M2M Wins The Race Game!

It looks like M2M will be the first "Mars" movie to be released next year with RED PLANET following with a release date of June 16. Thanks goes to The Val Kilmer Newsletter. 11/5/99

Mars movies spin into different orbits
By Dade Hayes
HOLLYWOOD (Variety) - When scheduling their 2000 event pictures, Warner Bros. and Disney are choosing different Mars attacks. Warners has pushed back the release of "Red Planet'' to June 16 from March 31. Disney still plans a March 10 liftoff for "Mission to Mars.''

     Neither studio's executives would elaborate on plans, but it's always the stuff of intrigue when identically themed projects arise at rival shops. "Red Planet,'' which stars Val Kilmer and Carrie-Anne Moss, concerns a crew of space explorers who are stranded in space. "Mission to Mars,'' which also has a stranded-in-space theme, stars Tim Robbins, Gary Sinise and Connie Nielsen.

     Some recent examples of duos debunk the common perception that the first to market is always the domestic box office winner. "A Bug's Life,'' Disney's insect picture, racked up $162.8 million despite bowing six weeks after DreamWorks' "Antz,'' which ended up with $90.7 million.

     Paramount's asteroid pic "Deep Impact'' debuted in May 1998 and took in a better than expected $140.5 million, but Disney's "Armageddon'' followed nearly two months later and did $201.6 million. Then again, about nine months after Paramount's $125 million hit "The Truman Show'' bowed, Universal launched "EDtv.'' The latter collected just $22.4 million.

     And few can forget 1997's spring of liquid hot magma. Final scorecard, in order of release: "Dante's Peak,'' $67.1 million, "Volcano,'' $49.3 million.