned family pizza place. Lewis: Nic loved that it had no dialogue. International postage and import charges paid to Pitney Bowes Inc. Unlike the classic Western figures, who ride into a town and defeat the bad guys in a dramatic, epic fashion, Nic Cage's silent character inWilly's Wonderlandisn't a typical hero he's a janitor. Judging by the online reaction to the new action-horror movie Willy's Wonderland since the film was released on VOD over the weekend, the answer is a definite "Yes! Regal My disappointment is that what you get with any ten-minute segment of the movie is generally the same thing you'll get with any other portion. Willy and the Janitor fight each other until the Janitor rips Willy's head off. [11] Certain changes were made during production; the title was changed from Wally's Wonderland to Willy's Wonderland due to legal issues; and original animatronic characters Douglas Dog, Pauly Penguin, Beary Bear, Pirate Pete, and Regina Rabbit were replaced with Arty Alligator, Tito Turtle, Gus Gorilla, Knighty Knight, and Cammy Chameleon, respectively. Directed by Kevin Lewis and written by G.O. Instead, it was released through video on demand, with a simultaneous limited theatrical release in the United States, on February 12, 2021 by Screen Media Films. Along with these two purchases, he bought Grey Craig, a Rhode Island Estate, in 2007. All rights reserved. Fists fly, kicks land, titans clash -- and only one side will make it out alive. Parsons: Nic added that dance at the end. Is a film in which Oscar-winner Nicolas Cage battles a series of giant animatronic creatures just the thing to raise spirits as we head into the second year of the pandemic? He soon finds himself locked in an epic battle with possessed animatronic mascots that roam the halls. Producer Grant Cramer performed a track titled "Just The Way I Roll", which appeared in the film's end credits. For a description of the different acting role types we use to categorize acting perfomances, see our Glossary. Nowadays, he appears in a lot more films and for half of that salary at most. Can we really blame Cage for lending his efforts to the project? Liv's parents were among the victims and a guilty Lund adopted her. PARSONS: I was writing and acting in a bunch of plays, trying to make a break for myself. His unnamed character remains entirely silent throughout the picture. Copyright 2023 Meredith Corporation. On Monday morning I got a call: "Yeah, Nicolas Cage wants to make this movie." I was doing that and this person comes up to me afterwards, and says, "This stuff you're doing is fantastic, but it's not going to advance your career, because the play only lasts as long as the play." Free delivery for many products! Read audience reviews. In one moment, these teens will denounce doing stupid acts and the unreasonable risk, and then the next minute they're splitting up to go have sex in the scary birthday room or murder. Los Angeles, This fabled orchid breeder loves to chat just not about Trader Joes orchids. However, the movie clearly appears to be out of ideas pretty early. Nic and I decided, no lines. Watch the below video to find out more about Cages spending spree and some of those big-ticket purchases. Owner Tex Macadoo offers him to work as a night-shift janitor in exchange for repairing his vehicle before he and Jed leave him locked in the restaurant. Willy's Wonderland grossed $418,286 in North America and grossed $38,858 in other territories for a worldwide total of $457,144, against a budget of $5 million. Why isn't he running and hiding for his life? Because sales figures are estimated based on sampling, they will be more accurate for higher-selling titles. We were able to trade them all in for the ultimate prize: Willy's Wonderland, a movie in which a totally non-verbal Nicolas Cage beats the literal stuffing out of evil animatronics while spending a single night in a haunted family play center of Tartarus-like ball pits and flashy pinball machines. But this wonderland has a dark secret that the "The Janitor" is about to discover. Dear Diary: World's First Pranks. And Boomtown had all these animatronics. Over the years, they tricked random drifters into cleaning up the building, offering them as sacrifices in order to stop the animatronics' killing spree. If somebody is nice enough to say nice words, or talk about the movie, then I put them officially on staff, because you want to be the Janitor and you want to be part of the experience. Cage may not talk, but his blas behavior is so bizarre audiences can't help but be sucked in. Nicolas Cage doesn't regret VOD movies, says they paid off his debts and he "never phoned it in" March 24, 2022 by EJ Moreno For years, Nicolas Cage became a bit of a meme. In the second comic, the backstory of Gus the Gorilla is revealed. Why are womens bodies under attack from autoimmune diseases? Willy's Wonderland Director: Kevin Lewis Cert: Club Genre: Horror Starring: Nicolas Cage, Emily Tosta, Ric Reitz, Chris Warner, Kai Kadlec, Christian Delgrosso Running Time: 1 hr 22 mins. In Willy's Wonderland, Cage plays a mysterious gentleman called The Janitor, who's forced to spend the night cleaning out the titular restaurant. Everything was on the shot list. Willy's Wonderland was originally set for a worldwide theatrical release on October 30, 2020, but was postponed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Cage squandered it on a string of expensive and often eccentric. "Those nurses and doctors are the real heroes. Willy's Wonderland is a 2021 American action comedy horror film directed by Kevin Lewis from a screenplay by G. O. Compare this performance with other movies. Unable to pay for the repairs he needs, he agrees to spend the night cleaning Willys Wonderland, an abandoned family fun center. Well, yes, that would be great. Still in his mid-50s, he should, good health and the Lord willing, be continuing his exploration for decades to come. Cage's latest cinematic effort is Willy's Wonderland, a blend of horror, comedy, and action that sees the quirky performer play a drifter who ends up going toe to toe with murderous animatronic characters inside an abandoned family attraction.