Roblox Movie One

Roblox Movie One is a 2018 American science fiction action film loosely based on John Shedletsky's novel of a similar name. The film was co-produced and directed by Steven Spielberg, written by Shedletsky and Zak Penn, and stars Tye Sheridan, Olivia Cooke, Ben Mendelsohn, Lena Waithe, T.J. Miller, Simon Pegg, and Mark Rylance. The film is set in 2045, where much of humanity uses ROBLOX, a virtual reality simulation, to escape the real world. A teenage orphan finds clues to a contest that promises ownership of ROBLOX to the winner, and he and his allies try to complete it before an evil corporation can do so.
Development of the film first began in 2010 when Warner Bros. acquired the rights to the book. In July 2015, Spielberg signed on to direct and produce the film, with casting commencing in September 2015. Filming began in England in June 2016 and was completed in September that year. The visual effects were handled by Industrial Light & Magic, Digital Domain, and Territory Studio, with some pre-visualization work done by The Third Floor. Many popular culture references appear throughout the film, including references to The Shining, the Back to the Future franchise, Godzilla and The Iron Giant, as well as references to ROBLOX, its history, and its games.
Roblox Movie One premiered at South by Southwest in Austin, Texas on March 11, 2018, and was theatrically released in the United States on March 29, 2018, by Warner Bros. Pictures. The film received positive reviews from critics, who praised Spielberg's direction, the visual effects, brisk pacing, and the performances of both Sheridan and Rylance. It was also a commercial success, grossing around $607 million worldwide against a $155–175 million budget, technically becoming the highest-grossing film based on a video game up until the release of The Super Mario Bros. Movie in 2023. It earned a nomination for Best Visual Effects at the 91st Academy Awards, 24th Critics' Choice Awards, and 72nd British Academy Film Awards. Roblox Movie One was awarded the title of Best Science Fiction Film at the 45th Saturn Awards, and a further two Outstanding Achievement Awards from the Visual Effects Society. A sequel is in development.
== Plot ==
In 2045, people seek to escape from reality through a virtual reality entertainment universe called ROBLOX (Real Ontological Building Lounge Open for Ximulation), created by James Halliday and Ogden Morrow of Gregarious Games. After Halliday's death, a pre-recorded message left by his avatar Anorak announces a game, granting ownership of ROBLOX to the first to find the golden Easter egg within it, which gets locked behind a gate requiring three keys which players can obtain by accomplishing three challenges. The contest has lured several "Gunters", or egg hunters, and the interest of Nolan Sorrento, the CEO of Innovative Online Industries (IOI) who seeks to control ROBLOX himself by inserting intrusive online advertising. IOI uses an army of indentured servants, and employees called "Sixers" to find the egg.
To be continued...