'The Martian' Release Date Spookily Coincides with NASA's Latest Mars Discovery
The release date of "The Martian" has coincided with NASA's announcement about its latest discovery on Mars, prompting many to wonder if the viewers will like it or will just see it as a movie riding on a trending issue.
In "The Martian," Matt Damon plays a botanist named Mark Watney who becomes stranded in Mars and is forced to grow plants without seeds. While analysts said the movie got the top spot among advance ticket sales on ticket site Fandango, there are critics saying the timing of "The Martian's" release was "spookily appropriate," according to CNBC.
The release of "The Martian" comes just after NASA announced that it has discovered that the Red Planet has water in it. For this reason, movie analysts project that the new Mars discovery will rouse people's interest about "The Martian," the report relays.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
"When real life events coincide with and dovetail perfectly with the release of a film, it can serve to raise the level of awareness, and also enhance the desire for moviegoers to see that particular film," CNBC quotes Rentrak senior media analyst Paul Dergarabedian's statement.
Dergarabedian predicts that "The Martian" will ride the buzz around the new NASA discovery to the top of the box office over the weekend and earn more than $40 million. However, he also cited the quality of the film, Damon's star power, and director Ridley Scott's talent as contributing factors to the box office success of the movie.
In "The Martian," Damon's character is forced to make the best out of what he has in order to escape the Red Planet and his desperate condition. Watney decides to set up a make-do greenhouse inside Space Station Idaho and plant potatoes. Creating things out of almost nothing is the only way that the botanist can sustain himself before he gets rescued, the Washington Post reports.
More than the sci-fi aspect of the movie, Scott said the movie is all about helping each other. It is worth noting that the director released his comments a day ahead of NASA's Mars announcement, the report adds.
Despite the issues thrown against "The Martian," box office analysts say the movie will either soar or drop because of its own qualities and not because of the timing of its release.
