The first two sequels of Lilly and Lana Wachowski's seminal science-fiction movie, The Matrix Revolutions, were both released in 2003. Typically, sequels to major Hollywood tent pole movies take at least a couple of years to be released, yet this was not the case for The Matrix franchise. Only six months separated the release of The Matrix Reloaded (in May 2003) and The Matrix Revolutions (in November 2003). In fact, The Matrix Reloaded was released on DVD only three weeks before The Matrix Revolutions opened in theaters worldwide.
The theatrical release of The Matrix Revolutions, specifically, was a major gamble. In contrast to a typical film release, the first showings The Matrix Revolutions debuted at the exact same moment in over 100 countries worldwide (at approximately 14:00 GMT on 5th November 2003). This kind of simultaneous release had never been attempted before. The release strategy for The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions was incredibly risky for the studio that bankrolled the Matrix sequels, Warner Bros.
The Matrix Reloaded & Revolutions Filmed Back-To-Back
In order to allow for both sequels to release in 2003, The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions were filmed back-to-back. Principal photography on the two films took over a year, taking place between March 2001 and August 2002. One action scene, The Matrix Reloaded's Burly Brawl, where Neo (Keanu Reeves) fights an entire horde of Agent Smith (Hugo Weaving) duplicates, took nearly an entire month and $40 million to film. This was due to the extensive use of motion capture and CGI used to achieve the sequence.
2003 Was A Bigger Year For The Matrix Than Just Reloaded & Revolutions
The Matrix Revolutions were not the only entries in the franchise released in 2003. The Wachowskis planned a multimedia release strategy for the Matrix franchise, with a video game, comic books, and a collection of animated short films, titled The Animatrix, released in 2003 alongside the two main feature films. The Animatrix was released on DVD and VHS in June 2003, between the release dates of The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions.
Animated by a series of highly respected Japanese animation companies, The Animatrix is an anthology of stories involving The Matrix in some manner. Some, such as Final Flight of the Osiris feed directly into the plot of The Matrix Reloaded, while others, like The Second Renaissance Part I and Part II, offer insight into the fictional history of the real world, first explored in The Matrix. Final Flight of the Osiris was even placed in front of the theatrical release of the Stephen King adaptation, Dreamcatcher, in March 2003 to drum up hype for The Matrix Reloaded, before its own release in May of that year.
The video game, Enter the Matrix, was released the same day as The Matrix Reloaded was released in theaters. In the game, players take control of side characters Niobe (Jada Pinkett-Smith) and Ghost (Anthony Wong) and explore the events of The Matrix Reloaded from their perspective. The game features live-action cutscenes that were shot alongside The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions. While many films had video game adaptations at the time, and continue to do so, none had the resources of Enter the Matrix, since The Wachowskis were so closely involved with the game's production.
Did Releasing Matrix Reloaded & Revolutions The Same Year Work?
The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions in the same year, alongside all manner of ing multimedia was a big gamble for The Wachowskis and Warner Bros. Initially it paid off, with The Matrix Reloaded becoming the highest-grossing R-rated movie ever, taking over $740 million at the worldwide box office. It would hold that record for over a decade before being overtaken by Deadpool in 2016. The video game Enter the Matrix was also a runaway success on consoles and PCs, selling over 5 million copies worldwide, despite mixed reviews.
However, that level of success would not last for the whole year. Despite having the highest worldwide opening weekend for any film yet released, grossing over $200 million in its first five days, the box office receipts The Matrix Revolutions would drop significantly in the following weeks (via Box Office Mojo). Its box-office record would also be beaten merely weeks later by The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King. Ultimately, it grossed $427 million against a reported $150 million budget, over $300 million less than its predecessor. Reviews for The Matrix Revolutions were also significantly more critical than the reception to The Matrix Reloaded.
While The Matrix Revolutions was noticeably less successful than The Matrix Reloaded, the ambitious release strategy for the two films was incredibly influential for future tent pole releases. Avatar, the highest-grossing film of all time, also had a multimedia-filled release strategy, with a series of video games and books released alongside the movie. Many other films have also been filmed back-to-back for release dates with only a short amount of time between movies, such as Avatar 2 and 3. 2003 may have ended on a relatively disappointing note financially, but the ambitious release strategy of The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions has had a significant influence on Hollywood.
