‘Rango’ corrals top spot with $38M
LOS ANGELES (AP) March 6, 2011 — Rango has lassoed the top spot at the box office.
The animated Paramount film featuring Johnny Depp as the voice of a Wild West chameleon sheriff rode into town with a $38 million debut, according to studio estimates.
Rango, which was directed by Pirates of the Caribbean film franchise maestro Gore Verbinski, is the first animated feature from Industrial Light and Magic, the special effects studio founded by George Lucas in 1975.
“The draw for audiences was certainly Johnny Depp and Gore Verbinski, but when you look at the reviews, it was 88 per cent positive on Rotten Tomatoes, which is a level that Pixar operates at,” said Don Harris, Paramount’s executive vice president for distribution. “This is a film that has a shot at being nominated for Academy Awards this time next year.”
Rango is the first feature movie for which Virtuos is officially listed in the credits. The company is very proud to be associated with the first animated feature film from Industrial Light and Magic. Virtuos had a large team of artists working over 9 months to produce many of the film’s hero assets.