Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Live Today

Audiences Appraise 'Attack of the Clones' With Critical Eye

Aired May 16, 2002 - 10:12   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Well, hard to believe it's been just a week, it's just a week since the "Spider-Man" movie scaled new heights in box office history, and now, the clones have landed to plant their own flag on the Hollywood landscape.

The latest installment in the "Star Wars" saga opened early this morning, and our Eric Horng is at Grauman's Chinese Theater in Hollywood with the latest. Eric, you had kind of either a late night or an early morning. I haven't quite figured out which.

ERIC HORNG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, I haven't figured it out either, but I can tell you there's going to be a lot of groggy people here in Hollywood, because they had a 3:30 a.m. screening here at Grauman's Chinese Theater. Hundreds of people packed the theater for that one. A few people walking out kind of shaking their heads, disappointed, but for the most part, people were raving about this film after they got out; a very similar situation with the midnight screening. During that midnight screening, the audience gave the film a standing ovation.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, it was incredible. The special effects were just amazing.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Great fight sequences, a lot of action. Definitely worth seeing.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Absolutely. I am going to watch it again and again and again.

HORNG (voice-over): It's the day Jedi junkies have been waiting for.

UNIDENTIFIED GROUP OF PEOPLE: May the force be with you.

HORNG: "Star Wars: Episode II, Attack of the Clones" features some familiar characters, including Yoda, Obi-Wan Kenobi and a teenage Anakin Skywalker, who we already know eventually becomes Darth Vader.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In this film, you begin to see that he wants to begin to control things. He wants to become more powerful.

HORNG: The four previous "Star Wars" films combined have grossed nearly $3 billion worldwide. Expect "Attack of the Clones" to be a force at the box office as well. Advance ticket sales have been brisk. Even a weekday matinee ticket may be a tough get. The employment firm, Challenger, Gray and Christmas estimates more than two-and-a-half million people may conveniently catch the "Star Wars" flu and call in sick to work today.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You are looking at close to $320 million in wages that are going to come off the bookies on opening day.

HORNG: Still, 1999's "Episode I: The Phantom Menace," despite being the third highest-grossing film of all time, was panned by many critics and diehard fans. Can "Episode II" live up to its billing?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Expectations were so high in "Phantom Menace" that it was almost set up to fail. But I think that disappointment has kind of lowered expectations, or at least controlled them somewhat for "Attack of the Clones."

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HORNG: Now, you may or may not know, back in 1977 the original "Star Wars" film debuted on only 32 screens nationwide, pretty amazing when you compare that to the 6,000 screens that will be showing "Episode II" this weekend -- Daryn, back to you.

KAGAN: Eric, I'm just wondering what kind of people it is drawing. I imagine if we're talking about midnight and overnight, more adults than kids. But any kids among the crowd?

HORNG: Yes, we saw a few kids, but for the most part, adults, for the most part, a male audience. A lot of them kind of dressed up, as you saw in the video, in storm trooper outfits, in Darth Vader costumes, and you know, you can you call them die-hard "Star Wars fans. Obviously a lot of these people saying that they are going to come back several times to see this movie, you know, the core audience of "Star Wars." So generally pretty good reviews here, but also these people had pretty critical eyes, so -- interesting what they had to say.

KAGAN: That's true. That is, as you said, the target audience. Eric Horng, right in the middle of Hollywood -- thank you so much.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com