LUCKY SEVEN?
by Gabriel Chong | 20 July 2010

Ancient magic comes alive in modern-day New York City in Disney’s “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice”, but behind that reel magic, the real magic is the collaboration between its lead star Nicolas Cage and producer Jerry Bruckheimer. “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice” marks their seventh film together, a partnership that began in 1996 with the action blockbuster “The Rock” and that has since consistently produced a string of US$100 mil hits.

Back in 1996, Bruckheimer was already the go-to producer for big-budget, effects-heavy popcorn flicks, having made his name through movies such as Top Gun (1985), Days of Thunder (1990) and Bad Boys (1995). The Rock (1996) was the story of an ex-Alcatraz convict (played by Sean Connery) and a chemical weapons specialist (Cage) who break into the legendary prison to stop a rogue general and his army threatening to detonate biological weapons in San Francisco Bay. It was an expensive movie to make, costing US$75 mil at that time and about US$105 mil adjusted for inflation.

But the gamble paid off, as the movie earned US$186 mil in the United States itself and another US$278 mil worldwide. Cage would return for his next Bruckheimer adventure in yet another prison-themed action vehicle, Con Air (1996)- this time without playing second fiddle to a bigger lead star (which he did previously to Connery). Made for about the same amount, Con Air took in US$140 mil domestically and another US$170 mil worldwide. It wasn’t as successful as The Rock, but it was enough to cement Cage as a bona fide action star.

Indeed, before Bruckheimer came along, Cage was the star of romantic comedies like Moonstruck (1987) and It Could Happen to You (1994) and low-budget thrillers like Red Rock West (1993) and Amos and Andrew (1993). Of course, there was also the occasional critically acclaimed drama like Raising Arizona (1987) and Leaving Las Vegas (1995)- but Cage was never the box-office draw he was after The Rock and Con Air.

Through these two films, Bruckheimer gave Cage’s career a facelift and made him into a hot-property action star in films like Face/Off (1997) and Snake Eyes (1998). Except for Face/Off however, none of his later movies achieved the same appeal of his earlier Bruckheimer movies- and it didn’t take long before Cage and Bruckheimer were back together in another loud, flashy summer blockbuster. This was Dominic Sena’s Gone in Sixty Seconds (2000), which was made for US$90 mil (or US$114 mil adjusted) and grossed US$127 mil domestically and another US$171 mil worldwide.

A remake of the 1974 H.B. Halicki original, Gone in Sixty Seconds was arguably a lesser guilty pleasure than The Rock and Con Air and didn’t exactly gain as much traction as it was expected to at the box office. It did however give enough force for the Bruckheimer-Cage juggernaut to chug on to their next blockbuster, the globe-trotting action adventure National Treasure (2004). Made on a budget of US$100 mil, it found box-office gold to the tune of US$173 mil domestic and another US$174 mil worldwide and was their most successful movie ever... until the sequel came along.

If you’re counting, that was also their number five. Number six went to the live-action G-Force (2009) with Cage behind the voice of a specially trained squad of guinea pigs out to stop a diabolical billionaire from taking over the world. It was panned all right, by both critics and audiences alike, but the novelty of seeing the irrepressibly cute furry animals in 3D no less on the big screen proved a winning combination that took in US$293 mil in all, scoring yet another hit for Bruckheimer and Cage.

Given their track record, it would appear therefore that “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice” would once again become another hit franchise for the duo. After all, it reunites them with their National Treasure director Jon Turteltaub, has its origins in a well-known Disney Fantasia segment and promises to be yet another enjoyable big-budget special effects romp the likes of National Treasure.

Sadly, strike number seven doesn’t seem to have gone very far- rumoured to be made on a budget of US$150 mil, the expensive Walt Disney movie took in a middling US$17 mil in its opening weekend and what has got to be a very disappointing US$8 mil elsewhere. Of course, there are still plenty of foreign territories where it hasn’t bowed, but it is quite likely that “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice” will be their lowest-grossing movie ever. Has their magic that has survived six movies together been extinguished?

Not quite- there’s still National Treasure 3 lined up, though no production or release date has been set yet. And the dismal reception to “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice” may convince Bruckheimer and Cage to return to more edgy action blockbuster territory after their foray into family-friendly films- after all, a Bruckheimer, Cage and Michael Bay reteam could very well revive the magic of “The Rock” that started it all.         

The Rock (1996)


Con Air (1996)


Face/Off (1997)


Gone In Sixty Seconds (2000)
James CameroTitanic (1997)

National Treasure (2004)
Steven Spielberg's Catch Me If You Can (2002)

National Treasure: Book Of Secrets (2007)
Martin Scorsese's Gangs Of New York (2002)

G-Force (2009)


The Sorcerer's Apprentice (2010)