RESIDENT EVIL IS #1
It obviously pays to throw a world-movie premiere in Las Vegas.
The stars of Resident Evil: Extinction – the final episode of the trilogy - invaded Planet Hollywood for the gala celebration, and last night celebrated that Milla Jovovich’s leadership in the battle against the zombies had made them the new box office champion! The third episode of the videogame-inspired sci-fi franchise racked up $24 million in ticket sales in just three days – a record for the series. In 2002, movie #1 notched $17.7 million, and the 20054 Apocalypse follow-up hit made $23-million on opening weekend.
The glittering star-studded premiere at Planet Hollywood began with founder Robert Earl escorting gorgeous Pamela Anderson before she high-heeled her way to perform in The Beauty of Magic show with illusionist Hans Klok who paraded one of his goddess assistants. Rapper Nelly had singer gal pal Ashanti who stars in the film on his arm; plus Sylvestor Stallone with wife Jennifer and former Ultimate Fighting Champion Frank Trigg. All eyes though were on star Milla Jovovich, who proved that protruding pregnancy is a very beautiful thing. The striking blue-eyed Ukranian-born high cheek-boned 32-year-old beauty was just 11 when photographed as one of the “most unforgettable women in the world” for Revlon. Once married to French director Luc Besson, she is now engaged to Resident Evil’s writer-director Paul Anderson. During the after-party she admitted that while she used to play Super Mario as a kid - it was her brother who used to play Resident Evil, and she wound up addicted to the game.
“I remember contacting my agency and asking if there was a movie script for the video game. I thought it would make a great movie and I told them I’d love to be involved in making it,” she said.
“It was one of the most difficult shoots I’ve ever had, we were really up against the elements. Temperatures were 145 degrees in the desert of Mexicali last July and August. I was hooked in wires, hanging 45 ft in the air and facing sandstorms. Our director passed out from heat exhaustion, so it was a real danger to actually be put in the hospital with the condition we were in. I was in full costume doing choreographed fight scenes. I did a lot of physical and weapons training to become the kind of soldier that she is - sacrificing herself for her friends. A lot of little girls can see strong role models in movies today. There are a lot of female super-heroes with women as action leads, so it’s great that women can play action heroes and not just a man with huge muscles and a big gun.”
Much of the computer-generated movie looks as if it is set in Vegas - but the wizards used an exact miniaturized scale model of the entire Vegas Strip for the shoot in Mexico illustrating a devastated Sin City overtaken by zombies!