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[edit] Plot

In 1957, Colonel-Doctor Irina Spalko (Cate Blanchett) leads a convoy of Soviets, dressed as American soldiers, infiltrating a military base in the Nevada desert called "Hangar 51", where they force Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) to lead them to a crate holding the remains of an extraterrestrial creature that crashed ten years before in Roswell, New Mexico. When Jones attempts to escape, he is foiled by his old partner, George "Mac" McHale (Ray Winstone), who reveals that he is working with the Soviets. Jones then escapes on a rocket sled into the desert, where he stumbles upon a nuclear test town and survives a nuclear blast by hiding in a lead-lined refrigerator. While being debriefed, Jones discovers he is under FBI investigation because his friend Mac is a Soviet agent. Jones returns to Marshall College, where he is offered a leave of absence to avoid being fired because of the investigation. As he is leaving, Jones is stopped by Mutt Williams (Shia LaBeouf) and told that his old colleague, Harold Oxley (John Hurt), disappeared after discovering a crystal skull in Peru.

In Peru, Jones and Mutt discover that Oxley was locked in an insane asylum until Soviet soldiers kidnapped him. In Oxley's former cell, Jones discovers clues to the grave of Francisco de Orellana, a Conquistador who went missing in the 1500s while seeking Akator (also known as El Dorado). Jones finds the crystal skull that Oxley hid in Orellana's grave in the Nazca Lines. The skull is elongated in the shape that indigenous peoples formed their own skulls into. The Soviets capture Indy and Mutt and take them to the camp where they are holding Oxley and Mutt's mother, Marion Ravenwood (Karen Allen), who reveals that Mutt is Jones's son. The Soviets believe the skull is the actual skull from an extraterrestrial life-form with a crystalline bone structure, holding great psychic power. During a lengthy vehicle chase, involving sword fights and several Soviet soldiers being eaten by army ants, as well as Mac revealing that he is actually a double agent working against the Soviets, Mutt, Marion, Mac, Oxley, and Jones ride an amphibious truck over a cliff and down three waterfalls, eventually finding the Temple of Akator.

After entering the temple, Jones uses the skull to open the door to a chamber tomb. Inside, thirteen crystal skeletons, one with a missing skull, are seated on thrones. When the Soviets arrive, Mac reveals that he lied about being a double agent. When Spalko places the skull onto the skeleton, it begins communicating to the group through Oxley using an ancient Mayan dialect. Jones translates this to mean that the aliens want to give them a great gift. Spalko demands to know everything, and the skulls begin firing knowledge into her eyes, causing her to shake. As a portal to another dimension appears over the room, Oxley regains his sanity and explains that the aliens are inter-dimensional beings who taught the Maya their advanced technology. Indy, Mutt, Marion, and Oxley escape from the temple, but Mac is sucked into the portal. The skeletons form into a single alien which continues to feed Spalko with knowledge. However, the knowledge overwhelms Spalko, causing her to ignite into flames and disintegrate, with her essence being absorbed into the portal above. The temple crumbles, and a flying saucer rises from the debris and disappears. Back home, Jones is made an associate dean and marries Marion.

[edit] Cast

See also: Indiana Jones characters introduced in Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

Harrison Ford plays Dr. Henry "Indiana" Jones Jr. To prepare for the role, the 64-year-old Ford spent three hours a day at a gym, and relied on a high-protein diet of fish and vegetables.^[1] Ford had kept fit during the series' hiatus anyway, as he hoped for another film.^[2] He performed many of his own stunts because stunt technology had become safer since 1989, and he also felt it improved his performance.^[3] He argued, "The appeal of Indiana Jones isn't his youth but his imagination, his resourcefulness. His physicality is a big part of it, especially the way he gets out of tight situations. But it's not all hitting people and falling from high places. My ambition in action is to have the audience look straight in the face of character and not at the back of a capable stuntman's head. I hope to continue that no matter how old I get."^[4]

Ford felt his reprise would also help American culture be less paranoid about aging (he refused to dye his hair for the role), because of the film's family appeal: "This is a movie which is geared not to [the young] segment of the demographic, an age-defined segment [...] We've got a great shot at breaking the movie demographic constraints."^[3] He told Koepp to add more references to his age in the script.^[5] Spielberg said Ford was not too old to play Indiana: "When a guy gets to be that age and he still packs the same punch, and he still runs just as fast and climbs just as high, he's gonna be breathing a little heavier at the end of the set piece. And I felt, 'Let's have some fun with that. Let's not hide that.'"^[6] Spielberg recalled the line in Raiders, "It's not the years, it's the mileage",^[6] and felt he could not tell the difference between Ford during the shoots for Last Crusade and Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.^[7]

Shia LaBeouf plays Henry "Mutt" Williams / Henry Jones III, a motorcycle-riding greaser and Indiana's sidekick and son. Frank Marshall said Mutt brings humor to the story because of his youthful arrogance, causing banter with the older and wiser Jones.^[8] Koepp credited the character's creation to Jeff Nathanson and Lucas.^[5] LaBeouf was Spielberg's first and only choice for the role.^[9] Excited at the prospect of being in an Indiana Jones film, LaBeouf signed on without reading the script and did not know what character he would play.^[10] He worked out and gained fifteen pounds of muscle for the role,^[11] and also repeatedly watched the other films to get into character.^[12] LaBeouf also watched Blackboard Jungle and The Wild One to get into his character's mindset, copying mannerisms and words from characters in those films, such as the use of a switchblade as a weapon.^[13] Lucas also consulted on the greaser look, joking that LaBeouf was "sent to the American Graffiti school of greaserland".^[6] LaBeouf pulled his hip's rotator cuff when filming his duel with Spalko, which was his first injury in his career. The injury got worse throughout filming until it pulled his groin.^[14]

Cate Blanchett plays the villainous Soviet agent Irina Spalko. Screenwriter David Koepp created the character.^[5] Frank Marshall said Spalko continued the tradition of Indiana having a love-hate relationship "with every woman he ever comes in contact with".^[15] Blanchett had wanted to play a villain for a "couple of years", and enjoyed being part of the Indiana Jones legacy as she loved the previous films.^[16] Spielberg praised Blanchett as a "master of disguise", and considers her his favorite Indiana Jones villain for coming up with much of Spalko's characteristics.^[6] Spalko's bob cut was her idea, with the character's stern looks and behaviour recalling Rosa Klebb in From Russia with Love.^[17] Blanchett learned to fence for the character, but during filming, Spielberg decided to give Spalko "karate chop" skills.^[18] LaBeouf recalled Blanchett was elusive on set, and Ford was surprised when he met her on set outside of costume. He noted, "There's no aspect of her behavior that was not^[sic] consistent with this bizarre person she's playing."^[3]

Karen Allen reprises the role of Marion Ravenwood, under the married name of Marion Williams later Jones who appeared in Raiders of the Lost Ark. Allen was not aware her character was in the script until Spielberg called her in January 2007, saying, "It's been announced! We're gonna make Indiana Jones 4! And guess what? You're in it!"^[19] Ford found Allen "one of the easiest people to work with [he's] ever known. She's a completely self-sufficient woman, and that's part of the character she plays. A lot of her charm and the charm of the character is there. And again, it's not an age-dependent thing. It has to do with her spirit and her nature."^[3] Allen found Ford easier to work with on this film, in contrast to the first film, where she slowly befriended the private actor.^[20]

Ray Winstone plays George "Mac" McHale, a British agent whom Jones worked alongside in World War II, but has now allied with the Russians due to his financial problems. The character acts as a spin on Sallah and Rene Belloq — Jones's friend and nemesis, respectively, in Raiders of the Lost Ark.^[21] Spielberg cast Winstone as he found him "one of the most brilliant actors around", having seen Sexy Beast.^[18] Winstone tore his hamstring during filming. "I keep getting these action parts as I’m getting older," he remarked.^[22] Like John Hurt, Winstone wished to see the script prior to committing to the film. In interviews on British TV^[23] Winstone explained that he was only able to read the script if it was delivered by courier, who waited while he read the script, and returned to the US with the script once he had read it. His reasoning for wanting to read the script was, "If I'm gonna be in it, I want to be in it." He also stated that once filming was completed he had to return the script, such was the secrecy about the film. He has since been presented with a copy of the script to keep.^[24]

John Hurt plays Harold Oxley, Mutt's surrogate father and an old friend of Indiana, whom he lost contact with in 1937. Six months prior to the film, he went insane after discovering the crystal skull, which commanded him to return it to Akator. Frank Darabont had suggested Hurt when he was writing the screenplay.^[25] The character is inspired by Ben Gunn from Treasure Island.^[18] Hurt wanted to read the script before signing on, unlike other cast members who came on "because Steven — you know, 'God' — was doing it. And I said, 'Well, I need to have a little bit of previous knowledge even if God is doing it.' So they sent a courier over with the script from Los Angeles, gave it to me at three o'clock in the afternoon in London, collected it again at eight o'clock in the evening, and he returned the next day to Los Angeles." Hurt only appears in the film's second half.^[26]

Jim Broadbent plays Dean Charles Stanforth, an academic colleague and friend of Jones. Broadbent's character stands in for Marcus Brody, whose portrayer, Denholm Elliott, died in 1992.^[18] As a tribute to Elliott, the filmmakers put a portrait and a statue on the Marshall College set, and a picture on Jones' desk.

Igor Jijikine plays the Russian Colonel Dovchenko. His character stands in for the heavily-built henchmen Pat Roach played in the previous films (Roach died in 2004).^[18]

Alan Dale plays General Ross, a friend of Indiana, clearing him after the New Mexico incident.

Andrew Divoff and Pavel Lychnikoff play Russian soldiers. Spielberg cast Russian-speaking actors as Russian soldiers so their accents would be authentic.^[7] Dimitri Diatchenko plays Spalko's right hand man who battles Indiana at Marshall College. Diatchenko bulked up to 250 pounds to look menacing, and his role was originally minor with ten days of filming. When shooting the fight, Ford accidentally hit his chin, and Spielberg liked Diatchenko's humorous looking reaction, so he expanded his role to three months of filming.^[27]

Sean Connery turned down an offer to reprise his role as Henry Jones, Sr., as he found retirement too enjoyable.^[28] Lucas stated that in hindsight it was good that Connery did not briefly appear, as it would disappoint the audience when his character would not come along for the film's adventure.^[29] Ford joked, "I'm old enough to play my own father in this one."^[3] A picture of the character is seen in Indiana Jones' house and it is revealed that he died.

[edit] Production

[edit] Development

During the late 1970s, George Lucas and Steven Spielberg made a deal with Paramount Pictures for five Indiana Jones films.^[31] Following the theatrical release of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade in 1989, Lucas let the series end as he felt he could not think of a good plot device to drive the next installment.^[32] However, he declared that if he ever found a new plot device that all three men liked, he would consider a fourth film.^[33]

The film's long gestation meant the filmmakers had to give a new approach and setting. Instead of tributing Republic Pictures's 1930s serials, the film needed to be more like a 1950s B-movie.^[34] Lucas's favorite film of that era was Forbidden Planet.^[35] In 1992, Jeb Stuart was writing the screenplay,^[36] and Last Crusade writer Jeffrey Boam was set to pen another draft three years later.^[37] However, Spielberg and Ford were not interested in the unsubtle depiction of alien invaders, and development halted when Lucas made the Star Wars prequels.^[34] "No way am I being in a Steve Spielberg movie like that", Ford told Lucas.^[19] He found them as fascinating as the Ark of the Covenant.^[34] Author Max McCoy later incorporated the crystal skull mythology into his four Indiana Jones novels,^{[38][39][40][41]} and the Tokyo Disney theme park attraction Indiana Jones Adventure: Temple of the Crystal Skull opened in 2001. Some of the folklore surrounding the skulls suggest they were created by aliens (a quartz skull found in 1906 in Mexico resembled one), or by those living in Atlantis or the Hollow Earth (both legendary civilizations were depicted in an Indiana Jones video game and a McCoy novel respectively).^[42]

By 2000, Spielberg's personal interest was ignited as his son asked when the next Indiana Jones film would be released.^[43] The same year, Ford, Lucas, Spielberg, Frank Marshall and Kathleen Kennedy met during the American Film Institute's tribute to Ford, and decided they wanted to enjoy the experience of making an Indiana Jones film again: Spielberg also found returning to the series a respite from his many dark films during this period.^[20] M. Night Shyamalan was hired to write for an intended 2002 shoot,^[43] but he was overwhelmed writing a sequel to a film he loved like Raiders of the Lost Ark, and claimed it was difficult to get Ford, Spielberg, and Lucas to focus.^[44] Shyamalan did not produce an actual script.^[19] Afterwards, Stephen Gaghan and Tom Stoppard were approached to write a new screenplay.^[43] With a title already planned,^[45] Frank Darabont, who wrote several The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles episodes, was hired in May 2002 to write.^[46]

Darabont's screenplay was set in the 1950s, with surviving Nazis pursuing Jones.^[47] Darabont came up with reintroducing Marion Ravenwood (Karen Allen),^[48] but he did not include Indy's son.^[49] In December 2002, Spielberg said he planned to shoot two films before filming Indiana Jones 4 in 2004 for a 2005 release.^[50] Although Spielberg loved the script,^[47] Lucas rejected it in February 2004.^[51] He and Spielberg acknowledged the 1950s setting could not ignore the Cold War, and the Russians were more plausible villains. Spielberg felt he could not satirize the Nazis after directing Schindler's List,^[6] while Ford felt "We plum wore the Nazis out."^[19] Lucas also heard that Joseph Stalin had been interested in the crystal skulls.^[5]

Jeff Nathanson was hired in October 2004 to write a new draft,^[52] which was set around 1949.^[53] Completed a year later, the script was handed over to David Koepp.^[43] As 2006 began, Harrison Ford declared if the film was not made by 2008, then the filmmakers should drop the idea altogether.^[54] Spielberg confirmed Indiana Jones 4 as his next film, calling it "the sweet dessert I give those who had to chow down on the bitter herbs that I've used in Munich".^[55] Koepp looked at all previous scripts, and kept what he felt were good ideas (such as Mutt, which he felt was an interesting role reversal from Last Crusade).^[5] The crystal skull was already the plot device.^[20] He tried not to make his work a "fan script", in that he hoped to avoid any trivial references to the previous films.^[56] He also aimed to make it less dark than Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom yet less comic than Last Crusade, aiming for the balance from the first film.^[57] Frank Marshall disagreed, feeling the film's banter made it tonally closer to Last Crusade.^[8] Koepp collaborated with Raiders of the Lost Ark screenwriter Lawrence Kasdan on some of the film's "love dialogue".^[5]

[edit] Filming

The production crew converts a storefront in downtown New Haven, Connecticut to be used in a scene set to take place in the 1950s.

Unlike the previous Indiana Jones films, Spielberg only shot the film in the United States as he did not want to be away from his family.^[35] Shooting began on June 18, 2007^[12] at Deming, New Mexico.^[58] An extensive chase scene set at Indiana Jones's fictional Marshall College was filmed between June 28 and July 7 at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut (where Spielberg's son Theo was studying).^[59][58][60]

Afterwards, they filmed scenes set in the Peruvian jungles in Hilo, Hawaii until August.^[60] Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is the biggest film shot in Hawaii since Waterworld, and was estimated to generate $22 million to $45 million in the local economy.^[61] Because of an approaching hurricane, Spielberg was unable to shoot a fight at a waterfall, so he sent the second unit to film shots of Brazil's and Argentina's Iguaçu Falls. These were digitally combined into the fight, which was shot at the Universal backlot.^[60]

Half the film was scheduled to shoot on five sound stages at Los Angeles:^[62] Downey, Sony, Warner Bros., Paramount and Universal.^[26] Filming moved to Chandler Field in Fresno, California, substituting for Mexico City International Airport, on October 11, 2007.^[63] After shooting aerial shots of Chandler Airport and a DC-3 on the morning of October 12, 2007, filming wrapped.^[64][65] Although he originally found no need for re-shoots after viewing his first cut of the film,^[47] Spielberg decided to add an establishing shot, which was filmed on February 29, 2008 at Pasadena, California.^[66]

[edit] Design

Spielberg and Janusz Kamiński, who has shot all of the director's films since 1993's Schindler's List, rewatched the previous films to study Douglas Slocombe's style. "I didn’t want Janusz to modernize and bring us into the 21st century," Spielberg explained. "I still wanted the film to have a lighting style not dissimilar to the work Doug Slocombe had achieved, which meant that both Janusz and I had to swallow our pride. Janusz had to approximate another cinematographer’s look, and I had to approximate this younger director’s look that I thought I had moved away from after almost two decades."^[34] Spielberg also did not want to fast cut action scenes, relying on his script instead for a fast pace,^[34] and had confirmed in 2002 that he would not shoot the film digitally, a format Lucas had adopted.^[50] Lucas felt "it looks like it was shot three years after Last Crusade. The people, the look of it, everything. You’d never know there was 20 years between shooting."^[35]

While shooting War of the Worlds in late 2004, Spielberg met with stunt coordinator Vic Armstrong, who doubled for Ford in the previous films, to discuss three action sequences he had envisioned.^[32] However, Armstrong was filming The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor during shooting of Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, so Dan Bradley was hired instead.^[67] Bradley and Spielberg used previsualization for all the action scenes, except the motorcycle chase at Marshall College, because that idea was conceived after the animators had left. Bradley drew traditional storyboards instead, and was given free rein to create dramatic moments, just as Raiders of the Lost Ark second unit director Michael D. Moore did when filming the truck chase.^[17]

[edit] Effects

Stunts involving vehicles were shot on location in Hawaii, while CGI was used to add plants to the forest

Producer Frank Marshall stated in 2003 that the film would use traditional stuntwork so as to be consistent with the previous films.^[68] CGI was used to remove the visible safety wires on the actors when they did their stunts (such as when Indiana whips on to a lamp).^[17] Timed explosives were used for a scene where Indiana drives a truck through a wall, which was dangerous because one explosive did not set off and landed in the chair beside Ford.^[69]

During filming, Steven Spielberg estimated 30 percent of the film's shots would require CG matte paintings,^[65] which contributed to the total 450 effects shots, which also include monkeys, army ants, the infinite warehouse crates, the flying saucer, the City of Gold, its gods and the atomic explosion. Spielberg initially wanted brushstrokes to be visible on the matte paintings for consistency with the effects of the previous films, but decided against it.^[19] The script required a non-deforested jungle, but this would have been unsafe. Visual effects supervisor Pablo Helman (who worked on Spielberg's War of the Worlds and Munich) traveled to Brazil and Argentina to photograph elements that were composited into the final images.^[70]

Ben Burtt, the sound designer on the previous films and an editor and director on The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles, left Lucasfilm in 2005,^[71] but he returned to work on the new film because "I love the character and the series so much, I just had to be part of Crystal Skull."^[9]

[edit] Music

John Williams began composing the score in October 2007;^[8] ten days of recording sessions wrapped on March 6, 2008 at Sony Pictures Studios.^[72] The soundtrack features a Continuum, an instrument often used for sound effects instead of music.^[73] The Concord Music Group released the soundtrack on May 20, 2008.^[74]

[edit] Release

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull premiered at the Cannes Film Festival on May 18, 2008, ahead of its worldwide May 22 release date. It was the first Spielberg film since 1982's E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial to premiere at Cannes.^[75] The film was released in approximately 4000 theaters in the United States, and dubbed into 25 languages for its worldwide release.^[34] More than 12,000 release prints were distributed, which is the largest in Paramount Pictures' history.^[76] Although Spielberg insisted his films only be watched traditionally at theaters, Paramount chose to release the film in digital cinemas as part of a scheme to convert 10,000 U.S. cinemas to the format.^[77]

[edit] Marketing

Howard Roffman, President of Lucas Licensing, stated the film would have a large marketing campaign, which he attributed to it being "nineteen years since the last film, and we are sensing a huge pent-up demand for everything Indy".^[78] Paramount will spend at least $150 million to promote the film,^[79] whereas most film promotions range from $70 to 100 million. As well as fans, the film also needed to appeal to younger viewers unimpressed by an older Indiana.^[80] Licensing deals include Expedia, Dr Pepper, Burger King, M&M's and Lunchables.^[80] Paramount sponsored Marco Andretti's car for the 2008 Indianapolis 500, and his racing suit was designed to resemble Indiana Jones's outfit.^[81]

The Boston-based design studio Creative Pilot created the packaging style for the film's merchandise, which merged Drew Struzan's original illustrations "with a fresh new look, which showcases the whip, a map, and exotic hieroglyphic patterns".^[82] Hasbro, Lego, Sideshow Collectibles, Topps, Diamond Select, Hallmark Cards,^[83] and Cartamundi all sold products.^[84] A THQ mobile game based on the film was released,^[85] while a Lego video game based on the past films was also released.^[86][87] Lego also released animated spoofs directed by Peder Pedersen.^[88] Stern Pinball released a new Indiana Jones pinball machine, designed by John Borg, based on all four films.^[89] From October 2007 to April 2008, the reedited episodes of The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles were released in three DVD box sets.^[90]

Random House, Dark Horse Comics, Diamond Comic Distributors, Scholastic, and DK published books,^[78] including James Rollins's novelization of Kingdom of the Crystal Skull,^[91] a two-issue comic book adaptation written by John Jackson Miller and drawn by Luke Ross (Samurai: Heaven and Earth), children's novelizations of all four films,^[92] the Indiana Jones Adventures comic book series aimed at children,^[93] and the official Indiana Jones Magazine.^[94] Scholastic featured Indiana and Mutt on the covers of Scholastic News and Scholastic Maths, to the concern of parents, though Jack Silbert, editor of the latter, felt the film would interest children in archaeology.^[80]

[edit] Secrecy

Frank Marshall remarked, "In today's information age, secrecy has been a real challenge. [...] People actually said, 'No, we're going to respect Steven's vision." Fans on the internet have scrutinized numerous photos and the film's Lego sets in hope of understanding plot details; Spielberg biographer Ian Freer wrote, "What Indy IV is actually about has been the great cultural guessing game of 2007/08. Yet, it has to be said, there is something refreshing about being ten weeks away from a giant blockbuster and knowing next to nothing about it."^[17] To distract investigative fans from the film's title during filming,^[95] five fake titles were registered with the Motion Picture Association of America; The City of Gods, The Destroyer of Worlds, The Fourth Corner of the Earth, The Lost City of Gold and The Quest for the Covenant.^[96] Lucas and Spielberg had also wanted to keep Karen Allen's return a secret until the film's release, but decided to confirm it at the 2007 Comic-Con.^[97]

An extra in the film, Tyler Nelson violated his nondisclosure agreement in an interview with The Edmond Sun on September 17, 2007, which was then picked up by the mainstream media. Spielberg has yet to decide if he will cut Nelson's scene.^[98] At Nelson's request, The Edmond Sun subsequently pulled the story from its website.^[99] On October 2, 2007, a Superior Court order was filed finding that Nelson knowingly violated the agreement. The terms of the settlement were not disclosed.^[100] A number of production photos and sensitive documents pertaining to the film's production budget were also stolen from Steven Spielberg’s production office. The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department set up a sting operation after being alerted by a webmaster that the thief might try to sell the photos. On October 4, 2007, the seller, 37-year old Roderick Eric Davis, was arrested. He pled guilty to two felony counts and will serve two years and four months in jail.^{[101][102][17]}

[edit] Reception

[edit] Reviews

The film received universal praise from film critics and movie goers alike.^[103] As of May 23, 2008, Rotten Tomatoes reported that 80% of critics had given the film positive write-ups, based on 146 reviews, with a 68% rating from selected notable critics.^[104] At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the film has received an average score of 67, based on 35 reviews.^[103] The movie received an average score of 71.8% from 69 film critics according to Movie Tab.^[105]

Yahoo! estimated an average rating of B from 15 reviews.^[106] Roger Ebert gave the film 3.5 stars out of 4, stating that "I can say that if you liked the other Indiana Jones movies, you will like this one, and that if you did not, there is no talking to you."^[107] James Berardinelli gave the film 2 stars out of 4, stating the "wisest course would have been to leave movie-goers with their memories".^[108]

[edit] Box office

The film will need to gross at least US$400 million to make a profit for Paramount. Unlike other film franchises, they are only the distributor of Indiana Jones, whose copyright is owned by Lucasfilm, and their original deal entailed they would only earn 12.5% of the film's revenue. As the $185 million budget was larger than the original $125 million estimate,^[96] Lucas, Spielberg, and Ford turned down large upfront salaries so Paramount could cover the film's costs. Paramount will only see a profit beyond its distribution fee if it grosses over $400 million. At that point Lucas, Spielberg, Ford, and those with smaller profit-sharing deals will also begin to collect their cut.^[79] On its opening day in North America, the film grossed around $25 million, the fourth biggest Thursday opening yet. On its opening weekend, it grossed $101,000,000 in 4,260 theaters in the United States and Canada, ranking #1 at the box. As of May 25, 2008 it has grossed $126,000,000 in the United States.