Pavarotti (film)

Pavarotti is a 2019 documentary film directed by Ron Howard about Italian operatic tenor Luciano Pavarotti.[5][6] The film had a nationwide premiere event through Fathom Events on June 4, 2019,[7][8] and was released in theaters on June 7, 2019. Pavarotti is an American-British venture, with CBS Films and HanWay Films serving as distributors.[9]

Pavarotti
Theatrical release poster
Directed byRon Howard
Produced byBrian Grazer
Ron Howard
Nigel Sinclair
Michael Rosenberg
Jeanne Elfant Festa
Written byMark Monroe
Edited byPaul Crowder
Production
company
Distributed byCBS Films
(United States)[1]
HanWay Films
(International)[2]
Release date
  • June 7, 2019 (2019-06-07) (United States)
  • July 15, 2019 (2019-07-15) (United Kingdom)
Running time
114 minutes
Country
  • United States
  • United Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
Box officeUS$6.5 million[3][4]

Synopsis

The documentary opens with Pavarotti, an established star opera tenor, in the Amazon jungle insisting on seeing the stage where Enrico Caruso once performed to open a new theatre house. Pavarotti wants to sing on the stage where Caruso once performed. The old theatre is temporarily opened for him, and he sings a short aria on the stage. The documentary then returns to his hometown of Modena, Italy, where Pavarotti was born to a poor middle-class family. His father is a local baker and his mother a housekeeper. As a teenager, Pavarotti becomes a member of the same choir to which his father belongs. He continues to develop his voice with hopes of becoming an accomplished singer.

When he auditions for his first major role, Pavarotti singles himself out by his ability to hit a high C with command and authority during his performance. After the audition, he is cast in an opera that allows him to hit the high C several times. Pavarotti's reputation begins to expand and he becomes known as the "King of the High C's". He performs with sopranos of world renown such as Joan Sutherland and Mirella Freni and also launches a recording career.

When he hears that his friend, fellow tenor Jose Carreras, is in the hospital for treatment of leukemia, Pavarotti calls him to wish him to get well so that Carreras can return as a genuine competitor at the caliber of world class tenors. Carreras completes his leukemia treatment successfully and goes to New York for a recovery period. There Pavarotti, Carreras, and Placido Domingo happen to be staying at the same hotel for a period of time with the Metropolitan Opera season underway. A promoter hears of the three of them staying at the same hotel, and knowing that they are all soccer fans, suggests to them that he could arrange for a concert on the eve of the World Cup Final, where the three of them could perform in the same venue. They enthusiastically agree.

The Three Tenors concert, with Zubin Mehta conducting, takes place in Rome in 1990 to a capacity audience. It is recorded for world-wide DVD distribution, and the Three Tenors are a breakthrough success. Their playful singing of "’O sole mio" becomes a stand-out hit, with Carreras and Domingo echoing Pavarotti's signature trills from his repetition of the song's opening lyrics. The three also improvise on the stage a three tenors version of "Nessun dorma" as a finale. They reunite for subsequent concerts at the next three World Cup finals[10] and ultimately perform more than 30 concerts.

The recorded version of the 1990 concert becomes the best-selling classical music album of all time, outselling established rock star acts on the top Billboard 100 lists.[11] Carreras' career is relaunched, and Pavarotti continues his career as one of the outstanding tenors of the twentieth century. He trends more and more to perform in large solo concerts rather than operas.

The documentary also describes his many girlfriends and affairs, which ultimately led to his divorce from his longtime wife Adua in 2000. In 2003 he married his former personal assistant Nicoletta Mantovani. In 2007 he was admitted to hospital for treatment of pancreatic cancer. On September 6, he died of complications of pancreatic cancer in his own bedroom in his hometown of Modena.

Production

The film was produced with the cooperation of Luciano Pavarotti's estate using family archives, interviews, and live music footage.[5]

In addition to directing the documentary, Ron Howard served as a producer alongside Brian Grazer, Nigel Sinclair, Michael Rosenberg, and Jeanne Elfant Festa. David Blackman and Dickon Stainer served as executive producers.[1]

Soundtrack

An official soundtrack album, Pavarotti: Music from the Motion Picture, was released worldwide on digital download and CD on June 7, 2019, by Decca Records. It features twenty-two tracks of studio and live recordings.[12]

Release

On February 10, 2019, the first trailer for the film was shown at the 61st Annual Grammy Awards, promoting an American theatrical release on June 7, 2019, by CBS Films.[9] The film was released in the UK on July 15, 2019, through Entertainment One Films.[13][14]

Home media

The film was released through Lionsgate in the United States as a Blu-ray Disc, DVD and digital set on September 24, 2019 and by Universal Pictures separately in the United Kingdom on November 25.[15][16]

Chart (2019) Peak
position
Irish Music DVD Chart (IRMA)[17] 1
U.S. Music Video Sales (Billboard)[18] 2
UK Official Music Video Chart (OCC)[19] 1

Reception

Box office

As of October 7, 2019, Pavarotti has grossed $4.7 million in the United States and Canada, and $1.8 million in other territories, for a total worldwide gross of $6.5 million.[3][20]

United States and Canada

In the United States and Canada, Pavarotti made $144,032 in its opening weekend from 19 theaters in 17 cities.[21] The film made $221,207 in its second weekend, finishing twentieth, and $431,140 in its third; a 95% increase finishing sixteenth for a box office total of $1,014,228.[22]

In its fourth weekend, the film made $553,067 across 288 theaters, finishing seventeenth in the week ending June 30. In its eighth weekend of release, the film had decreased to 135 theaters. It made $85,156 at 94 screenings in its ninth weekend for a total of $4,425,534.[23]

United Kingdom

In the United Kingdom, the film grossed £30,456 from 42 cinemas in its second weekend, a per-screen average of £725 and 92% decrease from the first week, finishing twenty-third with a total gross of £492,763 ($610,157) at the box office.[24][25] It made another £25,197 ($30,646) on 48 screens in its third weekend and £14,015 ($16,857) in its fourth on 27 screens, grossing a total of £601,010 ($722,889) on the week ending August 11.[26][27][28] As of 15 September 2019, the film went on to gross £705,400 on its ninth week.[29]

Other territories

In New Zealand, the film was released on June 13, 2019, through Madman Entertainment, grossing $46,260 in its opening weekend across 50 screens, finishing eighth at the box office. Over nine weeks, it has grossed a total of $391,659. The film also grossed $295,236 in Poland, $49,641 in Portugal, $46,087 in Russia, $22,030 in Slovakia, and $10,191 in the United Arab Emirates as of August 11, 2019.[30]

Critical response

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 87% based on 83 reviews, with an average rating of 6.89/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Pavarotti pays entertaining tribute to a towering cultural figure with a documentary whose evident affection for its subject proves contagious."[31] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 66 out of 100, based on 20 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[32]

CBS News said the "new documentary about Pavarotti soars like his legendary voice".[33] USA Today said the film "serves as a vivid reminder of just how huge a role the great tenor Luciano Pavarotti played for a generation" and that "the passionate way the infectiously beaming, Hawaiian shirt-loving opera star lived his life is the most enchanting element of Pavarotti".[34] The New York Times said "If Luciano Pavarotti ever had a bad day, you wouldn't know it from Pavarotti, an upbeat film that recounts the singer's life, or at least its better moments."[35] On the other hand, NPR said the film "misses all the right notes", adding "Pavarotti feels like a missed chance to tell a good story".[36] The Washington Post described the documentary as "terrible but timely", a "mediocre film, imperfect and annoying", that opera lovers should nevertheless watch.[37]

See also

References
  1. Fleming Jr, Mike (January 8, 2019). "CBS Films Acquiring Ron Howard-Directed Luciano Pavarotti Documentary". Deadline. Retrieved January 8, 2019.
  2. Wiseman, Andreas (October 12, 2018). "HanWay Films Boards Ron Howard's Pavarotti Movie Ahead Of AFM, Production Under Way". Deadline. Retrieved January 8, 2019.
  3. "Pavarotti (2019)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved August 14, 2019.
  4. "Pavarotti (2019)". The Numbers. Retrieved October 7, 2019.
  5. Fleming Jr, Mike (June 1, 2017). "Ron Howard To Direct Feature Documentary On Iconic Opera Singer Luciano Pavarotti". Deadline. Retrieved January 8, 2019.
  6. McNary, Dave (June 1, 2017). "Ron Howard to Direct Luciano Pavarotti Documentary". Variety. Retrieved January 8, 2019.
  7. "Fathom Events | Pavarotti Premiere Screening Event". Fathom Events. Retrieved 2019-06-05.
  8. "'Pavarotti' Premiere Screening Event Comes to Movie Theaters Nationwide on June 4, With a Special Introduction From Director Ron Howard". www.prnewswire.com. Retrieved June 5, 2019.
  9. Haring, Bruce (February 11, 2019). "'Pavarotti' Documentary From Ron Howard Debuts Teaser During 61st Grammy Awards". Deadline. Retrieved February 11, 2019.
  10. The Music Industry Handbook. Routledge. 2016. p. 219.
  11. Gareth Malone (2011). Music for the People: The Pleasures and Pitfalls of Classical Music. HarperCollins Publishers. p. 34. ISBN 978-0-00-739618-4. Retrieved 30 July 2013.
  12. Decca Records To Release Original Soundtrack To Ron Howard-Directed Documentary 'Pavarotti' And Companion 3-CD Set 'Pavarotti: The Greatest Hits' On June 7
  13. Roberts, Maddy Shaw (May 17, 2019). "'Pavarotti' movie 2019: everything you need to know about Ron Howard's documentary". Classic FM. Retrieved July 10, 2019.
  14. "Pavarotti | British Board of Film Classification". British Board of Film Classification. Retrieved July 10, 2019.
  15. "Pavarotti Blu-ray + DVD + digital". Blu-ray.com. Retrieved December 10, 2019.
  16. "Pavarotti Blu-ray Disc". Blu-ray.com. Retrieved December 10, 2019.
  17. "Irish Recorded Music Association". IRMA - Press ‘Irish Charts’, then ‘Music DVD’, scroll down page to 29 November 2019. Retrieved December 10, 2019.
  18. "Music Video Sales Chart". Billboard Chart. Retrieved December 10, 2019.
  19. "Official Music Video Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 10, 2019.
  20. Pavarotti (2019) | International | Box Office Mojo
  21. D'Alessandro, Anthony (June 9, 2019). "Summer Sequelitis Scorches Franchises To B.O. Lows". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 15, 2019. CBS’s Ron Howard Pavarotti doc played at 19 theaters in 17 markets .... CBS is reporting $142K for the weekend.
  22. "Pavarotti (2019)". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved 31 July 2019.
  23. "Pavarotti (2019)". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved 31 July 2019.
  24. "BFI Weekend Box Office 26/07/2019 – 28/07/2019". British Film Institute. Retrieved 13 August 2019.
  25. "Pavarotti (2019)". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved 13 August 2019.
  26. "BFI Weekend Box Office 02/08/2019 – 04/08/2019". British Film Institute. Retrieved 13 August 2019.
  27. "BFI Weekend Box Office 09/08/2019 – 11/08/2019". British Film Institute. Retrieved 16 August 2019.
  28. "Pavarotti (2019)". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved 16 August 2019.
  29. "BFI Weekend Box Office 13/09/2019 – 15/09/2019". British Film Institute. Retrieved 21 September 2019.
  30. Pavarotti (2019) | International | Box Office Mojo
  31. "Pavarotti (2019)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved June 1, 2020.
  32. "Pavarotti reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved July 13, 2019.
  33. "New Documentary About Pavarotti Soars Like His Legendary Voice". CBS Los Angeles. June 6, 2019. Retrieved June 10, 2019.
  34. Alexander, Bryan (June 6, 2019). "'Pavarotti': 5 life lessons the passionate tenor taught us in the new Ron Howard documentary". USA Today. Retrieved June 10, 2019.
  35. Jaworowski, Ken (June 6, 2019). "'Pavarotti' Review: A Charmed Life on the High C's". The New York Times. Retrieved June 10, 2019.
  36. Huizenga, Tom (June 7, 2019). "Pavarotti Documentary Misses All The Right Notes". NPR. Retrieved June 10, 2019.
  37. Kennicott, Phillip (June 5, 2019). "Even opera lovers should grit their teeth and watch this mediocre Pavarotti film". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 10, 2019.
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