Lego Dimensions (film)

Lego Dimensions is a 2022 computer-animated comedy film produced by Warner Animation Group and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. Based on the videogame of the same name it is the 6th installment in the LEGO Extended Universe (LEU). It was directed and written by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller from a screenplay by Andrew Stanton and Stephany Folsom and, like its predecessors, produced by Dan Lin and Roy Lee. The film features an ensemble cast including Chris Pratt, Elizabeth Banks, Elijah Wood, Will Arnett, Dave Franco, Michael Cera, Michael Peña, Rosario Dawson, Alison Brie, Abbi Jacobson, Emma Stone and Fred Armisen reprising their roles from previous films in the franchise. They are joined by Keegan-Michael Key, Christina Hendricks, Keanu Reeves, and Ally Maki, who voice new characters introduced in this film. In the plot, the formation of an interdimensional rift causing several dimensions to collide, as well as several of his supervillains. The story follows the coming together of the heroes and their attempts to stop the danger that threatens the multiverse.

Development for Lego Dimensions began in 2017. Lord and Miller were asked to serve as directors and writers in April 2018, with Lin and Lee acting as producers. In mid 2019 a draft of the script was finished; however, the start of active production on the film was temporarily put on hold, due to directors' scheduling conflicts. Production began in January 2020 but was postponed in April due to the Covid-19 pandemic, resuming in June. Its release, initially scheduled for July 16, 2021, was delayed first by scheduling conflicts and then by the pandemic.

Lego Dimensions premiered in Los Angeles on August 21, 2022, and was released in the United States and United Kingdom on September 2, 2022 in RealD 3D, IMAX, IMAX 3D, 4DX and Dolby Cinema. It received positive reviews from critics and praise for the screenplay, humor, and voice acting; they also commented positively on the meaning of the topics covered. Has grossed $1.098 billion worldwide, becoming the third-hightest-grossing film of 2022. Lego Dimensions garnered numerous awards and nominations including BAFTA nominations.

Cast

 * Chris Pratt as Emmet Brickowski, an everyman, construction worker, and a Master Builder from Bricksburg.
 * Elizabeth Banks as Lucy / Wyldstyle, a Master Builder, next chosen and Emmet's girlfriend; she is a super-skilled girl in combat and with a slightly happier past than she likes to tell.
 * Will Arnett as Bruce Wayne / Batman, a DC Comics superhero who is a Master Builder; he dedicates himself to protecting and saves Gotham City from its criminal underworld as a highly trained masked vigilante equipped with various tools and weapons..
 * Emma Stone as Jane Dangerburger, a hyper-intelligent girl and the right hand and love interest of Brody Reyes.
 * Elijah Wood as Brody Reyes, a man previously persecuted by the FBI and the law after being wrongfully framed; After being released after proving his innocence, he has dedicated himself to working in technology.
 * Dave Franco as Lloyd, the Green Ninja, leader of the Secret Ninja Force, Lord Garmadon and Misako's son and Master Wu's nephew.
 * Zack Galifianakis as Joker, a clown-themed villain in Gotham City and Batman's archenemy, who defines himself by his conflict with him; he is the villain who leads the conflict, and who is finally delivered to the Arkam Asylum, for his retention.
 * Alison Brie as Unikitty, a A Master Builder who is a unicorn-horned cat; former ruler of a super kingdom, she has a hot temper and now rests under the care of Emmet and Lucy.
 * Michael Cera as Dick Grayson / Robin, a 18-year-old teenager who was adopted by Batman; Under the name of Robin, he loves working alongside his father, but has been struggling for the past few years to cling to a solo career.
 * Michael Peña as Kai, the hotheaded red Ninja of Fire and Nya's brother.
 * Rosario Dawson as Barbara Gordon / Batgirl, she police commissioner of Gotham, she works together with Batman under the name of Batgirl.

Development
The film entered development in late 2017, with plans to release the film in 2020. Phil Lord and Christopher Miller were tapped as writers and directors and like the previous films, Dan Lin and Roy Lee would serve as producers in April 2018. A directors' room was set up the following month to properly develop the film iterations of the franchise and to discuss the central plot points. Producers Dan Lin and Roy Lee reiterated plans for the film later in 2018 and said that Lord and Miller had a story idea for the film. Kevin Tsujihara mentioned that the story treatments were being viewed "closely, very closely" from the video game Lego Dimensions.

Lord and Miller were later asked how much planning they had put into the film while it was in development in previous months, to which they replied that they knew how far they wanted to go with the story and the implications it would have on the franchise. They said that by planning the film they were also actively designing the future of future installments of the franchise in advance "it's crucial what we're doing; in advance we're desing a universe for a franchise. It can't be arbitrary but it's solid [... ] Until now, the previous Lego movies had pretty clear definitive endings T hey were much more episodic, and of course, they weren't particularly connected." The directors also said that the film would introduce many more characters from popular culture and stated that future films could explore them properly.

Pre-production
Warner Bros. announced in November 2018 that a untitled Lego film, would be released on July 16, 2021.

Writing
Lord and Miller agreed to be writers after discussing a basic set of ideas they had for the film. Unlike its predecessors, Lord and Miller said the film would involve an expansive plot, rather than an encapsulated idea, something they found repetitive. By August 2018 they began to work on the script and devised the basic story, although at that time the treatments began.

The narration of the film does not follow the same plot of the original video game. Lord and Miller felt that the basis of the script was not really set up to develop the story involved in Lego Dimensions so they opted to write a different conflict, without Gary Oldman's character, Lord Vortech, in the script.

In February 2019, the film's title was announced as Lego Dimensions and Dan Lin confirmed that the script and respective final treatments had already been finished.

"somewhat more mature than the previous films, while still having the characteristic optimism and grace". Despite this, it was later revealed that having Lord Vortech as the main antagonist was highly regarded, but was dropped to give more creative freedom to the story.

Casting
Casting began in late 2019 and it was reported that Warner Bros. was taking steps to bring back the full cast of the previous five films. Chris Pratt as Emmet, Elizabeth Banks as Wyldstyle and Will Arnett as Batman announced for April 2021 participation. Elijah Wood and Emma Stone signed in June. In November 2021, Jason Momoa would reprise his role as Aquaman from the DC Extended Universe, along with the full cast of the Justice League from the previous films. Zach Galifianakis returned as the Joker and Dwayne Johnson announced his return to his role shortly after. Michael Cera, Nick Offerman, Stephanie Beatriz, Jenny Slate, Fred Armisen, Dave Franco and the rest of the cast will be announced in May 2022.

Marketing
Lego Dimensions had a marketing campaign with reported costs of up to $150 million. Exclusive images from the film were presented at CinemaCon on April 28, 2022. The first trailer was released online on May 2, 2022, four months before the film's release. The debut received praise from critics and fans and became a global trend on social media. The trailer reached 231.7 million views in its first 24 hours, setting the sixth-most viewed trailer in one day. Beginning June 7, Warner Bros. went on a three-week promotional tour in Mexico City, Tokyo, London, Copenhagen, San Diego, and Los Angeles. A second trailer was released on July 17 and was immensely publicized by the media. A presentation at San Diego Comic-Con featuring the cast was held the same month. Like the rest of the franchise, The Lego Group released toys based on scenes from the film.

Release
Lego Dimensions debuted at the Edinburgh International Film Festival on August 14, 2022 and premiered on Regency Village Theatre in Los Angeles in August 21. Was relased in Australia and South Korea on August 31, in New Zealand, Canada and Mexico in September 1 and  in the United States and the United Kingdom on September 2 by Warner Bros. Pictures. The film was originally scheduled for general release on July 16, 2021 before moving to May 20, 2022. When the DC League of Super Pets moved to that date it was delayed indefinitely, before moving further due to delays from the Covid-19 pandemic.

It was originally scheduled to hit the digital download and HBO Max streaming service 45 days after its theatrical release, but was pushed back indefinitely on September 17.

Box Office
Lego Dimensions has grossed $410.5 million in the United States and Canada and $686.2 million in other territories for a worlwide total of $1.097 billion.

In the United States and Canada, the film was released on September 2, 2022 along with ''[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honk_for_Jesus._Save_Your_Soul Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul]'' in Labor Day four days weekend and was initially projected to debut between $75-90 million in 4159 theaters (including 200 IMAX screens). It made $43.2 million on its opening day (including $15.3 million from Tuesday and Thursday nights, a record for a September release), raising projections for a weekend of $95-140 million. It had a $145.3 million opening weekend over the four-day frame, finishing first at the box office, and setting records for the biggest opening weekend for a September and fall release, topping the records set by It (2017). It became the second pandemic-era animated film to hit $100 million in a three-day opening weekend after Lightyear and the eighth overall. In its second weekend, the film remained in first place with $74.5 million, a 49% drop that is the third-smallest for a film in the franchise.

Outside the U.S. and Canada, the film made $29.7 million from 15 early offshore markets.

Critical response
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 90% of 278 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.0/10. The website's consensus reads, "Lego Dimensions is a great follow-up to connect all the vision of its fun predecessors, while also being a brilliant animated adventure in its own right." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 81 out of 100, based on 44 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale while PostTrak reported 91% of audience members gave it a positive score (with an average rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars), with 79% saying they would definitely recommend it.

Writing for Rolling Stone, David Fear said: "[The original Lego Movie] was elegant animation with exciting craftsmanship, a new slab of priceless glitter. Lego Dimensions now feels like a contractual evolution that stands out ever further, it's drastic in squeezing out the best parts that made the previous ones a blast to watch and therefore a success in doing so." Variety said: "Of the last three Lego movies, Lego Dimensions is one of the most compelling to watch; it's exciting, a twist on everything animated. But that's not all. The Lego franchise has been through a lot so far but it hasn't completely back to their greatest highs, this film is definitely a showcase of what they can do."

Possible sequel
In November 2022, Lord and Miller were in talks about the possibility of a Lego Dimensions direct sequel.