Monster Trucks Information

Monster Trucks is a 2016 American action comedy film produced by Paramount Animation, Nickelodeon Movies and Disruption Entertainment. It was directed by Chris Wedge and written by Jonathan Aibel, Glenn Berger, Derek Connolly and Matthew Robinson. The film stars Lucas Till, Jane Levy, Amy Ryan, Rob Lowe, Danny Glover, Barry Pepper and Holt McCallany, and follows a high schooler who finds an escaped monster living in his truck.

Principal photography of the film began on April 4, 2014, in Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada. Released by Paramount Pictures throughout Europe in December 2016 and in the United States in January 2017, the film received mixed reviews from critics and has grossed $41 million worldwide.

Synopsis

Looking for any way to get away from the life and town he was born into, Tripp Coley (Lucas Till), a high school senior, builds a monster truck from bits and pieces of scrapped cars. After an accident at a nearby oil-drilling site displaces a strange and subterranean creature with a taste and a talent for speed whom he names Creech, Tripp may have just found the key to getting out of town and a most unlikely friend.

Cast

• Lucas Till as Tripp Coley, a high school senior.
• Jane Levy as Meredith, Tripp's tutor and love interest.
• Amy Ryan as Cindy Coley, Tripp's mother.
• Rob Lowe as Reece Tenneson, the film's main antagonist.
• Danny Glover as Mr. Weathers, Tripp's paraplegic boss.
• Barry Pepper as Rick, the local sheriff and Cindy's new live-in boyfriend.
• Holt McCallany as Burke, Reece's henchman and one of the film's villains.
• Frank Whaley as Wade Coley, Tripp's estranged father and Cindy's ex-husband.
• Thomas Lennon as Dr. Jim Dowd, a scientist.
• Tucker Albrizzi as Sam Geldon, Tripp's friend.
• Cinta Laura as Ariel
• Samara Weaving as Brianne
• Daniel Bacon as Technician

Production

On July 31, 2013, Paramount Animation announced that they were developing a new live-action/animated franchise, with a entry film titled Monster Trucks, and Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger set to write film's script. Chris Wedge was set to direct the film, which was produced by Mary Parent, with an initial release date set for May 29, 2015. Production took place in Vancouver Film Studios in Vancouver. On February 19, 2014, Jane Levy and Lucas Till joined the cast of the film. On March 24, Amy Ryan was cast in a role, and later that week, Holt McCallany joined the cast as a villain. On April 1, Frank Whaley and Danny Glover joined the cast of the film. Later that month, Thomas Lennon joined as well, and on April 14, Barry Pepper joined the cast. On April 24, Tucker Albrizzi, who starred in Big Time Rush, joined the cast, with Rob Lowe added five days later.

In December 2013, it was announced that the film's production would begin in early April 2014 in Vancouver, with filming wrapping up in mid-July, and the studio Vancouver Film Studios was booked for the production. Principal photography began on April 4, 2014, in Kamloops, British Columbia. Filming was spotted on May 13, 2014 in downtown Chilliwack, Canada.

Release

The release date was shifted several times. It was initially set for May 29, 2015, but on January 26, 2015, the film was pushed back to December 25, 2015, a date first assigned for Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation. On May 5, 2015, the film was pushed back again, to March 18, 2016. On November 10, 2015, the film's release date was pushed back again, to January 13, 2017.

On September 21, 2016, The Hollywood Reporter stated Paramount would take a $115 million writedown on the film due to its expected poor performance at the box office.

Reception

Box office

, Monster Trucks has grossed $22.6 million in the United States and Canada and $19.3 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $41.9 million.

In North America, Monster Trucks was released alongside the openings of The Bye Bye Man and Sleepless, as well as the wide releases of Silence, Patriots Day, and Live by Night, and was expected to gross $8-10 million from 3,119 theaters in its opening weekend. It ended up making $11 million ($14.2 million over the four-day MLK weekend), finishing 7th at the box office.

Critical response

Monster Trucks received mixed reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 33%, based on 72 reviews, with an average rating of 4.5/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Despite flashes of inspiration, the singularly high-concept Monster Trucks shows that it takes more than monsters and trucks to create a compelling feature film." On Metacritic, the film has a score of 41 out of 100, based on 23 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale.