Midnight Sun (2018 film)
Midnight Sun is a 2018 American romantic drama film based on the 2006 Japanese film A Song to the Sun. The film was directed by Scott Speer and written by Eric Kirsten, and stars Bella Thorne, Patrick Schwarzenegger, and Rob Riggle. The story is about a teenaged girl with the condition xeroderma pigmentosum, which prevents her from going out into sunlight. When she meets a boy, she struggles to decide whether to tell him about her condition or pretend to live a normal life. Principal photography began on October 12, 2015, in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The film was released in the United States on March 23, 2018.
| Midnight Sun | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Scott Speer |
| Written by | Eric Kirsten |
| Based on | A Song to the Sun by Kenji Bando |
| Produced by |
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| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Karsten Gopinath |
| Edited by |
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| Music by | Nate Walcott |
Production companies |
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| Distributed by | Global Road Entertainment |
Release date |
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Running time | 91 minutes[1] |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $2.8 million[2] |
| Box office | $27.4 million[3] |
Plot
Sheltered since her early childhood, Katie Price has a rare genetic condition called xeroderma pigmentosum, which prevents an individual from being exposed to direct sunlight. She is housebound during daylight hours and is cared for by her father Jack and best friend Morgan. Katie comes out of the house every night after the sun has set. One night, her long time crush, Charlie, notices her while playing guitar at a train station. Katie leaves suddenly and forgets her notebook, which Charlie keeps. He returns the next day and gives it to Katie when she shows up to retrieve it. He explains to her how he got his injury, preventing him from getting a scholarship to the University of California, Berkeley, before kissing her.
However, Katie has yet to tell Charlie of her condition, despite her father warning her to do so. Charlie takes Katie out for a night to Seattle, where they go to a live show, and Charlie makes Katie play one of her songs on one of the city's streets. Once home, they go swimming out in the lake, and dry off with a fire on the beach. Charlie mentions watching the sunrise, and Katie runs home in fear. Charlie picks her up and quickly drives her there, but she does not make it in time, and is exposed to the sunlight for just a couple of seconds. Katie runs inside, while Morgan and Jack come home soon after. Charlie is still standing at the front door, and Morgan explains Katie's condition to him. Once the doctors run some tests, they come to the conclusion that Katie's brain is contracting from her being in the sun, and it is only a matter of time before she dies. She develops twitches that prevent her from playing guitar and ignores Charlie’s messages and calls.
Jack eventually convinces Katie to speak to Charlie, who still wants to be with Katie and does not care about her condition. Katie goes to Charlie's swim meet with the Berkeley coach, and they hang out at the house with Morgan and Jack. Charlie takes Katie out one night, and surprises her by booking a recording session, where she sings a song she wrote for him. Soon after, while hanging out at her house, Charlie mentions that he has to visit the boat for the last time, which he has been hired to take care of the whole summer. Katie, fearing that she is going to die, remembers the time Charlie told her that he wished they could sail together, and convinces Jack to let her go with Charlie, despite it being during the day. Katie sails with Charlie, feels the sunlight, and spends her final moments with him, dying shortly thereafter.
Some time later, Charlie goes to Katie's house, where he bids farewell to Jack as he is going to pursue his swimming dreams. Jack tells Charlie that Katie wanted him to keep the notebook. Charlie is setting out, when he listens to Katie's song on the radio and reads the heartfelt message which Katie wrote for him in the notebook. In the letter, Katie tells Charlie to watch for the new things which are coming his way and to look up in the sky and to always remember that she loves him.
Cast
- Bella Thorne as Katherine "Katie" Price
- Ava Dewhurst as young Katie
- Patrick Schwarzenegger as Charles "Charlie" Reed
- Rob Riggle as Jack Price
- Quinn Shephard as Morgan
- Audrey Smallman as young Morgan
- Suleka Mathew as Dr. Paula Fleming
- Nicholas Coombe as Garver
- Ken Tremblett as Mark Reed
- Jennifer Griffin as Barb Reed
- Tiera Skovbye as Zoe Carmichael
- Jaeda Lily Miller as young Zoe
- Austin Obiajunwa as Owen
- Alex Pangburn as Wes
- Paul McGillion as Blake Jones
Production
On June 22, 2015, it was announced that Scott Speer would next direct a young adult romantic drama film, Midnight Sun, based on the script by Eric Kirsten, which would star Patrick Schwarzenegger as Charlie and Bella Thorne as Katie.[4] The film is based on the 2006 Japanese film of same name. It was financed by Boies / Schiller Film Group,[4] and produced by John Rickard and Zack Schiller.[4] On October 9, 2015, Rob Riggle joined the film to play Katie's father, Jack.[5]
Filming
Principal photography on the film began on October 12, 2015, in Vancouver, British Columbia.[6][7]
Soundtrack
| Midnight Sun (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) | |
|---|---|
| Soundtrack album by Various artists | |
| Released | March 16, 2018 |
| Recorded | 2017 |
| Genre | Soundtrack |
| Length | 46:29 |
| Label | Lakeshore |
| Singles from Midnight Sun | |
| |
Midnight Sun (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) is the film's soundtrack album. It was released on March 16, 2018 through Lakeshore Records.[8]
The album was preceded by two singles—"Burn So Bright"[9] and "Walk with Me".[10]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Artist(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Burn So Bright" | Bella Thorne | 3:22 | |
| 2. | "Reaching" | Thorne | 2:44 | |
| 3. | "Warsaw" | Morgan Kibby | 3:52 | |
| 4. | "What's Real" |
| Waters | 3:27 |
| 5. | "Stockholm" | Adriel | 3:14 | |
| 6. | "Sweetest Feeling" | Thorne | 2:07 | |
| 7. | "Walk with Me" | Thorne | 3:24 | |
| 8. | "Where I Stand" | Mia Wray | Wray | 3:23 |
| 9. | "Let the Light In" | Thorne | 3:18 | |
| 10. | "Katie's House" | Nate Walcott | 2:16 | |
| 11. | "Mom's Guitar" | Walcott | 1:36 | |
| 12. | "I'm Old School Too" | Walcott | 0:52 | |
| 13. | "Facts" | Walcott | 0:42 | |
| 14. | "Chili Party" | Walcott | 0:40 | |
| 15. | "Boat Dock Talk" | Walcott | 1:18 | |
| 16. | "Sailing Sounds Perfect" | Walcott | 1:15 | |
| 17. | "Wanna Go out on a Real Date?" | Walcott | 1:23 | |
| 18. | "I'm Not Swimming" | Walcott | 1:22 | |
| 19. | "Skinny Dip Kiss" | Walcott | 1:58 | |
| 20. | "Sunrise" | Walcott | 1:58 | |
| 21. | "Triggering Event" | Walcott | 1:35 | |
| 22. | "That Would Be Fine" | Walcott | 0:54 | |
| Total length: | 46:29 | |||
Release history
| Country | Date | Format | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| Various | March 16, 2018 | [8] | |
Release
In October 2016, Open Road Films acquired distribution rights to the film. They initially scheduled it for July 14, 2017, before setting it for March 23, 2018.[11]
Box office
Midnight Sun grossed $9.6 million in the United States and Canada, and $17.8 million in other territories, for a total worldwide gross $27.4 million.[3]
In the United States, Midnight Sun was released alongside Pacific Rim Uprising, Sherlock Gnomes, Unsane and Paul, Apostle of Christ, and was projected to gross around $5 million from 2,173 theaters in its opening weekend.[12] It ended up debuting to $4 million, finishing 10th at the box office.[13] It fell 54% to $1.8 million in its second week.[14]
Critical response
On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 21% based on 63 reviews, and an average rating of 4.2/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Midnight Sun is a typically manipulative and contrived teen romance that's unfortunately distinguished by its offensively inaccurate portrayal of a real-life disease."[15] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 38 out of 100, based on 14 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews."[16] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A−" on an A+ to F scale.[13]
Accolades
| Year | Award | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Teen Choice Awards | Choice Movie: Drama | Midnight Sun | Nominated | [17][18][19] |
| Choice Drama Movie Actor | Patrick Schwarzenegger | Nominated | |||
| Choice Drama Movie Actress | Bella Thorne | Nominated | |||
| Choice Movie Ship | Bella Thorne and Patrick Schwarzenegger | Nominated | |||
| People's Choice Awards | Favorite Dramatic Movie | Midnight Sun | Nominated | [20] |
References
- "Midnight Sun". AMC Theatres. Archived from the original on April 4, 2018. Retrieved February 21, 2018.
- Levison, Louise (March 2018). "Indie B/O Rejusts, Holds Ground" (PDF). The Film Entrepreneur. Vol. 25, no. 3. Business Strategies. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 20, 2018. Retrieved April 21, 2018.
- "Midnight Sun (2018)". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on June 27, 2018. Retrieved July 24, 2018.
- Hipes, Patrick (June 22, 2015). "Bella Thorne & Patrick Schwarzenegger To Star In YA Pic 'Midnight Sun'". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Business Media. Archived from the original on October 29, 2015. Retrieved October 25, 2015.
- Hipes, Patrick (October 9, 2015). "Rob Riggle Takes On Drama With 'Midnight Sun' Pic". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Business Media. Archived from the original on October 13, 2015. Retrieved October 25, 2015.
- SSN Insider Staff (October 16, 2015). "On the Set for 10/16/15: 'Ab Fab: The Movie' & 'Planet of the Apes' Sequel Start Shooting While 'Star Trek Beyond' Wraps". SSN Insider. TTS News. Archived from the original on June 13, 2017. Retrieved October 25, 2015.
- Guglielmi, Jodi (October 14, 2015). "Arnold Is That You? Patrick Schwarzenegger Flashes His Muscles On Set – Just Like His Dad Once Did". People. Time. Archived from the original on October 17, 2015. Retrieved October 25, 2015.
- "Midnight Sun (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) by Various Artists on Apple Music". Apple Music. Archived from the original on October 7, 2021. Retrieved March 14, 2021.
- "Exclusive! New song by Bella Thorne 'Burn So Bright' | 'Midnight Sun' soundtrack". Soundtracks Scores and More. January 18, 2018. Archived from the original on February 25, 2021. Retrieved March 14, 2021.
- Boone, John (February 26, 2018). "Listen to Bella Thorne's new single, 'Walk With Me,' from the 'Midnight Sun' soundtrack (Exclusive)". ET Online. Archived from the original on June 24, 2021. Retrieved March 14, 2021.
- Fleming, Mike Jr. (October 13, 2016). "Open Road Acquires 'Midnight Sun', Sets Wide Summer Release For Bella Thorne & Patrick Schwarzenegger Pic". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Business Media. Archived from the original on May 1, 2019. Retrieved March 12, 2018.
- Rubin, Rebecca (March 21, 2018). "Box Office Preview: 'Pacific Rim Uprising' Set to Break 'Black Panther's' Five-Week Streak". Variety. Penske Business Media. Archived from the original on March 22, 2018. Retrieved March 21, 2018.
- D'Alessandro, Anthony (March 25, 2018). "Does 'Pacific Rim: Uprising' Break Even At The Global B.O.?; 'Black Panther' Sets Marvel Record – Sunday Postmortem". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Business Media. Archived from the original on November 11, 2020. Retrieved March 25, 2018.
- D'Alessandro, Anthony (April 1, 2018). "How Warner Bros. Sold 'Ready Player One' On The Spielberg Spirit & Beat Tracking With $53M+ 4-Day – Sunday Postmortem". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Business Media. Archived from the original on April 1, 2018. Retrieved April 2, 2018.
- "Midnight Sun (2018)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Archived from the original on December 8, 2020. Retrieved October 10, 2021.
- "Midnight Sun Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on December 8, 2020. Retrieved March 29, 2018.
- Cohen, Jess (June 13, 2018). "Teen Choice Awards 2018: Avengers: Infinity War, Black Panther and Riverdale Among Top Nominees". E! News. Archived from the original on June 13, 2018. Retrieved September 5, 2018.
- "Teen Choice Awards: Winners List". The Hollywood Reporter. August 12, 2018. Archived from the original on August 13, 2018. Retrieved September 5, 2018.
- Douglas, Esme. "Teen Choice Awards 2018: See the full list of winners". EW. Archived from the original on August 13, 2018. Retrieved September 5, 2018.
- Macke, Johnni (September 5, 2018). "2018 People's Choice Awards: Complete List of Nominations". E!. Archived from the original on September 5, 2018. Retrieved September 5, 2018.