Ticket to paradise is off to a hot start overseas as it opens to 76 markets, raising about $72 million ahead of its domestic debut. The romantic comedy starring George Clooney and Julia Roberts could mark a revival of the genre, and Clooney is pleased that Universal has chosen to bring the film to theaters.
“Universal has done something very brave,” Clooney said The Hollywood Reporter about the cinema release. “These things now only go through streamers, and they’ve done very bravely to make a movie like this. We’re grateful. We’re hopeful.” With fans flocking to the cinema after the pandemic, studios may try to send more feature films to theaters rather than a direct-to-streaming release. Ticket to paradise arrives shortly after brothers, the LGBTQ+ romantic comedy that hit the box office with a worldwide gross of $10 million against its estimated budget of $22 million. However, what seemed like a fading box office genre may gain momentum with Clooney and Roberts’ latest feature.
Ticket to paradise stars Sean Lynch, Arielle Carver-O’Neill, Ling Cooper Tang, Billie Lourd, Kaitlyn Dever and Maxime Bouttier in addition to the two lead actors. The film follows the divorced couple as they travel to Bali to prevent their daughter from making the same mistake as 25 years ago. Ol Parker will direct the film, with previous work including now is good, Imagine me & youand Mama Mia! Here we go again. Ticket to paradise arrives in US theaters later this month, on October 21.
Clooney and Roberts are frequent collaborators
George Clooney and Julia Roberts have excellent chemistry on and off screen thanks to their five previous films together. The pair first joined forces in 2001 with Ocean’s Elevenbefore we meet again in Confessions of a Dangerous Spirit next year. In 2004, Roberts and Clooney reprise their roles Ocean’s Twelve for a hiatus until 2013 August: Osage County, that Clooney produced.
During their time on the red carpet with THR, the couple were asked what was the best thing about working together. Clooney’s answer: “The money. Cash,” he joked. Roberts clarified, saying, “Having a backup, having a friend. It’s such a puppy pile of a job that involves so many people and then you get sent off like this satellite to talk about it all by yourself.” Roberts continued, “It doesn’t make any sense. And so, to be in line with someone, it just makes it so much more fun.”
Clooney and Roberts are hoping for the same success in the US, as the film is considered a hit in the overseas market. Check out your local theater on October 21 for: Ticket to paradise.