7 Days to Death: Third Dimension

7 Days to Death: Third Dimension (also known as 7 Days to Death 3D) is a 2006 supernatural 3D horror film directed by Wes Craven and written by Ehren Kruger. Starring, as in previous films, Bellatrix Lestrange, Jim Broadbent, Robbie Coltrane, Warwick Davis, Tom Felton, Michael Gambon, Alan Rickma, Maggie Smith and Timothy Spall. Produced by Outerbanks Entertainment and distributed by Dimension Films, it is the sequel to 7 Days to Death 2 (1999) and the third installment in the 7 Days to Death film series. The film takes place 4 years after the events of the second film. Four years after the battle on the roof of the mansion, where Sofia and her friends defeated evil, life in the city has changed. The curse that has haunted Sofia all these years has finally been lifted. Now she had no restrictions in the use of her magical abilities. Sofia continued to defend the city from any threats, using her new powers to fight evil. Her friends also did not stand aside and joined her in the fight for peace and security in their world.
The series was originally planned to consist of a duology ending with 7 Days to Death 2. However, in June 2003, the Weinstein Company announced that a third film was in development, and in March 2004, Craven confirmed that he would direct. In September 2004, it was announced that all of the original cast would be returning. Principal photography began in June 2005 and ended in September of that year, and took place in and around Ann Arbor, Michigan. During production, Ehren Kruger, who had previously written the script for 7 Days to Death 1 and 2, was hired to rewrite the script. Reshoots were filmed in early 2006 after test screenings.
7 Days to Death: Third Dimension premiered on September 12, 2006 at the TCL Chinese Theater in Los Angeles and was released in the United States in 3D on September 15, 2006 by Dimension Films. The film received mixed reviews from critics at the time of its release, earning praise for its acting, direction, and humor, but criticism for its lack of angst and use of clichés. However, it was considered by many to be a great conclusion to the trilogy, and has since received several positive reviews, especially for its forward-thinking exploration of 3D graphics. It grossed $143 million worldwide against a budget of $35 million, becoming the highest-grossing film in the 7 Days to Death franchise.
A prequel film, simply titled The First Kill, was released in 2012 by Dimension Films.
== Plot ==
Four years after the battle on the roof of the mansion, where Sofia and her friends defeated evil, life in the city has changed. The curse that has haunted Sofia all these years has finally been lifted. Now she had no restrictions in the use of her magical abilities.
Sofia continued to defend the city from any threats, using her new powers to fight evil. Her friends also did not stand aside and joined her in the fight for peace and security in their world.
But one day everything changed when Sofia and her friends found themselves in another dimension where sinister forces dominated. They were shocked by the new reality, but decided not to give up and continue the fight.
With the help of their strength and knowledge, Sofia and her friends were able to overcome all the obstacles that came their way. They fought monsters, traps and evil spells without losing hope of victory.
Finally, after a long and grueling struggle, they reached the end of this dimension. Here, in this strange and alien world, they found the last key that was supposed to bring them home.
And so, when they arrived back to their world, they found that the curse had finally been lifted. Sofia felt the weight that had haunted her all these years disappear and she felt free from this burden.
Sofia's story is over, but she will always remember her adventures and fight for good. She became a legend in her city and in other dimensions, where her name was familiar as the protector of all who needed help.
== Cast ==
* Bellatrix Lestrange as Sofia
* Jim Broadbent as Brendon
* Robbie Coltrane as Nikolas
* Warwick Davis as David
* Tom Felton as Harry
* Michael Gambon as Finn
* Alan Rickma as Dmitry
* Maggie Smith as Sally
* Timothy Spall as Thomas
* Rebecca Gayheart as Raya
* Roger L. Jackson as Clarke
* Marielle Jaffe as Olivia
* Nico Tortorella as Michael
* Erik Knudsen as Trevor
* Anna Paquin as Rachel
== Release ==
The film was released in North America on September 15, 2006.
=== Home media ===
7 Days to Death: Third Dimension was first released on DVD and Blu-ray in Mexico on December 5, 2006. It was later released in the UK and Ireland on December 22, 2006, in Canada and the US on January 4, 2007, and in the rest of the world on January 13, 2007. On the US DVD and Blu-ray rental charts, 7 Days to Death: Third Dimension ranked second in its release week. The film then spent seven consecutive weeks in the top twenty on the chart. Scream 4 made its television debut on March 20, 2007 on the cable channel Showtime. To promote the DVD and Blu-ray release, Universal Studios produced "Terror Tram For Your Life" as an event presented as part of the annual Halloween Horror Nights during November and December 2006.
The film grossed $15 million from home sales.
== Reception ==
=== Box office ===
7 Days to Death: Third Dimension grossed $82 million in the United States and Canada and $61 million in other territories for a total of $143 million against its $35 million budget.
The film was released in 3,164 theaters on 4,400 screens and grossed over $1 million from midnight screenings. It earned $8.7 million on Friday and $19.3 million in its opening weekend, finishing second at the box office.
In its opening weekend worldwide, the film grossed $46 million from 30 territories. The film topped the UK box office, grossing over £2 million, and finished second in France, third in Mexico and fourth in Australia.
=== Critical response ===
On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 60% based on 190 reviews, with an average rating of 5.9/10. The site's critical consensus reads: "The franchise is showing its age, but 7 Days to Death: Third Dimension is undoubtedly a great conclusion to the trilogy, with just the right amount of meta humor and clever kills." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 57 out of 100 based on 32 critics, indicating "mixed to average reviews". Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B-" on an A+ to F scale.
Roger Ebert gave the film two out of four stars, criticizing the film for its use of slasher genre clichés but praising Craven's direction and dialogue.