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 feature film in the LEGO Extended Universe (LEU). Directed and written by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller as well as 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. In the film, 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.

Initially conceived as an independent crossover, was being planned as mid 2017 following the success from previous films in the franchise. The production began in November 2020 after being delayed by the Covid-19 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 will also be released on HBO Max, but not within the typical 45 days after its theatrical release. The film received praise fo screenplay, humor, animation, action sequences and voice acting, and grossed over $1.097 billion worldwide, making it the sixth-highest-grossing animated film of all time at the time of its release and 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 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: The police commissioner of Gotham; she works together with Batman under the name of Batgirl.

Development
Ideas for a crossover film began in July 2017, with plans to release the film in the 2020s, after the successful reception of The Lego Batman Movie and The Lego Movie Sequel months earlier. A directors' room met in late May 2018, where plans were discussed for a set "shared universe", where all the characters would collide on screen; Jorge R. Gutierrez added references and a last-minute post-credit scene to The Billion Brick Race at the request of Warner Bros. According to Lord and Miller, who were tapped as directors and writers the following December, there were comments and jokes compared to The Avengers in the room

Shortly after production on The Billion Brick Race was completed, Kevin Tsujihara explained that the film would be "ushering in the future" of Lego movies. Later in 2018, Tsujihara mentioned that the treatments for the story would be based on the canceled Lego Dimensions video game and that the film was also intended to draw references to the existence of other popular culture characters in the universe, opening up the option of including them themselves. later. The film was officially announced in a press release from Warner Bros. in September 2019, under the name Lego Dimensions. Following negotiations between the studio and The Lego Group to continue producing more films, as well as the impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic, development on the project was put on hold until May 2020, when it resumed to begin production in Canada from home in November.

Writing
A tentative release date of May 2022 was announced in February 2021. Phill Lord and Christopher Miller reaffirmed on August 3, 2021 that the title of the film is Lego Dimensions, and stated that the film would be loosely based on the story of the film. video game, without having Lord Vortech involved, and being "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.

Theatrical
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 May 20, 2022 before DC League of Super Pets moved to that date. Was later moved due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic to its current release date.

Home media
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 October 1. Finally hitting the service on February 7, 2023, the film will then move to Amazon Prime Video for 10 months, before returning to HBO Max. The film was released on Blu-ray Disc, Blu-ray 3D, 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray, and DVD on March 24, 2023 in various international markets.

Box Office
Lego Dimensions was a box office success, it earned $398.5 million in the United States and Canada and $697.2 million in other territories for a worlwide total of $1.096 million. It had a worldwide opening of $276.8 million, which is the second-biggest of all time for an animated film. Deadline Hollywood estimated the film's net profit at $322.6 million, taking into account production, marketing, and talent involvement budgets; The box office gross and home media receipts put it fourth on their 2022 "Most Valuable Blockbusters" list, finishing as the highest ranking animated film.

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).

Critical response
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 92% of 295 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.9/10.

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