Gran Turismo | |
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![]() Theatrical release poster | |
Directed by | Neill Blomkamp |
Screenplay by | |
Story by |
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Based on | Gran Turismo by Polyphony Digital |
Produced by |
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Starring | |
Cinematography | Jacques Jouffret |
Edited by |
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Music by |
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Production companies |
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Distributed by | Sony Pictures Releasing |
Release dates |
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Running time | 134 minutes [1] |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $60 million [2] |
Box office | $122.2 million [3] [4] |
Gran Turismo [lower-alpha 1] is a 2023 American biographical sports drama film directed by Neill Blomkamp from a screenplay by Jason Hall and Zach Baylin. Produced by Columbia Pictures, PlayStation Productions, and 2.0 Entertainment, it is based on the racing simulation video game series of the same name developed by Polyphony Digital. It depicts a highly sensationalized account of real life British teenager Jann Mardenborough, a teenage Gran Turismo player who became a professional racing car driver. The film stars Archie Madekwe as Mardenborough alongside David Harbour, Orlando Bloom, Darren Barnet, Geri Halliwell Horner, and Djimon Hounsou. [5]
Development of a film based on Gran Turismo was revealed in July 2013, with Michael De Luca and Dana Brunetti producing and a script by Alex Tse. Joseph Kosinski was set to direct the film in June 2015 from a new screenplay by Jon and Erich Hoeber. However, the Kosinski version was no longer moving forward as of February 2018. In May 2022, it was announced the film was again in development, with Blomkamp attached to direct it in June. The main cast were announced in September 2022, while other cast additions signed in November. Filming began in Hungary in the same month and wrapped in December. The film score was composed by Lorne Balfe and Andrew Kawczynski.
Gran Turismo premiered at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium on July 30, 2023, and was theatrically released in the United States on August 25, 2023, by Sony Pictures Releasing. It has grossed $122 million worldwide against its $60 million budget and received mixed reviews from critics, who praised Blomkamp's direction and racing sequences, but criticized its writing and use of Mardenborough's crash at the Nürburgring Nordschleife as a narrative element.
Following a pitch by marketing executive Danny Moore, Nissan establishes the GT Academy to recruit skilled players of the racing simulator Gran Turismo and transform them into real racing drivers. Danny enlists former driver-turned-mechanic Jack Salter to train the players. Initially reluctant, Jack accepts after growing weary of his team's arrogant driver, Nicholas Capa. Meanwhile, Jann Mardenborough, a teenage gamer from Cardiff, dreams of becoming a racing driver despite his father Steve's disapproval.
Jann learns he is eligible for the GT Academy after setting a time record. The night before his race, Jann and his brother Coby attend a party, where Jann meets Audrey. However, the police arrive, and Jann and Coby are caught. As punishment, Jann is taken to his father's workplace but leaves early to participate in the qualifying race, which he wins, securing a spot in the GT Academy.
At the academy camp, Jack subjects the competitors to various tests, narrowing them down from ten to five. Jann impresses Jack by correctly diagnosing a wreck caused by glazed brakes. The final five compete in a race to determine who will represent Nissan. Jann narrowly wins against American competitor Matty Davis, but Danny prefers Matty for his commercial appeal. Jack insists on selecting Jann, who ultimately becomes the representative.
Jann is informed that finishing at least fourth in any qualifying race will earn him a professional license and a contract with Nissan. In his first professional race in Austria, he finishes last after being spun by Nicholas. Despite improving over subsequent races, he fails to finish the penultimate race in Spain. In Dubai, during his final qualifying race, Nicholas crashes, and despite debris damage, Jann finishes fourth, earning his license. He travels to Tokyo with Danny and Jack to sign his contract and uses his bonus to fly Audrey to Tokyo, starting a relationship.
Jann's first race post-signing is at the Nürburgring Nordschleife. He maintains a high position until his car lifts at the Flugplatz corner, crashes, and kills a spectator. Horrified, Jann is reluctant to race again and blames himself for the spectator's death. Jack, who experienced a similar accident at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, encourages Jann to return. An inquiry clears Jann, but professional sentiment turns against sim drivers. Danny decides a sim driver team must compete at Le Mans and finish on the podium to prove their worth.
Danny recruits Matty and fellow GT Academy participant Antonio Cruz to join Jann. On race day, Jann's father apologizes for not supporting him. Shaken by a competitor's crash, Jann is motivated by Jack playing his training music. Matty and Antonio complete their shifts, but Antonio is brought in early due to cramps. A dropped wheel nut during a pit stop causes Jann to lose positions. Using racing lines learned from the video game, he regains his position, breaking the lap record. On the final lap, Jann narrowly beats Nicholas, securing third place and a podium finish for Nissan.
In the epilogue, the real Jann Mardenborough is shown, having competed in over 200 races and serving as his own stunt double in the film.
In July 2013, it was announced that Sony Pictures was developing a Gran Turismo film with Michael De Luca and Dana Brunetti producing it [6] and a script by Alex Tse. [7] In 2015, Joseph Kosinski was set to direct the film, [8] with a new screenplay by Jon and Erich Hoeber. [9] By 2018, the Kosinski version was no longer moving forward. [10]
In May 2022, it was announced that a film adaptation of Polyphony Digital's Gran Turismo video games was in early development at Sony Pictures and PlayStation Productions. Shortly afterward, Neill Blomkamp was hired to direct a screenplay written by Jason Hall, and Sony set a release date of August 11, 2023. [11] The lead roles were cast in September 2022 with David Harbour as a veteran race car driver who mentors Archie Madekwe as the teenage trainee, [12] [13] with the film being confirmed to also be a biographical film based on the story of Jann Mardenborough. Orlando Bloom was cast as a motorsport marketing executive and Darren Barnet as a threatened GT Academy racer. [14] Additional cast additions were announced while filming in November included Djimon Hounsou, Geri Halliwell-Horner, Daniel Puig, Josha Stradowski, Thomas Kretschmann, Maeve Courtier-Lilley, Emelia Hartford, Pepe Barroso, and Sang Heon Lee. [15] [16] Max Mundt, Mariano González, Harki Bhambra, Lindsay Pattison, Théo Christine, and Nikhil Parmar were added to the cast in December 2022. [17]
Filming began in Hungary in November, and wrapped in December 2022, with Jacques Jouffret serving as cinematographer. [14] [15] [18] Jouffret took advantage of the Rialto extension/detachment system of Sony Venice 2 cameras in order to place sensors in tight locations of cars, away from the main camera body. [19] Jann Mardenborough himself is a co-producer on the film and served as the racing stunt double for Madekwe, who portrayed him.
In September 2022, it was reported that Stephen Barton would compose the score for the film. [20] But on April 24, 2023, Lorne Balfe was announced to take over by scoring the film instead. [21] The soundtrack album, also composed by Andrew Kawczynski, was released on August 11, 2023, the same day as the limited theatrical release. [22]
Gran Turismo premiered at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps on July 30, 2023, following the Formula One 2023 Belgian Grand Prix. [23] Gran Turismo held several preview screenings beginning on August 11, 2023, before being released in the United States on August 25, by Sony Pictures Releasing. [24] It was originally scheduled for a wide release on August 11, [25] but plans changed due to the SAG-AFTRA strike. [24] Despite the delay in the United States, the film's release date remains unchanged in various international markets such as the United Kingdom, where the film was released on August 9, 2023. [26]
An update to Gran Turismo 7 added a livery for the 2018 Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3 that was inspired by the film, and was given for free to all players who watched the movie trailer in-game. [27]
Gran Turismo was released on digital platforms on September 26, 2023 [28] and, in selected markets, was one of the first early-access titles on the Sony Pictures Core platform; [29] it was later released on Blu-ray and DVD on November 7. [30] [31] The movie was released on Netflix as part of a first-window deal on December 25, 2023. [32]
Gran Turismo has grossed $44.4 million in the United States and Canada, and $77.7 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $122.1 million. [3] [4]
In the United States and Canada, Gran Turismo was released alongside The Hill , Retribution , and Golda , and was projected to gross $12–15 million from 3,856 theaters in its opening weekend. [33] The film made $8.5 million on its first day, including $5.3 million from several preview screenings in the weeks leading up to its release. It went on to debut to $17.4 million, finishing first at the box office, though Warner Bros. claimed its holdover Barbie actually won the weekend with $15.1 million, disputing Sony's inclusion of the $5.3 million from weeks of previews; other studios and trade publications sided with Sony, noting lumping preview screenings into opening day figures is standard practice. [34] [35] [36] The film made $6.6 million in its second weekend (a drop of 64%) and finishing fourth, then grossed $3.5 million in its third weekend. [37] [38]
The film received mixed reviews. [lower-alpha 2] On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , 65% of 225 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.1/10.The website's consensus reads: "Gran Turismo's brisk action and feel-good underdog drama are undermined by its loose telling of the fact-based story, but this is still a generally solid racing movie." [47] Metacritic , which uses a weighted average , assigned the film a score of 48 out of 100, based on 47 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews. [48] Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale, while those polled at PostTrak gave it a 90% overall positive score. [34]
The racing sequences and Blomkamp's direction, especially during the climactic 24-hour race in France, were praised by most critics, who noted that, while transitioning from its video game origins to a standard race car film, Gran Turismo also serves as a cautionary example of adapting source material that may not align with a cohesive narrative. [49] Owen Gleiberman of Variety said of the film: "There's an innocence to this one, and a surprise authenticity," commenting, "It's like a Fast and Furious movie made without cynicism, and it gets to you", finding the climax "satisfying". [50] Kristen Lopez of TheWrap said: "Gran Turismo works best because it eschews its video game origins quickly before settling into a standard race car film. It's unknown how fans of the game will respond to the movie — no one watching the movie in this critic's theater pointed out any specific game Easter eggs — but on the whole fans of racecar films should be in for a good time." [51]
Conversely, Ryan Gilbey's negative review for the Guardian called the film "a simulation of cinema, with scarcely a human fingerprint anywhere on its chassis." [52] Tim Robey of the Telegraph called the film "a purringly complacent insult to a great video-game". [53] Oli Welsh of Polygon gave the film a negative review, saying that "Gran Turismo could have used this inspiring true story to show how video games open up possibilities and remove barriers in the real world. Instead, it just uses it to score points." [54]
The film was nominated for "Best Adaptation" at The Game Awards 2023. [55]
The film was widely criticized for its use of Mardenborough's crash at the Nürburgring Nordschleife as a narrative element. This segment faithfully re-enacted a 2015 crash during which his Nissan GT-R Nismo became airborne at the notorious Flugplatz turn and cartwheeled over the fence into spectators. [56] One spectator was killed almost immediately and others were taken to the hospital with serious and severe injuries. [56] [57] This crash was depicted in Gran Turismo as a traumatic event for Mardenborough that impacted his racing performance during his debut at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. In reality, the crash occurred roughly two years after his Le Mans debut. [58] [59] [60]
The use of a dead spectator to enhance the plot was negatively received by critics, with the film being labeled as "tasteless" and "reprehensible". [61] [54] [40] In her review, Grace Randolph speculated that other critics would temper their approval of Gran Turismo because of the way it frames the accident. [62]
Gran Turismo is a series of driving simulators developed by Polyphony Digital for the PlayStation systems, Gran Turismo simulators are intended to emulate the appearance and performance of a large selection of vehicles, most of which are licensed reproductions of real-world automobiles. Since the franchise's debut in 1997, over 90 million units have been sold worldwide, making it the best selling driving simulator under the PlayStation brand. The series has partnerships with Japan Race Promotion, Brembo, Michelin, Mazda, Toyota Gazoo Racing, BBS, and Fanatec. The series uses data from car companies and real-life races for its car physics simulation. It is also used as a concept car simulator for many car manufacturers. In 2023, a film was made about the series, and it became a sport for the Olympic Esports with the backing of the FIA.
Gran Turismo 4 is a 2004 racing simulation video game developed by Polyphony Digital and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 2. It is the fourth main installment and the sixth overall in the Gran Turismo series. It was released on December 28, 2004, in Japan and Hong Kong, February 22, 2005, in North America, and March 9, 2005, in Europe, and has since been re-issued under Sony's Greatest Hits brand.
Kazunori Yamauchi, nicknamed "Kaz", is a Japanese game designer and racing driver. He is the CEO of Polyphony Digital and producer of the Gran Turismo video game series.
Neill Blomkamp is a South African and Canadian film director and screenwriter. He is known as the co-writer and director of the science fiction action film District 9 (2009), for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay, and the director of the dystopian science fiction action film Elysium (2013), which garnered moderately positive reviews. He also directed the science fiction action film Chappie (2015) and the sports drama film Gran Turismo (2023).
Gran Turismo 5 is a 2010 racing simulation video game developed by Polyphony Digital and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 3. It is the fifth main installment and the tenth overall in the Gran Turismo series. It was released on November 24, 2010, in Europe and North America, and November 25, 2010, in Japan and Australasia. It was preceded by the Prologue version and is the first main entry of the series to be released for the PlayStation 3.
The GT by Citroën is a sports car that debuted as a concept car on October 2 at the 2008 Paris Motor Show. The car is a collaboration between the French automaker Citroën and the Japanese racing simulation developer Polyphony Digital. Six cars were expected to be built, with an expected MSRP of $2,100,000; however, the production run was allegedly cancelled in 2010 due to high costs.
Stephen Alexander Mardenborough is an English former professional footballer who made more than 300 appearances in the Football League. He is the father of professional racer Jann Mardenborough.
Joseph Kosinski is an American film director, best known for his computer graphics and computer-generated imagery (CGI) work, and for his work in action films. He has directed the films Tron: Legacy (2010), Oblivion (2013), Only the Brave (2017), Top Gun: Maverick (2022) and Spiderhead (2022). His previous work has primarily been with CGI-related television commercials including the "Starry Night" commercial for Halo 3 and the award-winning "Mad World" commercial for Gears of War.
Jordan Tresson is a French racing driver, who previously raced in the FIA World Endurance Championship.
Jann Mardenborough is a British professional racing driver. In 2011 he became the third and youngest winner of the GT Academy competition, beating 90,000 entrants to earn a professional racing contract with Nissan. He had no previous motorsport experience, having played sim racing video games instead. During his career, he has finished on the podium in his class at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, won races and contended for titles in GT3 and junior formula cars, and competed at the highest level in Super GT, Super Formula and the FIA World Endurance Championship.
Gran Turismo 6 is a 2013 racing simulation video game developed by Polyphony Digital and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 3. It is the sixth main installment and the eleventh overall in the Gran Turismo series. It was released worldwide on December 6, 2013. It was met with positive reception and was a financial success. New features included the addition of more cars and tracks, improvements to the car customisation options, and partnerships with the Goodwood Festival of Speed, the Ayrton Senna Institute, the FIA and NASCAR. Gran Turismo 6 is the first game to feature officially FIA-certified content.
The Nismo Global Driver Exchange was an initiative from Nissan and Nismo to share driving experience from various motor racing categories around the world.
GT Academy was a television programme produced by Grand Central Entertainment and funded by Nissan and Sony Interactive Entertainment from 2008 to 2016. GT Academy provided skilled Gran Turismo players an opportunity to earn a real-life professional racing career with Nissan.
Gran Turismo Sport is a 2017 racing video game developed by Polyphony Digital and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment for the PlayStation 4. It is the twelfth game in the Gran Turismo series, the seventh game in the main series.
The Gran Turismo World Series is a series of professional Gran Turismo world championship esports tournaments, managed directly by Japanese game development studio Polyphony Digital. The championship contains two series that are held concurrently throughout the year: the Nations Cup and the Manufacturers Cup. The series uses Polyphony Digital's latest racing video game Gran Turismo 7.
PlayStation Productions, LLC is an American production company owned by Sony Interactive Entertainment.
B-Max Racing Co., Ltd also known as B-Max Racing Team and B-Max Engineering is a Japanese race car constructor and racing team headquartered in Ayase, Kanagawa, Japan.
Darren Cox is a British businessman and automotive and motorsport executive who is known as the creator and director of GT Academy. A character based on Cox is portrayed by Orlando Bloom in the film Gran Turismo.
Archie Madekwe is a British actor and producer. On television, he is known for his role in the Apple TV+ series See (2019–2022). His films include Midsommar (2019), Gran Turismo and Saltburn.
Gran Turismo (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) is the soundtrack to the 2023 film Gran Turismo. Jointly composed by Lorne Balfe and Andrew Kawczynski, the soundtrack consisting of 17 instrumental tracks from the score, was released by Sony Classical Records on August 11, 2023 in digital formats, with a physical release on August 25.
It is definitely fascinating that the movie that is dedicated to racing had its premiere during the Belgium Grand Prix 2023, in the presence of some of the most famous racecar drivers in the world.
To celebrate the release of "Gran Turismo: The Movie," players can receive a movie livery edition of the Nismo GT-R as a gift by watching the trailer from the "Celebrate the release of the 'Gran Turismo' movie!" banner on the World Map from August 7 to late September.