If you don’t know who Hannah Montana is by now, well, I hope you enjoyed your time on space station Mir. The alter ego of Miley Cyrus has conquered the entirety of the entertainment industry over the past couple of years. To wit, Condé Nast bemusedly reported of an 80 person meeting among top level Disney execs across all entertainment divisions. The hastily constructed 2008 event featured one subject only: how to make the most money off of the daughter of the Achy Breaky Heart guy. Possibilities included “Publishing, theme parks, radio, games, internet, consumer products, theater, feature films”…everything we could stick some mouse ears on.
At roughly the same time that these discussions were ongoing, Ms. Cyrus was conquering her third media enterprise, having already recorded the highest sitcom rating in cable television history with her show and produced a pair of best selling CD soundtracks. Her concert tour also proved to be among the most popular of 2007 and was extended to January of 2007. Those who were not lucky enough to see a live performance were given a different opportunity to enjoy the genius of Tennessee’s most famous musical prodigy since Elvis.
Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert Tour was released into theaters on February 1, 2008. I’m not sure if it is fair to call this a movie inasmuch as it was a much different production from Shine a Light. Even so, there is no disputing the fact that Hannah Montana conquered the movie world. Capitalizing on the bluff of running for only one week, Disney forced panicked pre-teen girls to pressure their parents to go on opening weekend. The scare tactic paid dividends as Best of Both Worlds (Clerks fans always giggle at this title) won the weekend with $31,117,834. Disney immediately backtracked on the “one week only” assertion, announcing it would be in theaters indefinitely. This proved to mean that it would have an ordinary theatrical run, earning $65,280,346 during this time frame.
The obvious question about a true Hannah Montana movie is whether the property will still be hot by the time the movie is released. If it is not, the title will be hard pressed to match the domestic tally of Best of Both Worlds. I think that’s an unlikely proposition given the ubiquity of Hannah Montana right now, though. A lot would have to happen in a few months for the body of the audience to abandon their hero. If anything, the audience should be expanded for a true adaptation of the television series. Think Sex and the City for kids and you have a good guideline about its box office appeal. Then again, we will have an early warning signal for potential revenue with the theatrical release of High School Musical 3. A similarly massive Disney property, its success or failure will be a solid indicator of what we should expect from a Hannah Montana.
For those of you who are fans of the show looking for plot details about the movie, A) go do your homework. Is it done? You promise? You don’t have your fingers crossed, do you? Okay, then. The story revolves around Miley (Cyrus to us, Stewart on the show) and her attempts to deal with the massive new-found celebrity she is experiencing. Her doting father, perhaps alarmed by her inappropriate Vanity Fair photo shoot, sends her home to Crowley Corners in order to re-learn what is important to her in life. If I told you anything beyond that, Disney would have me killed. (David Mumpower/BOP)
Vital statistics for Hannah Montana: The Movie |
| Main Cast |
Miley Cyrus, Emily Osment, Jason Earles |
| Supporting Cast |
Mitchell Musso, Moises Arias, Billy Ray Cyrus, Melora Hardin, Margo Martindale, Barry Bostwick, Peter Gunn, Lucas Till, Vanessa Williams |
| Director |
Peter Chelsom |
| Screenwriter |
Dan Berendsen |
| Distributor |
Walt Disney Pictures |
| Trailer |
Click Here for Trailer
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| Official Site |
http://www.disney.com/hannahmontanamovie |
| Rating |
G |
| Running Time |
102 minutes |
| Screen Count |
3,118 |
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Talent in red has entry in The Big Picture |
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