Disney Releases New Poster for The BFG — Legend of Tarzan’s Competitor on July 1 Release Date

Everything about the promotion of Disney/Spielberg’s The BFG is relevant to Legend of Tarzan, because the two films go head to head, sharing the same July 1, 2016 release date. So Disney’s release of a new poster for The BFG is something to pay attention to if you’re rooting for Legend of Tarzan.

Meanwhile — checking in on the trailers for the two films — here’s the current tally on trailer views on the studios’ YouTube channel:

15,810, 535 — Legend of Tarzan

  6,635,104 — The BFG

Does that mean LOT is clobbering The BFG?  Probably not.  As you can see from the poster, Disney is just getting going on trying to connect the dots between The BFG and ET, and if they get traction with that, we could see a surge moving forward.  But in terms of where the two films are today, if you had to give the edge to one or the other, clearly with that big a difference, LOT is running ahead of The BFG at this point.   On the IMGB Pro movie meter Legend is at 259 and BFG is 860.

Here is the full press release from Disney:

The BFG (Mark Rylance), while a giant himself, is a Big Friendly Giant and nothing like the other inhabitants of Giant Country. Standing 24-feet tall with enormous ears and a keen sense of smell, he is endearingly dim-witted and keeps to himself for the most part. Giants like Bloodbottler (Bill Hader) and Fleshlumpeater (Jemaine Clement) on the other hand, are twice as big and at least twice as scary and have been known to eat humans, while the BFG prefers Snozzcumber and Frobscottle. Upon her arrival in Giant Country, Sophie, a precocious 10-year-old girl from London, is initially frightened of the mysterious giant who has brought her to his cave, but soon comes to realize that the BFG is actually quite gentle and charming, and, having never met a giant before, has many questions. The BFG brings Sophie to Dream Country where he collects dreams and sends them to children, teaching her all about the magic and mystery of dreams.

Having both been on their own in the world up until now, their affection for one another quickly grows. But Sophie’s presence in Giant Country has attracted the unwanted attention of the other giants, who have become increasingly more bothersome. Says Spielberg, “It’s a story about friendship, it’s a story about loyalty and protecting your friends and it’s a story that shows that even a little girl can help a big giant solve his biggest problems.” Sophie and the BFG soon depart for London to see the Queen (Penelope Wilton) and warn her of the precarious giant situation, but they must first convince the Queen and her maid, Mary (Rebecca Hall), that giants do indeed exist. Together, they come up with a plan to get rid of the giants once and for all.

Directed by three-time Academy Award winner Steven Spielberg (Bridge of Spies, Schindler’s List, Saving Private Ryan) from a screenplay by Melissa Mathison (E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial, The Black Stallion) based on the best-selling novel by Roald Dahl, The BFG stars three-time Tony Award and two-time Olivier Award winner Mark Rylance, newcomer Ruby Barnhill, Penelope Wilton, Jemaine Clement, Rebecca Hall, Rafe Spall and Bill Hader. The film is produced by Spielberg, Frank Marshall (Jurassic World, The Bourne Ultimatum) and Sam Mercer (Snow White and the Huntsman, The Sixth Sense) with Kathleen Kennedy (Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Lincoln), John Madden (The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, Shakespeare in Love), Kristie Macosko Krieger (Bridge of Spies, Lincoln), Michael Siegel (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Rise of the Guardians), Frank Smith and Naia Cucukov serving as executive producers.

Roald Dahl’s novel was first published in 1982 and has been enchanting readers of all ages ever since. Dahl’s books, which also include “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” “James and the Giant Peach” and “Matilda,” are currently available in 58 languages and have sold over 200 million copies worldwide. Originally created as a bedtime story, “The BFG” was Dahl’s own favorite of all his stories. “It was very important for us to be loyal to the language,” says Spielberg, “and the great writer Melissa Mathison, who also wrote ‘E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial,’ wrote ‘The BFG.’”

The BFG opens in U.S. theaters on July 1, 2016, the year that marks the 100th anniversary of Dahl’s birth.

Read more at http://www.comingsoon.net/movies/news/649765-the-bfg-poster-from-the-human-beans-that-created-e-t#HSiwG3TA6E3tR44P.99