Steven Spielberg's "Lincoln" has made over $150 million in North America since its release in November, but it will look slightly different for international audiences when the film begins its rollout overseas.
The "Lincoln" that many in North America have watched over the last few months begins with a brutal and violent Civil War battle -- for what it's worth, the scene seemed to skirt around the boundaries of an R-rating -- which transitions into a quieter moment when Abraham Lincoln (Daniel Day-Lewis) is chatting with a bunch of soldiers about the Gettysburg Address.
In the new opening of the film, black-and-white images of American life in 1865 will be accompanied by text that serves to "contextualize" the story for foreign audiences. The battle will appear after.
"We worked on this with Steven Spielberg and writer Tony Kushner," Paul Hanneman, co-president of 20th Century Fox International, said to THR. "It's seamless and quite beautiful, actually. And there is the John Williams score playing over it."
Williams' score was nominated for an Oscar, one of 12 nominations "Lincoln" has received. The film is a favorite to win Best Picture and is also the biggest hit of the Best Picture nominees. Spielberg's film has earned $153 million since its limited release bow on Nov. 9, 2012. Of the Best Picture nominees, "Life of PI" has the biggest overseas haul with $356 million and counting. Movies about U.S. presidents have a spotty track record internationally: Oliver Stone's "JFK" made $135 million globally, but the director's film about Richard Nixon (aptly titled "Nixon") has no overseas revenue, according to Box Office Mojo.
For more on "Lincoln" and its global release plans, head over to THR.
[via THR]
