Arcane (film)

2022 science fantasy action filmTemplate:SHORTDESC:2022 science fantasy action film

## Arcane

### **Screenplay by**

* Mike Rianda
* Phil Lord
* Christopher Miller

### **Story by**

* Qui Nguyen
* Charise Castro Smith
* Carlos López Estrada

### **Based on**

*League of Legends*
by Riot Games

### **Produced by**

* Jordan Kerner
* Joe Roth
* Avi Arad
* Amy Pascal
* Jeffrey Kirschenbaum
* Neal H. Moritz
* George Gipson
* Phil Lord
* Christopher Miller
* Christina Steinberg

### **Starring**

* Hailee Steinfeld
* Ella Purnell
* Kevin Alejandro
* Katie Leung
* Jason Spisak
* Harry Lloyd
* Toks Olagundoye
* JB Blanc
* Reed Shannon
* Mick Wingert

### **Cinematography**

* Larry Fong
* William "Bill" Pope

### **Music by**

* Henry Jackman
* Rupert Gregson-Williams
* Lorne Balfe
* Tom Holkenborg

### **Production company**

* Columbia Pictures
* Sony Pictures Animation
* Movie Land Animation Studios
* Riot Games
* Roth/Kirschenbaum Films
* Original Film
* Titmouse, Inc.
* Tencent Pictures
* The Kerner Entertainment Company
* Arad Productions
* Lord Miller Productions
* Pascal Pictures

### **Release date**

* November 25, 2022 (2022-11-25) (Hollywood)
* December 2, 2022 (2022-12-02) (United States)

### **Language**

* English
* Mandarin

### **Country**

* United States
* China

### **Box office**

$1.465 billion

***Arcane*** is a 2022 American science fantasy action adventure film based on the video game *League of Legends* published by Riot Games. It is a live-action film adaptation of Netflix and Fortiche's animated television series of its same name, which itself is based on the series created by Christian Linke and Alex Yee. Produced by Sony Pictures Animation, Movie Land Animation Studios, and Riot Games, it marks Movie Land Animation Studios' second film adaptation of the video game, following *Overwatch* (2020). The film was directed by Jun Falkenstein (in her live-action directorial debut) from a screenplay by Mike Rianda, Phil Lord, and Christopher Miller. The film was officially announced in November 2019, and animation work began in June 2020. The film takes place between the first and second season of *Arcane*, following its success of the series. All voice actors from the series reprised their roles, such as Hailee Steinfeld, Ella Purnell, Kevin Alejandro, Katie Leung, Jason Spisak, Harry Lloyd, Toks Olagundoye, JB Blanc, Reed Shannon and Mick Wingert. Production was underway by 2020, and the cast was publicly announced in June 2021.

*Arcane* premiered in Hollywood on November 25, 2022, and was released in the United States on December 2, 2022 by Sony Pictures Releasing. The film received critical acclaim from critics and was a box-office success, grossing $1.465 billion on a budget of $90 million, surpassing *Ghost in the Shell* (2022) to become the highest-grossing film produced by MLAS, making it the second film from the studio to pass the billion dollar mark.

The film was nominated for the 14th Movie Land Fun and Excitement Awards for Best Visual Effects, but lost to *Avatar: The Way of Water*. A sequel is set to be released in Q4 2025.

## Production

### Development

On December 9, 2019, Movie Land Animation Studios announced that Phil Lord and Christopher Miller would write and produce a live-action film adaptation of the television series based on the video game *League of Legends* published by Riot Games, *Arcane*. As of March 16, 2020, productions were paused during the COVID-19 pandemic, with Carlos Saldanha, director of Blue Sky Studios' *Ferdinand*, were considered to direct from a screenplay by Mike Rianda for Sony Pictures. On October 23, 2020, Jun Falkenstein announced to be hired as a film director.

### Casting

In June 2021, all voice actors from the series reprised their roles, such as Hailee Steinfeld, Ella Purnell, Kevin Alejandro, Katie Leung, Jason Spisak, Harry Lloyd, Toks Olagundoye, JB Blanc, Reed Shannon and Mick Wingert

### Filming

Principal photography began in Toronto in mid-September 2020 and ended in Vancouver on October 16, 2021. Key production scenes were also filmed in Marine. While filming, the film was shot using Phantom Flex high-speed cameras for the Slo-Mo sequences, producing 6,000 frames per second.

### Visual effects

Visual effects vendors for the film were handled by Movie Land Digital Production Services (MLDPS) (in collaboration with The Bellas VFX Studios), Industrial Light & Magic (ILM), Wētā FX, Base FX, and La Femme Rouge VFX who made 9,900 shots. MLDPS, Wētā FX and ILM began developing the Slo-Mo concept sequences in February 2021. Slo-Mo scenes also feature a rainbow color scheme and sparkle highlights to create an unreal and otherworldly effects.

### Music

Henry Jackman, Rupert Gregson-Williams, Lorne Balfe, Tom Holkenborg were hired to compose the film score as of February 2022. Skywalker Sound worked on sound design and temp mixing for the film. The soundtrack was released on December 1, 2022, by Hexagon Records, while score album was released the same day by Sony Classical Records.

## Marketing

The cool toys were released on November 29, 2022 from Burger King as part of the Burger King Kids Meal. The teaser trailer was released online on April 1, 2022. In theaters, it was shown to the screen in front of *Sonic the Hedgehog 2* and *Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness* (both in 2022). The first trailer was released online on June 12, 2022. In theaters, it was shown to the screen in front of Pixar's *Lightyear* and Illumination's *Minions: The Rise of Gru*. The final trailer was released online on September 25, 2022. In theaters, it was shown in front of *Bros*, *Amsterdam* and *Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile*.

## Release

The film was originally scheduled to be released on October 14, 2022, but on May 3, 2022, the film was delayed to December 23, 2022, to finish the film's visual effects vendors. It was then moved up to December 2, to avoid competition with *Spy Land*. However, due to the brief same sex kiss, *Arcane* was rated PG-13 for "intense sequences of sci-fi action violence, mild sensuality and brief strong language"; making it Sony Pictures Animation's second PG-13 film and Movie Land Animation Studios' fourth PG-13 film overall.

### Home media

*Arcane* was released for purchase on digital on February 3, 2023 for purchase, 2 months after its theatrical release. The film was also released on Ultra HD Blu-ray, Blu-ray, and DVD on February 28, by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. The film is set to stream on Netflix on May 5, 2023.

## Reception

### Critical responses

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 98% of 200 reviews are positive, with an average rating of 9.3/10. Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 87 out of 100 based on 190 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".

## References

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## External links

* Official website
* *Arcane* at IMDb

Template:League of Legends

 Films produced
 Television series created
 Television series produced