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General Information
Poster for August Rush
Directed by
Kirsten Sheridan

Screenplay by
Nick Castle and James V. Hart

Music Composed by
Mark Mancina (official site)

Theatrical Release Date
November 21, 2007 (pushed back from October 19, 2007)
(pushed back from August 2007)
(pushed back from February 2007)

DVD Release Date
March 11, 2008 (Region 1 - North America)
March 17, 2008 (Region 2 - UK)

Production Company
Southpaw Entertainment

Distribution Companies
Warner Bros (USA), RCV Film Distribution (Netherlands), Magna Pacific (Australia), Tiglon (Turkey), Distribution Company (Argentina)

Summary

"August Rush" tells the story of a charismatic young Irish guitarist and a sheltered young cellist who have a chance encounter one magical night above New York's Washington Square, but are soon torn apart, leaving in their wake an infant, August Rush, orphaned by circumstance. Now performing on the streets of New York and cared for by a mysterious stranger, August uses his remarkable musical talent to seek out the parents from whom he was separated at birth.

Trailer
Quotes
Wizard
You know what music is? A harmonic connection between all living beings.

Wizard
You gotta love music. More than you love food, more than life, more than you love yourself.

August
It was like someone was calling out to me. Only some of us can hear it.
Wizard
Only some of us are listening.

Festival Screenings
August Rush screened at a number of film festivals:
OCT6
HATCHFEST (OCT 3-6, 2007)
Bozeman, MT - Ellen Theatre - 7.00 pm
OCT13
CHICAGO FILM FESTIVAL (OCT 4-12, 2007)
Chicago, IL - Landmark's Century - 12.00 pm
OCT17
AFI DALLAS PREVIEW SCREENING
Dallas, TX - Angelika Dallas - 7.30 pm
OCT18
HEARTLAND FILM FESTIVAL (OCT 18-26, 2007)
Indianapolis, IN - IMAX Theater - 4.30pm, 7:30 pm; Eiteljorg Theater - 5.00 pm
OCT20
HAMPTON INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL (OCT 17-21, 2007)
East Hampton, NY - Ross School - 4.30 pm
OCT21
HAMPTON INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
East Hampton, NY - East Hampton UA1 - 1.00 pm, 4.00 pm
OCT20
ROME INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL (OCT 18-27, 2007)
Rome, Italy - Sala Santa Cecilia - 5.00 pm
OCT27
SAVANNAH COLLEGE FILM FESTIVAL
Savannah, GA - Trustees Theater - 7.00 pm
NOV14
CANCUN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL (NOV 14-18, 2007)
Cancun, Mexico - Theater 1 - 7.00 pm
Sneak Peek

It's only June, but given this summer's played-out themes of three-quels, visual effects and the bigger-is-best approach to blockbusters, we figure it's never too early to address some of fall's film fare.

In this case, one film in particular - Warner Bros.' aptly-titled August Rush. ComingSoon recently attended a special preview screening of footage from the upcoming film and we liked what we saw.

"Rush" is the story of a chance encounter between two young musicians (Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Keri Russell) who are unexpectedly torn apart, leaving an infant, August Rush (Freddie Highmore), orphaned by circumstance. Eleven years later, August leaves the orphanage in which he is raised to find his birth parents. Along the way, and with the help of several caring strangers, he discovers a remarkable musical gift he believes to be the key to bringing his family together.

Billed as a "music-driven fantasy," the film seems to be in the same vein of the musically-driven, yet not quite full-blown musical, Once. "Rush" is loaded with talent on both sides of the camera and in addition to Highmore, Russell and Meyers, the cast includes all-stars Robin Williams and Terrence Howard. Behind the camera is semi-newcomer Kirsten Sheridan, best known for co-writing 2004's In America. In charge of the film's heavy music load are award-winning composers Hans Zimmer and Mark Mancina, as well as legendary music producer Phil Ramone, who produced three of the music tracks in the film.

Based on the 30 minutes of footage and behind-the-scenes cast interviews we were shown, "Rush" looks to have massive general audience appeal. That and Freddie Highmore's place in the title role easily cancels out our misgivings about the potentially maudlin red flags. We should also mention that all three of the main actors actually play their respective musical instruments on camera - Rhys Meyers even does his own singing. (Phil Ramone confessed he initially thought they were going to have to dub over Meyers with a professional, but rescinded the thought the instant he heard Meyers sing.) And watch out for scene-stealing newcomer Jamia Simone Nash, whose powerful pipes and spunky church choir girl turned August's unlikely music tutor had everyone at the screening talking.

As long as the studio keeps the running time at the estimated two-hour mark and they steer clear from cheesy melodramatics, August Rush might be the perfect blend of feel-good fantasy to stand-out among the more serious and dramatic fare that dominate the fall movie season.

(Source: ComingSoon.net)
Photo Gallery
Main Cast

Robin Williams
Maxwell "Wizard" Wallace

Freddie Highmore
August Rush/Evan Taylor

Jonathan Rhys Meyers
Louis Connelly

Kerri Russell
Lyla Novacek

Terrence Howard
Richard Jeffries

Jamia Simone Nash
Hope

Tagline

An incredible journey moving at the speed of sound

Filming Info

Dates
February 13, 2006 - May 1, 2006

Reshoots
December 2006

Locations
New York City, NY

Even though filming started in February, Robin's first day on the set wasn't until March 17, in Washington Square Garden. He shared most takes that day with Freddie Highmore.

Principal filming wrapped in Central Park, New York on April 14, 2006. Robin had finished filming earlier, though, and started filming License to Wed in May.

International Release Dates

UK
November 23, 2007

Israel
South Korea
November 29, 2007

Italy
November 30, 2007

Germany
December 13, 2007

Spain
December 14, 2007

Greece
December 27, 2007

South Africa
December 28, 2007

Hong Kong
January 3, 2008

Argentina
January 10, 2008

Taiwan
January 18, 2008

Netherlands
February 14, 2008

Brazil
February 15, 2008

Australia
February 21, 2008

Turkey
February 29, 2008

Singapore
March 6, 2008

Iceland
March 7, 2008

Mexico
March 14, 2008

Belgium
France
March 19, 2008

Portugal
Slovakia
March 20, 2008

Egypt
April 16, 2008

Japan
June 21, 2008

Colombia
July 18, 2008

Venezuela
September 5, 2008

Peru
September 11, 2008 (limited release)

Russia
September 18, 2008 (DVD release)

Kuwait
January 1, 2009

International Titles

Spain / Venezuela
El Triunfo de un Sueño

Germany
Der Klang des Herzens

Mexico
Escucha tu Destino

Greece
I Melodia tis Kardias

Turkey
Kalbini Dinle

Italy
La Musica nel Cuore

Argentina
Mi Nombre es August Rush

Brazil
O Som do Coração

Soundtrack

A soundtrack of this music-filled film was released in early November 2007. You can listen to 3 tracks of Mark Mancina's score on his official site.

Fun Fact

Robin shows off his musical skills in this film; that's actually him playing the harmonica on Van Morrison's Moondance.

Box Office Details

Budget
$30,000,000 (estimated)

Gross
$31,664,162 (USA)
$34,456,900 (international)
$66,121,062 (total)

Opening Weekend
$9,421,369 (2,310 theaters)

Widest Release
2,310 theaters

In Release
100 days / 14.3 weeks

Closing Date
February 28, 2008

Awards

Academy Awards
Nom - 2008 - Best Song ("Raise It Up")

Critics Choice Awards
Nom - 2008 - Best Young Actor (Freddie Highmore)
Nom - 2008 - Best Family Film