A new Wes Anderson movie is always a special, symmetrical gift, and as we told you in our review of the director’s new project Asteroid City after its premiere at Cannes Film Festival, that trend is set to continue – only with a sci-fi twist. It seems wider audiences are lapping it up too: the film premiered in select US theatres last weekend and has already started breaking records.
Asteroid City showed in just six cinemas throughout Los Angeles and New York, but still raked in close to $1 million in four days. That works out as the highest per theatre average box office gross for any film since La La Land in 2016, and the highest ever for a movie shown in only six cinemas on opening weekend. That adds up to some pretty sizeable buzz. Hey, maybe Wes Anderson will be coming for the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s box office guzzling crown? We’ll need to wait until it releases globally this weekend to find out.
Anyway, the film sees him reunite with some of his usual coterie, including Tilda Swinton and Jason Schwartzman. But who else has made the always massive cast list? What’s the film actually about? And when the hell can we all watch it? Here’s what we’ve gathered so far.
What’s the plot of Asteroid City?
The official plotline for the film, courtesy of its studio Focus Features reads: “The itinerary of a Junior Stargazer/Space Cadet convention (organised to bring together students and parents from across the country for fellowship and scholarly competition) is spectacularly disrupted by world-changing events.”
Who’s in the cast?
As we know, Wes has a tendency to recast actors he is fond of. Interestingly though, this time around the cast has been described as being “larger than most other Anderson films that are ensemble in nature”.
There are also some new stars in the mix. Despite being one of Hollywood’s most legendary actors, and the kind of affable presence you’d expect in a Wes movie, Tom Hanks is making his Anderson Cinematic Universe debut in this. According to the Hollywood Reporter, he’s joined by Margot Robbie, who’s on an auteur hot streak right now: she’s worked with Scorsese already, and has a certain project with Greta Gerwig in the works. They are joined by Wes regulars Jason Schwartzman and Ed Norton, as well as Scarlett Johansson, Jeffrey Wright, Bryan Cranston, Liev Schreiber, Hope Davis, Stephen Park, Rupert Friend, Maya Hawke, Steve Carell, Matt Dillon, Hong Chau, Willem Dafoe, Tony Revolori, Jake Ryan, Grace Edwards, Aristou Meehan, Sophia Lillis, Ethan Lee, Jeff Goldblum, Rita Wilson “and many more”. Phew.
Is there a trailer for Asteroid City?
Yes, the trailer for the film dropped on 29 March. Watch it below.
Are there any behind-the-scenes images from the set?
Sleuthing Wes Anderson fans have found that art director and set designer Sonia Nolla — who is also working on the upcoming Lily-Rose Depp and Hoyeon starring movie The Governesses — has shared images of the sets for Asteroid City on her personal website. From the images we can see the desert town the movie is based in, filled with buzzing fair ground rides, vibrant neon motel lights and dusty roadside diners. Across cabins and pastel-toned vending machines we can see Wes’ signature symmetry, while an image of a dimly lit sleeper train gives us a glimpse of Scarlett Johansson in character.
Images of Margot Robbie and Maya Hawke on set have been shared too, with the latter becoming the embodiment of 50s Americana with her lemon-toned, button-up shirt dress and matching cardigan; paired with perfectly curled hair.
Why is the movie R-rated?
The movie was given the same US rating as most horror films, for one sole reason: “brief, graphic nudity”. The French Dispatch featured, we should note, a fully nude Léa Seydoux, and also included a scattering of swear words, meaning it too was rated R in the US. The film has since been re-rated as a PG-13.
What are the reviews for Asteroid City saying?
After it premiered at Cannes Film Festival the movie received a six-minute standing ovation, which… okay, doesn’t really mean a lot because they literally do that for every movie. But! A score of 73% on Rotten Tomatoes does suggest a generally positive response to Wes’ venture into sci-fi. From the initial reviews, it seems the switch up in genres for Wes worked well while still giving his most adoring fans exactly what they want.
“Though it seems as light as a soufflé, this is more substantial fare than Anderson has been dishing out recently. It merits second, and possibly third, helpings,” wrote Evening Standard, while Vanity Fair said: “At its best, Asteroid City evokes the memory of what it was to first see a Wes Anderson film, surprised and delighted by its singular vision of life on Earth.” Many reviews also seemed to suggest that Asteroid City is one of the best movie’s of Wes’ career thus far. The Daily Beast argued that “Asteroid City has all of the ticks that make Anderson Anderson: The slow pans, the deliberate framing, the erudite dialogue, and a narrator to boot. It’s also his best film since 2014’s The Grand Budapest Hotel,” while The Daily Telegraph said, “Asteroid City reminds you that Anderson remains what he’s always been, despite what the AI bros might have you believe: completely inimitable.”
You can read i-D’s own review here.
What’s the release date?
Asteroid City premiered at Cannes Film Festival before hitting select theatres in the US on 16 June and rolling out wide on 23 June.
This article was originally published in September 2021 and has since been updated.