The Chronicles of Narnia is one of the two huge British-made 20th century fantasy sagas along with The Lord Of The Rings. But while the latter enjoyed huge success in movie form, winning multiple awards, plaudits from critics and fans alike, and huge box-office takings, the former isn’t having such a good time.
The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe was relatively successful at the box office, with good takings later from DVD sales. But the second film (fourth book) in the seven-book series, Prince Caspian, didn’t do quite so well. It only took around half of the revenue taken by the first film at the box office, and that leaves the future of the series in some doubt.
Jim Hill Media reports that the lower than expected taking from Prince Caspian,a long with the ongoing financial crisis, has meant the budget of The Dawn Treader has been reduced substantially from $140 million to $100 million. Rather than expensive location shooting in Malta, Iceland and Praguehas, two-thirds of the film will now be filmed in a huge water tank in Mexico.
The release date of The Dawn Treader has also been moved back to the December slot originally inhabited by The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe. Filming is expected to begin next year with a Christmas 2010 release being eyed up. Movies based on the remaining two books in the series depends on how well The Dawn Treader does at the box office.
