Warner Bros. has announced that in a whoa-worthy bit of synchronicity The Matrix Revolutions, the concluding chapter in the Wachowski brothers' hit sci-fi trilogy, will be released simultaneously in nearly 70 countries. The man-versus-machine epic starring Keanu Reeves will officially hit theaters on November 5 at what Warners execs call the "zero hour", the exact same moment across the globe. That means Revolutions will open at 6 a.m. in Los Angeles, 9 a.m. in New York, 2 p.m. in London, 5 p.m. in Moscow, and 11 p.m. in Tokyo.
"It was a thought that came up a long time ago about almost a year ago, and it did not come from the Wachowskis, it actually came from inside the studio," says Veronica Kwan-Rubinek, president of international distribution at the studio. "It was something we were thinking about even before Reloaded came out and it took a lot of coordination to make sure all the pieces were in place." Such a release strategy has never before been attempted by Tinseltown. The closest a studio has come to doing such simultaneous, synchronized release was in May, when Fox opened X2 on the same day in 80 countries, but not at the same hour.
But Hollywood studios have been headed in this direction for some time for two reasons--a global release helps thwart piracy (which tends to be higher in those countries that have to wait the longest for the latest blockbuster) and also ups the hype factor, helping ensure studios a monster opening weekend. "The zero hour simultaneous opening of Revolutions once again positions the Matrix films as the cutting-edge experience in motion pictures," says Dan Fellman, president of Warner's domestic distribution. "Audiences came out to see The Matrix Reloaded in record numbers, and we appreciate the enthusiasm, collaboration and support of our exhibitors in helping us bring The Matrix Revolutions to audiences on November 5."
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