Jupiter Ascending

Jupiter Ascending
Company type	Film
Industry	Motion picture
Founded	2015; 11 years ago
Founder	The Wachowskis
Headquarters	United States
Key people	Lana Wachowski, Lilly Wachowski, Grant Hill (producer), Channing Tatum, Mila Kunis
Products	Science fiction film
Parent	Warner Bros. Pictures, Village Roadshow Pictures, RatPac-Dune Entertainment

Jupiter Ascending is a 2015 science fiction space opera crafted, directed, and co-produced by the Wachowskis. The film features Channing Tatum and Mila Kunis in lead roles, supported by performances from Sean Bean, Eddie Redmayne, and Douglas Booth. The narrative centers on Jupiter Jones (Kunis), a cleaning lady whose fate reaches far beyond Earth, guided by the interstellar warrior Caine Wise (Tatum). Douglas Booth characterized the film's setting as a fusion of The Matrix and Star Wars, while Kunis pointed to themes of excess and consumerism.

Produced by Grant Hill alongside the Wachowskis, Jupiter Ascending represents Hill’s seventh project with the duo. The production team included longtime collaborators from the Matrix franchise, such as production designer Hugh Bateup, visual effects supervisor Dan Glass, visual effects designer John Gaeta, supervising sound editor Dane Davis, and costume designer Kym Barrett. Additional contributors included composer Michael Giacchino, cinematographer John Toll, editor Alexander Berner, and hair and makeup designer Jeremy Woodhead—who previously worked on Cloud Atlas.

Distributed in the United States by Warner Bros. Pictures on February 6, 2015, the movie faced criticism for its complex storyline despite receiving acclaim for its visual effects. It earned $184 million globally against an estimated production budget ranging from $176 million to $210 million during its theatrical release.

Plot

A multitude of planets including Earth were established by transhuman and alien aristocratic families to harvest organisms used in an eternal youth serum reserved for the elite. Following the death of the Abrasax matriarch, her offspring—Balem, Kalique, and Titus—engage in a power struggle over their inheritance. Balem governs the Abrasax empire, Kalique oversees the planet Cerise, and Titus invests his wealth in an extravagant spaceship. None bear the title Sovereign of Abrasax; instead, they hold ranks as First, Second, and Third Primary.

Jupiter Jones recounts how her father Maximilian met her mother Aleksa in Saint Petersburg. After Maximilian is killed during a robbery, Aleksa names their daughter Jupiter and relocates to Chicago. Years later, Jupiter works as a housekeeper and discreetly sells her egg cells to afford a telescope. At an egg donation clinic, she encounters alien "Keepers" who attack but erase her memory of the incident. Caine Wise, an ex-soldier dispatched by Titus, rescues Jupiter after their spaceship is destroyed by these Keepers. Caine recognizes Jupiter’s importance to Titus and Balem, who have deployed Keepers to capture her.

Caine introduces Jupiter to Stinger Apini, an exiled Earth soldier. Upon discovering Jupiter’s ability to control bees and her status as galactic royalty, Stinger pledges his support. However, Balem’s hunters apprehend Jupiter and deliver her to Kalique on Cerise. Kalique reveals that Jupiter is genetically identical to the Abrasax matriarch and is the legitimate heir to Earth.

With assistance from Captain Diomika Tsing of the intergalactic police force Aegis, Caine liberates Jupiter from Kalique and escorts her to Orous—the galactic capital—to claim her inheritance as Sovereign of Abrasax. Assuming this title would grant Jupiter authority over Abrasax Industries and displace Balem as Earth’s ruler. In retaliation, Balem kidnaps Jupiter’s family. Upon returning to Earth, Titus’s forces capture Jupiter and imprison Caine. Titus intends to wed then murder Jupiter to seize control of Earth and dismantle the youth serum operation. Surviving being cast into space, Caine returns with Stinger to rescue Jupiter before her coerced marriage.

Balem demands ownership of Earth in exchange for releasing Jupiter’s family at his refinery located within the Great Red Spot. Aware that Balem cannot exploit Earth without her consent, Jupiter refuses his terms. Caine sabotages the refinery’s gravity hull causing structural failure. As occupants evacuate, Tsing rescues Jupiter’s family. During the collapse, Balem attempts to kill Jupiter but falls to his death; Caine intervenes to save her. Tsing opens a portal for evacuation back to Earth; she breathes a sigh of relief when both Caine and Jupiter survive.

Jupiter’s family returns home with no recollection of their ordeal while she secretly retains ownership of Earth. Caine regains his Legion rank and begins a romantic relationship with Jupiter.

Cast

Terry Gilliam made a brief appearance as the Seal and Signet Minister, a government official who verifies Jupiter's claim to Earth. This role included a scene reminiscent of his 1985 movie Brazil.

Development

In 2009, Jeff Robinov, then president of Warner Bros., invited the Wachowskis to develop an original intellectual property with franchise potential. Two years later, pre-production commenced with the involvement of production and visual effects teams, working from an early script draft while the Wachowskis were still engaged in filming Cloud Atlas. The narrative drew partial inspiration from Lana's favorite literary work, the Odyssey, which shaped the film’s exploration of profound spiritual transformation. Additionally, influences included The Wizard of Oz, contrasting Dorothy’s unchanging persona with Odysseus’ extensive evolution. The Wachowskis sought to reinvent the female protagonist in science fiction by crafting a lead who resolves challenges through intellect and compassion instead of stoicism, as reflected in Caine’s character origin.

Production design

Producer Grant Hill and visual effects supervisor Dan Glass emphasized the Wachowskis’ distinctive creative vision. They noted that the film’s aesthetic draws inspiration from European urban landscapes and architectural styles spanning Renaissance, modern glasswork, and Gothic elements rather than conventional sci-fi motifs.

Filming

This project was a collaborative effort between Warner Bros. Pictures and Village Roadshow Pictures, both contributing 40% toward the $205–210 million budget, with RatPac-Dune Entertainment providing the remaining 20%. Executive producers included Roberto Malerba and Bruce Berman. Principal photography kicked off on April 2, 2013, at Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden, initially budgeted at $130 million. Filming took place at Ely Cathedral in England and various London studios until June, followed by shoots in Chicago during July and August. Minor reshoots occurred in January and May 2014, with the latter sessions conducted in Bilbao, Spain. Lead actor Channing Tatum described the production process as demanding, involving seven months of rigorous work.

The opening sequences showcase iconic structures such as the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao and Frank Gehry’s Dancing House in Prague. Cinematographer John Toll utilized digital cameras (Arri Alexa) for only his second time after Iron Man 3, facilitating extensive visual effects integration. Stereoscopic 3D conversion was handled by Legend3D using Mistika software, with Vision3’s Chris Parks overseeing stereoscopic supervision. A prominent eight-minute chase scene set in downtown Chicago featured intricate stunts requiring Kunis and Tatum to film daily over a six-month period.

Effects

Many of the film’s visual effects heavily favored practical stunts over CGI. According to Tatum, digital doubles were rarely employed; instead, principal actors or stunt performers closely followed pre-visualization sequences during stunt execution. For scenes involving Tatum’s character flying with antigravity boots, the production developed a stunt-based approach rather than relying on digital effects despite tight scheduling constraints.

A specialized rig named Panocam—comprising six cameras mounted on a helicopter capturing nearly 180 degrees—enabled directors to merge overlapping footage during post-production. This innovation effectively created a camera capable of independently circling around the action. The technique attracted interest from other filmmakers and has since been utilized in additional productions. Visual effects company Framestore used Vicon T40 cameras for both pre-visualization and motion capture, employing the same technology featured in the critically acclaimed 2013 film Gravity for its cinematography and effects work.

Music

The soundtrack for the movie was composed by Michael Giacchino and performed by the Hollywood Studio Symphony. On June 10, 2013, Giacchino revealed that Ludwig Wicki, Robert Ziegler, and Tim Simonec were conducting the score sessions at London's Abbey Road Studios. In August, he shared that the music recording took place prior to the completion of filming, a technique endorsed by co-director Tom Tykwer during the making of Cloud Atlas. This strategy provided enhanced creative flexibility and has since become a favored method for the Wachowskis. Inspired by Giacchino’s composition, dancer Kyle Davis choreographed a ballet entitled "A Dark and Lonely Space" for the Pacific Northwest Ballet, which premiered on November 2, 2018. The performance featured 24 dancers embodying celestial entities and forces of physics.

Release

Initially planned for a July 25, 2014 release, the film’s premiere was first advanced to July 18, 2014, before being postponed to February 6, 2015. This delay resulted from unsatisfactory test screening results and the necessity to finalize over 2,000 visual effects shots, causing the budget to escalate from $130 million to more than $210 million. A private screening took place at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival with limited audience attendance and visible empty seats. The film debuted in IMAX 3D format at Sundance on January 27, 2015, held at the Mary G. Steiner Egyptian Theatre in Park City, Utah.

Box office

Jupiter Ascending earned $47.4 million domestically in the United States and Canada, alongside $136.5 million internationally, culminating in a worldwide total of $184 million against an estimated budget ranging from $176 million to $210 million.

The film generated $1 million during Thursday preview screenings and collected $6.4 million on its opening day, with weekend projections near $18 million. On its second day, it grossed $7.6 million followed by $5 million on the third day, amounting to an $18.4 million opening weekend across 3,181 theaters—averaging approximately $5,776 per location. It placed third in box office rankings behind The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water ($55.4 million) and American Sniper ($23.3 million).

Internationally, Jupiter Ascending launched at number one with earnings of $32.5 million from 65 territories. Significant markets included Russia ($4.7 million), France ($2.5 million), South Korea ($2.1 million), the United Kingdom ($2 million), Brazil ($1.9 million), Mexico and Germany (each with $1.8 million), Italy ($1.2 million), and Spain ($1.1 million). Asian regions contributed $6 million collectively from Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan, the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand. Its March debut in China added $23.2 million to its international tally, securing the top spot overseas that weekend.

Before its release, industry analysts identified the film as one of "The Riskiest Box Office Bets of 2015," predicting an opening weekend revenue between $21–23 million.

Critical response

The critical reception of Jupiter Ascending ranged from mixed to negative, reflected by a Metacritic score of 40. Reviewers praised its visual spectacle but criticized its convoluted narrative structure. David Edelstein of Vulture.com described it as "inane from start to finish," while Joe McGovern of Entertainment Weekly dismissed it as "another incoherent sci-fi extravaganza." British critic Mark Kermode characterized it as "bonkers" and "excessively extravagant," yet confessed he found enjoyment despite its shortcomings.

Eddie Redmayne’s performance drew widespread criticism following his recent Oscar win for The Theory of Everything, with many viewing his portrayal as unintentionally humorous due to its exaggerated nature. Kofi Outlaw from Screen Rant remarked that Redmayne’s "Bane-inspired whisper" rendered every scene he appeared in absurd. In a 2018 interview, Redmayne himself admitted delivering "a pretty bad performance." He was also awarded a Golden Raspberry for Worst Supporting Actor for this role.

On the other hand, the movie cultivated a loyal female science fiction fanbase. Donna Dickens of HitFix emphasized its appeal through female wish-fulfillment without relying on clichéd strong-woman stereotypes. Gavia Baker-Whitelaw from The Daily Dot commended its avoidance of sexist jokes, labeling it "catnip for a particular segment of geeky, self-aware young women."

Despite its flaws, some critics acknowledged the film's inventive aspects. Ignatiy Vishnevetsky of The A.V. Club referred to it as an "imaginatively quirky Rococo space opera" bearing a personal touch uncommon in large-scale sci-fi productions. David Blaustein at ABC News suggested it might achieve cult status due to its campy extravagance. Susana Polo from Polygon ranked it eighth among films released in 2015, recognizing its ambitious yet imperfect execution that nonetheless maintains a unique appeal.

Accolades

Award	Category	Nominees	Outcome
Kids' Choice Awards	Favorite Male Action Star	Channing Tatum	Template:Nominated
Teen Choice Awards	Choice Movie Actor: Sci-Fi/Fantasy	Channing Tatum	Template:Nominated
Teen Choice Awards	Choice Movie Actress: Sci-Fi/Fantasy	Mila Kunis	Template:Nominated
Golden Raspberry Awards	Worst Picture	Jupiter Ascending	Template:Nominated
	Worst Actor	Channing Tatum	Template:Nominated
	Worst Actress	Mila Kunis	Template:Nominated
	Worst Supporting Actor	Eddie Redmayne	Template:Won
	Worst Director	The Wachowskis	Template:Nominated
	Worst Screenplay	The Wachowskis	Template:Nominated

External links