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{{Short description|2009 film by Roland Emmerich}}
{{About|the film|metaphysical and cosmological predictions centered on December 21, 2012|2012 phenomenon}}
{{Lead too short|date=November 2009}} {{Use American English|date=October 2024}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2024}}
{{Good article}}
{{For-multi|films released in 2012|2012 in film|other films with the same name|2012 (disambiguation)#Film}}
{{Infobox film {{Infobox film
| name = 2012 | image = 2012 Poster.jpg
| alt = Film poster showing a Nepalese monk on a mountain watching as tsumani waves coming over the Himmalyan mountains, with the film's credits, title and release date in the bottom and tagline above
| image = 2012_Poster.jpg
| caption = Theatrical poster | caption = Theatrical release poster
| director = ] | director = ]
| writer = {{Plainlist|
| producer = Roland Emmerich<br />]<br />]<br />]<br />Ute Emmerich
| writer = Harald Kloser<br />Roland Emmerich * ]
* Roland Emmerich
}}
| starring = ]<br />]<br />]<br />]<br />]<br />with ]<br />and ]
| producer = {{Plainlist|
| music = ]<br />]<br />] (additional score)
* Harald Kloser
* ]
* ]
}}
| starring = {{Plainlist|<!-- Per poster billing block-->
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]{{efn|name=Thandie}}
* ]
* ]
}}
| cinematography = ] | cinematography = ]
| editing = ]<br />Peter S. Elliott | editing = {{Plainlist|
* ]
* Peter Elliott
}}
| distributor = ] ]
| music = {{Plainlist|
| studio = ]<br>The Mark Gordon Company
* Harald Kloser
| released = November 11, 2009<ref name="worldwide-release-dates"/><ref name="2012-release-dates"/> (World premiere) <br> November 13, 2009<ref name="worldwide-release-dates"/> (Canada & US & UK) <br> November 21, 2009<ref name="worldwide-release-dates"/> (Japan)
* ]
| runtime = 158 minutes
}}
| country = ]
| studio = {{Plainlist|
| language = English
* ]
| budget = ]200<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/08/movies/08gray.html |title=Destroying the Earth, Over and Over Again |first=Tyler |last=Gray |publisher=The ] |date=November&nbsp;6, 2009 |accessdate=November&nbsp;15, 2009 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/entertainmentnewsbuzz/2009/11/movie-projector-2012-will-be-big-domestically-huge-overseas.html |title=Movie projector: '2012' will be big domestically, huge worldwide |first=Ben |last=Fritz |publisher=] |date=November&nbsp;12, 2009 |accessdate=November&nbsp;15, 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/6519923/Ignore-the-movie-2012-will-not-be-the-end-of-world-say-Mayans.html |title=Ignore the movie: 2012 will not be the end of world, say Mayans |first=Philip |last=Sherwell |publisher=] |date=November&nbsp;7, 2009 |accessdate=November&nbsp;15, 2009}}</ref> &ndash; 260<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/reviews/2009-11-13-2012rev13_ST_N.htm |title='2012': Now that's Armageddon! |first=Claudia |last=Puig |publisher=]|date=November&nbsp;12, 2009 |accessdate=November&nbsp;15, 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |http://www.forbes.com/2009/11/12/2012-christmas-carol-business-entertainment-movies.html |title=Disaster At The Box Office! |first=Dorothy |last=Pomerantz |publisher=] |date=November&nbsp;12, 2009 |accessdate=November&nbsp;15, 2009}}</ref> million
* ]
|Domestic gross = $80,000,000
}}
| distributor = ]
| released = {{Film date|2009|11|13}}
| runtime = 158 minutes<!-- U.S. theatrical release: 157:37 -->
| country = United States<ref name="2012AFI">{{cite web|url=http://www.afi.com/members/catalog/DetailView.aspx?s=&Movie=65014|work=]|title=2012|access-date=May 6, 2014}}</ref>
| language = English
| budget = $200 million<ref name="officialbudget"/>
| gross = $791.2 million<ref name="box office" />
}} }}


'''''2012''''' is a ] ] ] based loosely on the ] and directed by ]. The film has an ], including ], ], ], ], ], ], and ]. The film was distributed by ]. Filming began in August 2008 in ]. The film is set in a modern setting and only brushes on ] and the ]. The budget of the film is $200 million, making it the ] '''''2012''''' is a 2009 American ] ] ] directed by ], written by Emmerich and ], and stars ], ], ], ], ],{{efn|name=Thandie|Credited as "Thandie Newton"}} ] and ]. Based on the ], its plot follows novelist Jackson Curtis (Cusack) and geologist Adrian Helmsley (Ejiofor) as they struggle to survive an ] ] including ]s, ]s, ]s, and a ].


Filming, planned for ], began in ] in early August 2008 and wrapped up in mid-October 2008.<ref name="thecinemaholic.com">{{Cite web|url=https://thecinemaholic.com/where-was-2012-filmed/|title = Where Was 2012 Filmed?|date = March 27, 2021}}</ref><ref name="cusack" /> The film ran a lengthy advertising campaign, which included the creation of a website from its main characters' point of view<ref name="atlantis" /> and a ] website on which filmgoers could register for a lottery number to save them from the ensuing disaster.<ref name="first" />
==Plot==
In 2009, the sun emits a massive ]. American scientist Adrian Helmsley (]) travels to a ] in ] to meet his friend, Satnam (]), who has discovered that Earth's core temperature is increasing rapidly. Adrian returns to ] and submits a report to Chief of Staff Carl Anheuser (]), who immediately takes him to see ] Thomas Wilson (]).


Released in the United States by ] on November 13, 2009, ''2012'' received mixed reviews, but was a commercial success, grossing $791.2 million worldwide against a production budget of $200 million, becoming ]. The film was nominated for ] and ] at the ], and for ] at the ].
In 2010, Wilson tells other ] and ] the situation at the ] and billionaires all over the world buy plane tickets for one billion ] apiece. In 2011, the original version of the ] at the ] in ] is replaced with a decoy and is sealed away to keep it safe from the impending disaster.


==Plot==
The story jumps ahead to the summer of 2012. Jackson Curtis (]) is a divorced father who works as a limousine driver and writer. His ex-wife Kate (]) and their children Noah (]) and Lily (]) live with her new boyfriend, plastic surgeon Gordon (]).
<!-- PER WP: FILMPLOT, PLOT SUMMARIES FOR FEATURE FILMS SHOULD BE BETWEEN 400 AND 700 WORDS. -->
In 2009, American geologist Adrian Helmsley visits ] Satnam Tsurutani in ] and learns that a new type of ] from a ] is heating the ]. Returning to Washington, D.C., Adrian alerts ] Carl Anheuser and ] Thomas Wilson.


In 2010, over forty-six nations begin to build nine arks in the ], in ], and storing artifacts in secure locations. Nima, a ] monk, is evacuated with his grandparents, and his brother Tenzin joins the ark project. Additional funding is secretly raised by selling tickets to the rich for €1 billion per person.
Jackson takes Noah and Lily on a camping trip to ] so Kate and Gordon have enough time with each other.


In 2012, struggling science-fiction writer Jackson Curtis is a ] in ] for Russian billionaire Yuri Karpov. Jackson's former wife Kate and their children, Noah and Lilly, live with Kate's boyfriend, ] and amateur pilot Gordon Silberman. Jackson takes Noah and Lilly camping in ]. When they find ] dried up and fenced off by the ], they are caught and brought to Adrian. They later meet ] and radio personality Charlie Frost, who tells Jackson of ]'s ] and how the ] predicts the ] and ], and that the world's governments silence anyone attempting to warn the public.
While at ], Jackson meets Charlie Frost (]), the host of a radio segment that claims the Mayans' prediction is true.


Despite his initial skepticism, Jackson heeds Charlie's warning after seeing indications that validate it. At the ], after dropping off Yuri's sons Alec and Oleg, who also warn of impending doom as they board a plane, he rents a ] and sets out to rescue his family. As the ] suffers a horrific 10.9 earthquake along the ], Jackson and his family reach the airport and get the Cessna airborne. The group flies to Yellowstone and Jackson retrieves Charlie's map of the arks' location. The ] erupts, with Charlie staying behind to finish his broadcast; he is killed by debris. Realizing they need a larger plane to fly to Asia, the group lands at ] south of ] to search for one.
Enormous cracks then begin to develop along the ] in ] and disruptive earthquakes occur in the ] area. Despite government assurances that all is fine, Jackson grows suspicious.


Adrian, Carl, and First Daughter Laura fly to the arks while President Wilson remains in the ] to address the nation. Jackson finds the Karpovs, Yuri's girlfriend, Tamara, and their pilot, Sasha. Sasha and Gordon fly the families out in an ], as the ]es from the Caldera envelop the ]. The planet's crust shifts, resulting in billions of deaths in disasters worldwide, including President Wilson. With the ] gone, Carl appoints himself acting commander-in-chief.
After hiring a private plane, he drives to Kate's home to save his family and Gordon from the impending earthquakes of the ]. Jackson quickly collects his family and convinces Gordon to fly the plane out of the city. ] then collapses into the ].


Upon reaching the Himalayas, the Antonov's engines malfunction. As the plane touches down on a glacier, the party uses a ] stored in the hold to escape, except Sasha, who stays in the cockpit and is killed when the jet goes over a cliff. The survivors are spotted by ] helicopters, which take only the three ticket-bearing Karpovs, leaving Tamara and Jackson's family behind. The abandoned group later encounters Nima, who, with his own family, takes them to the arks, where they stow away on Ark 4 with Tenzin's help.
When the plane runs low on fuel, they are forced to land in ] and Jackson splits off to find Charlie, who possesses a map to ships being built in order to save humanity. Yet Charlie has gone to the mountains to watch the approaching catastrophe.


With a ] approaching, Carl orders the loading gates closed, though most people have not boarded. Adrian persuades the captain and the other surviving world leaders to allow passengers aboard the arks, while Yuri falls to his death as he pushes his sons onto Ark 4. The gate closes after survivors are on board, injuring Tenzin and fatally crushing Gordon. Tenzin's ] used to access the ship gets lodged in the gate mechanism, preventing it from closing completely and disabling the ship's engines. As the tsunami strikes, the ark starts flooding as it is set adrift, heading for ]. Adrian rushes to clear the gears, but watertight doors close, trapping the stowaways and drowning Tamara. Noah and Jackson dislodge the tool. The crew regains control of the ark, while Jackson and Noah make it back safely.
After getting hold of the map they discover that the ships they are searching for are in ]. Jackson and his family leave as ] erupts, killing Charlie during his live broadcast.


Twenty-seven days later, the waters are receding. The arks approach the ], where the ] Mountains have now become the highest mountain range on Earth. Adrian and Laura begin a relationship, while Jackson and Kate reconcile.
Meanwhile, in ], an earthquake destroys ], killing thousands of people in prayer as well as the ], the ] (who are in the ]) and the ], who decided to stay behind rather than join the evacuation.
<!-- PER WP: FILMPLOT, PLOT SUMMARIES FOR FEATURE FILMS SHOULD BE BETWEEN 400 AND 700 WORDS. -->


==Cast==
In order to get to ], Jackson and his family board an Antonov An-500 (a fictional plane based on the ], but with a rear cargo door) at ] in ] with Russian billionaire Yuri Karpov (]) his girlfriend Tamara (]) and Yuri's twin sons. As the plane flies away, the ] is destroyed by earthquakes and an ash cloud from the ] eruption.
{{multiple image
| align = right
| image1 = John Cusack Cannes 2014.jpg
| width1 = 168
| alt1 =
| caption1 =
| image2 = Amanda Peet September 2014 (cropped).jpg
| width2 = 163
| alt2 =
| caption2 =
| footer = ] (''left'') and ] (''right''), who play lead roles in the film
}}


{{castlist|
While in the air, the group plans to refuel in ]. Yet the plans are changed when they find ] has been inundated in lava. As they're about to abandon the plane they discover that they are no longer above the ocean - the Earth's crust has shifted thousands of miles and they are heading towards the ]. Also, the magnetic poles switch and it ends up that the South Pole is in ].
* ] as Jackson Curtis, a struggling writer and a father of two children.<ref name="Disaster-ffic">{{cite web | url=https://www.dreadcentral.com/news/33828/five-hilariously-disaster-ffic-minutes-2012 | title=Five Hilariously Disaster-ffic Minutes of 2012 | date=October 2, 2009 | access-date=June 30, 2011 | last=Foy | first=Scott | work=]}}</ref>
* ] as geologist Adrian Helmsley, chief science advisor to the U.S. President.<ref name="ponders">{{cite journal | url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/film/news/e3i166e2aeceb59a4e10d4788ce304c4bcc | title=John Cusack ponders disaster flick | date=May 19, 2008 | access-date=July 14, 2008 | last=Simmons | first=Leslie | journal=] | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080525110813/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/film/news/e3i166e2aeceb59a4e10d4788ce304c4bcc | archive-date=May 25, 2008}}</ref>
* ] as Kate Curtis, a medical student and Jackson's wife.<ref name="lead">{{cite journal | url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/film/news/e3id5f52df31901946c56e2dccd0127d599 | title=Amanda Peet is ''2012'' lead | date=June 13, 2008 | access-date=July 14, 2008 | last1=Simmons | first1=Leslie |first2=Borys |last2=Kit | journal=] | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080705150915/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/film/news/e3id5f52df31901946c56e2dccd0127d599 | archive-date=July 5, 2008}}</ref>
* ] as Carl Anheuser, the ].
* ] (credited as Thandie Newton) as Laura Wilson, an art expert and ] and Adrian's love interest.
* ] as Gordon Silberman, a ]/pilot and Kate's boyfriend.<ref>{{cite journal | first=Borys | last=Kit | url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/news/e3i28d63d0cf815bdc3de58149f8871f21e | title=Thomas McCarthy joins ''2012'' | journal=] | date=July 1, 2008 | access-date=July 14, 2008 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080703070904/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/news/e3i28d63d0cf815bdc3de58149f8871f21e |archive-date = July 3, 2008}}</ref>
* ] as Tony Delgatto, a jazz singer.
* ] as Thomas Wilson, the President of the United States and Laura's father.
* ] as Charlie Frost, a ] ] and radio talk-show host.
* ] as Noah Curtis, Jackson and Kate's son.
* ] as Lilly Curtis, Jackson and Kate's daughter.
* Blu Mankuma as Harry Helmsley, Adrian's father and Tony Delgatto's vocal partner.
* ] as Yuri Karpov, a Russian billionaire and former boxer.
* ] as Tamara Jikan, Yuri's girlfriend.
* ] as Frederick West, a colleague of Adrian.
* ] as Tenzin, an ark worker who attempts to save his family.
* ] as Nima, a Buddhist monk and Tenzin's younger brother.
* Alexandre Haussmann and Philippe Haussmann as Alec and Oleg Karpov, Yuri's twin sons.
* ] as Satnam Tsurutani, an Indian astrophysicist who discovers the neutrinos which are warming Earth's crust.
* ] as Sasha, Yuri's pilot.
* ] as Scotty, Adrian and Frederick's assistant.
* ] as Captain Michaels, the captain of Ark 4.
* ] as Grandmother Sonam, Tenzin & Nima's grandmother.
* ] as Lama Rinpoche, a Buddhist monk.
* ] as Roland Picard, the director of the ] who is killed with a car bomb by the U.S. government.
* ] as Grandfather Sonam, Tenzin & Nima's grandfather.
* ] as Sally, President Wilson's secretary.
* ] as Aparna Tsurutani, Satnam's wife.
* ] as himself, announcing for a boxing match in Las Vegas.
* ] as the Ark 4 communications officer.
* ] as Sergey Makarenko, the ].
* Merrilyn Gann as the German Chancellor.
* Lyndall Grant as ], the ].
* Vincent Cheng as a Chinese colonel.
* Leonard Tenisci as the Italian Prime Minister.
* Parm Soor as the Saudi Arabian Prince who helps to pay for the construction of the Arks.
* Elizabeth Richard as ].
* ] as Preacher.
}}


==Production==
During a crash landing on a glacier they manage to escape from the plane safely by using one of the luxury vehicles in cargo as a raft, only to be abandoned by Yuri. The pilot, Sasha (]), dies when the plane falls off a cliff.


===Development===
Meanwhile, President Wilson, who has stayed behind in ], dies when a tsunami hits the city and the ] is crushed by the capsized ], killing the refugees who Wilson had sheltered and helped at the White House. Anheuser escapes with Helmsley and First Daughter Laura Wilson (]) on ] and Anheuser appoints himself Commander-in-Chief.
]'s '']'' was listed in ''2012''{{'s}} credits as the film's inspiration,<ref name="2012-credit-list">{{cite web |url=http://chicagoscifi.com/movies/0011/presskit_pages/credits.pdf |title=2012 (2015) – Credit List |access-date=November 25, 2014 |work=chicagoscifi.com |archive-date=March 1, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120301092053/http://chicagoscifi.com/movies/0011/presskit_pages/credits.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref> and Emmerich said in a '']'' interview: "I always wanted to do a biblical flood movie, but I never felt I had the hook. I first read about the ] in Graham Hancock's ''Fingerprints of the Gods''."<ref>{{cite interview |last=Emmerich |first=Roland |subject-link=Roland Emmerich |interviewer=David Jenkins |title=Roland Emmerich's guide to disaster movies |url=https://www.timeout.com/film/features/show-feature/9039/roland-emmerichs-guide-to-disaster-movies.html |date=November 16, 2009| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20091116122546/http://www.timeout.com/film/features/show-feature/9039/roland-emmerichs-guide-to-disaster-movies.html| archive-date=November 16, 2009 |url-status=dead |magazine=] |access-date=June 2, 2023}}</ref> He and composer-producer ] worked closely together, co-writing a ] (also titled ''2012'') which was marketed to studios in February&nbsp;2008. A number of studios heard budget projection and story plans from Emmerich and his representatives, a process the director had previously undertaken for '']'' (1996) and '']'' (2004).<ref>{{cite journal | first=Michael | last=Fleming | url=https://variety.com/2008/film/markets-festivals/studios-vie-for-emmerich-s-2012-1117981155/ | title=Studios vie for Emmerich's ''2012'' | journal=] | date=February 19, 2014 | access-date=July 14, 2014 }}</ref>


Later that month, ] obtained the rights to the spec script. Planned for distribution by ],<ref>{{cite journal | first=Michael | last=Fleming | url=https://variety.com/2008/film/markets-festivals/sony-buys-emmerich-s-2012-1117981245/ | title=Sony buys Emmerich's ''2012'' | journal=] | date=February 21, 2014 | access-date=July 14, 2014 }}</ref> ''2012'' cost less than its budget; according to Emmerich, the film was produced for about $200&nbsp;million.<ref name="officialbudget">{{cite web | title='2012's Roland Emmerich: Grilled | url=https://www.thewrap.com/article/2012s-roland-emmerich-grilled-9799 |first=Ian |last=Blair |website=The Wrap | date=November 6, 2013 |access-date=December 9, 2012 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20091114105031/http://www.thewrap.com/article/2012s-roland-emmerich-grilled-9799| archive-date=November 14, 2009 | url-status= live}}</ref>
As ] heads to ], Satnam is killed when the tsunamis hit ]. A ] Lama also dies when the tsunamis hit ].


===Filming===
The group eventually find their way to the ships with the help of a ] monk, Nima (Osric Chau), his brother Tenzin (]) and their grandparents.
Filming, originally scheduled to begin in ] in July&nbsp;2008,<ref name="cusack">{{cite journal | first=Tatiana | last=Siegel | url=https://www.variety.com/VR1117986091.html | title=John Cusack set for ''2012'' | journal=] | date=May 19, 2014 | access-date=July 14, 2014 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080709040955/http://www.variety.com/VR1117986091.html| archive-date=July 9, 2008 | url-status= live}}</ref> began in ], ], ], and ], in early August 2008 and wrapped up in mid-October 2008.<ref name="thecinemaholic.com" /><ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.tourismkamloops.com/news_showNew_ID_134.html | title=2012 Filmed in Thompson Region! | publisher=Tourismkamloops.com | date=December 14, 2012 | access-date=June 30, 2012| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110717081146/http://www.tourismkamloops.com/news_showNew_ID_134.html| archive-date=July 17, 2011 | url-status= live}}</ref> With a ] strike looming, the film's producers had a contingency plan in case of a walkout by actors.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.reuters.com/article/entertainmentNews/idUSN0139577320080801 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081205115615/http://www.reuters.com/article/entertainmentNews/idUSN0139577320080801 | url-status=dead | archive-date=December 5, 2008 | title=Big Hollywood films shooting despite strike threat | work=Reuters | date=August 1, 2008 | access-date=August 5, 2008 }}</ref> ], ], ], ], and ] were hired to create the film's visual effects.


The film depicts the destruction of several cultural and historical landmarks around the world. Emmerich said that the ] was considered for selection, but Kloser was concerned about a possible ] against him.<ref>{{cite news |title= Emmerich reveals fear of fatwa axed 2012 scene |author= Child, Ben |date= October 3, 2015 |work= ] |url= https://www.theguardian.com/film/2009/nov/03/roland-emmerich-2012-kaaba | location=London}}</ref>
Tsunamis begin to engulf the ] and a giant wave eventually reaches the ships, which turn out to be arks constructed to save the heads of state, hand-picked individuals chosen to repopulate the Earth and the rich elite who bought the tickets two years before.


==Soundtrack==
As the arks start the launch countdown, Adrian convinces the ] leaders to let more people into the arks by quoting Jackson's book, but as the gates open again, Gordon falls between two gears and is crushed, while Tenzin is injured but survives. The instrument they used to open a hatch becomes caught in the gears.
The film's score was composed by ] and ]. ] contributed a song to the film, "]", which was originally written by ] and ].<ref>{{cite news |last=Vena |first=Jocelyn |title=Adam Lambert Feels 'Honored' To Be On '2012' Soundtrack |newspaper=MTV Movie News |date=November 4, 2009 |url=http://www.mtv.com/movies/news/articles/1625467/story.jhtml |access-date=January 18, 2010| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100128215936/http://www.mtv.com/movies/news/articles/1625467/story.jhtml| archive-date=January 28, 2010 | url-status= dead}}
</ref> The 24-song soundtrack includes "Fades Like a Photograph" by ] and "It Ain't the End of the World" by ] and Blu Mankuma.<ref>. '']''. Retrieved April 3, 2011.</ref> "Master of Shadows" by ] was used for the film's trailers.
<!-- {{Track listing
| collapsed =no
| headline =
| extra_note = Performer
| title1 = ]
| note1 = Performed by ]
| length1 = 4:43
| title2 = Constellation
| extra2 =
| length2 = 1:30
| title3 = Wisconsin
| extra3 =
| length3 = 1:14
| title4 = U.S. Army
| extra4 =
| length4 = 2:20
| title5 = Ready to Rumble
| extra5 =
| length5 = 1:42
| title6 = Spirit of Santa Monica
| extra6 =
| length6 = 1:21
| title7 = It Ain't the End of the World
| note7 = Performed by ] and Blu Mankuma
| length7 = 2:52
| title8 = Great Kid
| extra8 =
| length8 = 2:17
| title9 = Finding Charlie
| extra9 =
| length9 = 1:45
| title10 = Run Daddy Run
| extra10 =
| length10 = 1:14
| title11 = Stepping Into the Darkness
| extra11 =
| length11 = 1:35
| title12 = Leaving Las Vegas
| extra12 =
| length12 = 1:44
| title13 = Ashes in D.C.
| extra13 =
| length13 = 4:19
| title14 = We are Taking the Bentley
| extra14 =
| length14 = 3:43
| title15 = Nampan Plateau
| extra15 =
| length15 = 2:51
| title16 = Saving Caesar
| extra16 =
| length16 = 2:09
| title17 = Adrian's Speech
| extra17 =
| length17 = 1:41
| title18 = Open the Gates!
| extra18 =
| length18 = 2:16
| title19 = The Impact
| extra19 =
| length19 = 1:49
| title20 = Suicide Mission
| extra20 =
| length20 = 2:06
| title21 = 2012 The End of the World
| extra21 =
| length21 = 1:24
| title22 = Collision with Mount Everest
| extra22 =
| length22 = 1:09
| title23 = The End is Only the Beginning
| extra23 =
| length23 = 5:44
| title24 = Fades Like a Photograph
| note24 = Performed by ]
| length24 = 4:19
}} -->


==Release==
Meanwhile, Yuri and his two sons are trapped beneath the gate and as it closes again, Yuri manages to lift one of his sons onto the gate but as the gate closed further, he had to throw his second son up, causing him to fall to his death.
===Marketing===
''2012'' was marketed through the fictional Institute for Human Continuity, at a ] website that was created by the movie studio. The website featured main-character Jackson Curtis' book ''Farewell Atlantis'', ], ], and ] from ] Charlie Frost on his website, ''This Is the End''.<ref name="atlantis" /> On November&nbsp;12,&nbsp;2008, the studio released the first trailer for ''2012'', which ended with a suggestion to viewers to "find out the truth" by entering "2012" on a search engine. '']'' called the film's marketing "deeply flawed", associating it with "websites that make even more spurious claims about 2012".<ref>{{cite news | last=Pickard | first=Anna | url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2008/nov/25/2012-ronald-emmerich | title=''2012'': a cautionary tale about marketing | work=] | date=November 25, 2014 | access-date=December 10, 2008 | location=London| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090122074947/http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2008/nov/25/2012-ronald-emmerich| archive-date=January 22, 2009 | url-status= live}}</ref>


At the website, filmgoers could register for a lottery number to be part of a small population that would be rescued from the global destruction.<ref name="first">{{cite news | last=Billington | first=Alex | url=http://www.firstshowing.net/2008/11/15/roland-emmerichs-2012-viral-institute-for-human-continuity/ | title=Roland Emmerich's ''2012'' Viral — Institute for Human Continuity | work=FirstShowing.net | date=November 15, 2012 | access-date=December 10, 2014 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20081220133933/http://www.firstshowing.net/2008/11/15/roland-emmerichs-2012-viral-institute-for-human-continuity/| archive-date=December 20, 2008 | url-status= live}}</ref> David Morrison of ], who had received over 1,000 inquiries from people who thought the website was genuine, condemned it. "I've even had cases of teenagers writing to me saying they are contemplating suicide because they don't want to see the world end", Morrison said. "I think when you lie on the internet and scare children to make a buck, that is ethically wrong."<ref>{{cite news|url= https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/relax-the-end-isnt-nigh-1804340.html |title=Relax, the end isn't nigh |last=Connor|first=Steve |date=October 17, 2009 |work=The Independent |access-date=October 20, 2015 | location=London| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20091020091758/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/relax-the-end-isnt-nigh-1804340.html| archive-date=October 20, 2009 | url-status= live}}</ref> Another marketing website promoted ''Farewell Atlantis''.<ref name="atlantis">{{cite web | title=Farewell Atlantis by Jackson Curtis – Fake website |url=http://farewellatlantis.com/ | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110710224325/http://farewellatlantis.com/ |archive-date=July 10, 2011 |url-status=dead |publisher=] |access-date=June 3, 2023}}</ref>
Tamara also drowns in a flooded compartment after saving Lily. The gates are jammed and the American ark ends up on a crash course for ]. Together with his son, Jackson fixes the problem in time for the ark to suffer only minimal damage from hitting the mountainside.


] organized a "roadblock campaign" to promote the film in which a two-minute scene was broadcast on 450 American commercial television networks, local English-language and Spanish-language stations, and 89 cable outlets during a ten-minute window between 10:50 and 11:00&nbsp;pm ] and ] on October&nbsp;1,&nbsp;2009.<ref name="2012block">{{cite news|url= https://variety.com/2009/film/markets-festivals/sony-readies-roadblock-for-2012-1118009036/ |title=Sony readies 'roadblock' for 2012 |last=Graser|first=Mark |date=September 23, 2009 |work=Variety |access-date=September 29, 2015| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20091011065817/http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118009036.html?categoryid=13&cs=1&nid=2562| archive-date=October 11, 2009 | url-status= live}}</ref> The scene featured the destruction of Los Angeles and ended with a cliffhanger, with the entire 5:38 clip available on Comcast's Fancast website. According to '']'', "The stunt will put the footage in front of 90% of all households watching ad-supported TV, or nearly 110&nbsp;million viewers. When combined with online and mobile streams, that could increase to more than 140&nbsp;million".<ref name="2012block" />
They then start a new calendar as it shows the date and the year as 0001. When the flood eventually recedes, satellite data shows that Africa rose in sea level and may not have flooded at all. It's also shown that the ] is the highest mountain range on Earth, instead of the Himalayas.


===Theatrical===
The captain of the arks decide upon the ] in ] as a suitable place to for them to land. Jackson reconciles with his family and Helmsley starts a relationship with Laura. The movie ends with a view of the world showing the dramatically changed African continent.
''2012'' was released to cinemas on November&nbsp;13,&nbsp;2009, in ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], the ], ], the ], and ].<ref name="worldwide-release-dates">{{cite web|url=http://www.sonypictures.com/movies/2012/international/ |title=2012 Worldwide Release Dates |access-date=November 12, 2009 |work=sonypictures.com |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100209182844/http://www.sonypictures.com/movies/2012/international/ |archive-date=February 9, 2010 }}</ref> According to Sony Pictures, the film could have been completed for a summer release, but a delay allowed more time for production.{{Citation needed|date=December 2022}}


==Production== ===Home media===
The DVD and ] versions were released on March&nbsp;2,&nbsp;2010. The two-disc Blu-ray edition includes over 90&nbsp;minutes of features, including ]'s music video for "]" and a ] for ], ], ], and ].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.dreadcentral.com/news/35179/early-art-and-specs-2012-rocking-dvd-and-blu-ray|title=Early Art and Specs: 2012 Rocking on to DVD and Blu-ray|publisher=DreadCentral|access-date=July 3, 2010}}</ref> A ] version was released in ] theaters in Mexico in February 2010.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cinemex.com/cartelera/pelicula/9628 |title=Cinemex |work=cinemex.com |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130208052317/http://www.cinemex.com/cartelera/pelicula/9628 |archive-date=February 8, 2013 }}</ref> It was later released on ] on January 19, 2021.{{citation needed|date=June 2024}}
Director ] and composer-producer ] co-wrote a ] titled ''2012'', which was marketed to major studios in February 2008. Nearly all studios met with Emmerich and his representatives to hear the director's budget projection and story plans, a process that the director had previously gone through with the films '']'' (1996) and '']'' (2004).<ref>{{cite journal | first=Michael | last=Fleming | url=http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117981155.html?categoryid=13&cs=1 | title=Studios vie for Emmerich's ''2012'' | journal=] | publisher= | date=February&nbsp;19, 2008 | accessdate=July&nbsp;14, 2008 }}</ref> The film was shopped around with a production budget of $260 million.<ref name="IMDB business">http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1190080/business</ref> Later that month, ] won the rights for the spec script, planning to distribute it under ].<ref>{{cite journal | first=Michael | last=Fleming | url=http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117981245.html?categoryid=13&cs=1 | title=Sony buys Emmerich's ''2012'' | journal=] | publisher= | date=February&nbsp;21, 2008 | accessdate=July&nbsp;14, 2008 }}</ref> The studio planned to make the film for less than the estimated budget.<ref name="circles">{{cite journal | first=Leslie | last=Simmons | coauthors=Borys Kit | url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/film/news/e3ie29ff31c80c6e3dfce2f8b066793b36b | title=Danny Glover circles ''2012'' | journal=] | publisher= | date=June&nbsp;2, 2008 | accessdate=July&nbsp;14, 2008 }}</ref>


===Alternate ending===
Filming was originally scheduled to begin in ], ], in July 2008,<ref name="cusack">{{cite journal | first=Tatiana | last=Siegel | url=http://www.variety.com/VR1117986091.html | title=John Cusack set for ''2012'' | journal=] | publisher= | date=May&nbsp;19, 2008 | accessdate=July&nbsp;14, 2008 }}</ref> but instead commenced in ] in August 2008 and concluded in January 2009.<ref name="chin">{{cite journal | first=Patrick | last=Frater | url=http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117988661.html?categoryid=19&cs=1 | title=Chin Han makes date with ''2012'' | journal=] | publisher= | date=July&nbsp;9, 2008 | accessdate=July&nbsp;14, 2008 }}</ref> Due to the possible ], filmmakers set up a contingency plan for salvaging the film.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.reuters.com/article/entertainmentNews/idUSN0139577320080801 | title=Big Hollywood films shooting despite strike threat | publisher=] | date=August&nbsp;1, 2008 | accessdate=August&nbsp;5, 2008 }}</ref> Uncharted Territory, ], ], Scanline, ] and others were hired to create visual effects for ''2012''.<ref>{{cite journal | first=Carolyn | last=Giardina | url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/film/news/e3i84d286596a535ecf3856adcbf842a9c9 | title=SPI's future includes ''2012'' | journal=] | date=August&nbsp;13, 2008 | accessdate=August&nbsp;13, 2008 }}</ref> Thomas Wander co-wrote the score with Harald Kloser.
An alternate ending appears in the film's DVD release. After Ark 4's Captain Michaels announces that they are heading for the Cape of Good Hope, Adrian learns by phone that his father, Harry, and Harry's friend Tony Delgatto, survived a megatsunami that capsized their ] ''Genesis''. Adrian and Laura strike up a friendship with the Curtis family, Kate thanks Laura for taking care of Lilly, Laura tells Jackson that she enjoyed his book ''Farewell Atlantis'', and Jackson and Adrian have a conversation reflecting on the events of the worldwide crisis. Carl apologizes to Adrian and Laura for his negligent actions. Jackson returns Noah's cell phone, which he recovered during the Ark 4 flood. Finally, the ark finds the shipwrecked ''Genesis'' and its survivors on a beach.<ref>{{cite web |author=Orange, B. Alan |title=EXCLUSIVE VIDEO: Watch the Alternate Ending for '2012'! |url=http://www.movieweb.com/news/exclusive-video-watch-the-alternate-ending-for-2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131218203520/http://www.movieweb.com/news/exclusive-video-watch-the-alternate-ending-for-2012 |archive-date=December 18, 2013 |access-date=December 16, 2013 |work=MovieWeb}}</ref>


==Reception==
Although the film depicts the destruction of several major cultural and historical icons around the world, Emmerich stated that the ] was also considered for selection. Kloser had reservations over including ], saying he did not want a ] issued against him.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://movies.yahoo.com/feature/movie-talk-roland-emmerich-fatwa.html|title=The One Place on Earth Not Destroyed in '2012'}}</ref>


==Cast== ===Box office===
''2012'' grossed $166.1 million in North America and $603.5 million in other territories for a worldwide total of $769.6 million against a production budget of $200 million,<ref name="box office">{{cite Box Office Mojo | id=1190080 | title=2012 | access-date=February 18, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210218213548/https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt1190080/|archive-date=February 18, 2021|url-status=live}}</ref> making it the first film to gross over $700 million worldwide without making $200 million domestically.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/scottmendelson/2017/06/12/box-office-johnny-depps-pirates-5-breaks-walt-disneys-memorial-day-curse/?c=0&s=BoxOffice|title=Box Office: Johnny Depp's 'Pirates 5' Breaks Walt Disney's Memorial Day Curse |author=Mendelson, Scott |author-link=Scott Mendelson|work=]|date=June 12, 2017|access-date=June 12, 2017}}</ref> Worldwide, it was the fifth-highest-grossing 2009 film<ref name="box">{{cite web|url=https://boxofficemojo.com/yearly/chart/?view2=worldwide&yr=2009&p=.htm|title=2009 Worldwide Grosses|website=Box Office Mojo|access-date=January 20, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100121033759/http://www.boxofficemojo.com/yearly/chart/?view2=worldwide&yr=2009&p=.htm|archive-date=January 21, 2010 |url-status=live}}</ref> and the fifth-highest-grossing film distributed by ], (behind ] and '']'').<ref>{{cite web|url=https://boxofficemojo.com/alltime/world/?sort=studio&order=ASC&pagenum=3&p=.htm|title=All Time Worldwide Box Office Grosses|work=boxofficemojo.com}}</ref> ''2012'' is the second-highest-grossing film directed by Roland Emmerich, behind '']'' (1996).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://boxofficemojo.com/people/chart/?view=Director&id=rolandemmerich.htm|title=Roland Emmerich|work=boxofficemojo.com}}</ref> It earned $230.5&nbsp;million on its worldwide opening weekend, the fourth-largest opening of 2009 and for Sony-Columbia.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://boxofficemojo.com/alltime/world/worldwideopenings.htm?sort=studio&order=ASC&p=.htm|title=All Time Worldwide Opening Records at the Box Office|work=boxofficemojo.com}}</ref>
*''']''' as '''Jackson Curtis''', a ] book writer who occasionally works as a limousine driver<ref name="Disaster-ffic">{{cite journal | first=The | last=Foywonder | url=http://www.dreadcentral.com/news/33828/five-hilariously-disaster-ffic-minutes-2012 | title=Five Hilariously Disaster-ffic Minutes of 2012 | journal=] | publisher= | date=October 2, 2009 | accessdate=October 2, 2009 }}</ref>
*''']''' as '''Kate Curtis''', Jackson's ex-wife<ref name="lead">{{cite journal | first=Leslie | last=Simmons | coauthors=Borys Kit | url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/film/news/e3id5f52df31901946c56e2dccd0127d599 | title=Amanda Peet is ''2012'' lead | journal=] | publisher= | date=June&nbsp;13, 2008 | accessdate=July 14, 2008 }}</ref>
*''']''' as '''Noah Curtis''', Jackson and Kate's son
*''']''' as '''Lilly Curtis''', Jackson and Kate's daughter<ref>{{cite journal | url=http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117989989.html?categoryid=28&cs=1 | title=Morgan Lily | journal=] | date=August 3, 2008 | accessdate=October 29, 2008 }}</ref>
*''']''' as '''Gordon''', Kate's current boyfriend and a plastic surgeon.<ref>{{cite journal | first=Borys | last=Kit | url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/news/e3i28d63d0cf815bdc3de58149f8871f21e | title=Thomas McCarthy joins ''2012'' | journal=] | publisher= | date=July 1, 2008 | accessdate=July 14, 2008 }}</ref>
*''']''' as '''Thomas Wilson''', the ]<ref name="circles"/>
*''']''' as '''Laura Wilson''', the First Daughter<ref name="circles"/>
*''']''' as '''Adrian Helmsley''', scientific advisor to the President<ref name="ponders">{{cite journal | first=Leslie | last=Simmons | url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/film/news/e3i166e2aeceb59a4e10d4788ce304c4bcc | title=John Cusack ponders disaster flick | journal=] | publisher= | date=May 19, 2008 | accessdate=July 14, 2008 }}</ref>
*''']''' as '''Carl Anheuser''', ]<ref name="circles"/>
*''']''' as '''Tenzin''', a worker in ]<ref name="chin"/>
*'''Osric Chau''' as '''Nima''', a Buddhist monk and Tenzin's brother
*''']''' as '''Yuri Karpov''', a Russian billionaire
*''']''' as '''Sasha''', a Russian pilot
*''']''' as '''Tamara''', Yuri's Russian girlfriend
*''']''' as '''Satnam''', a scientist who helps discover the events that are to come in India.
*''']''' as '''Charlie Frost''',<ref>{{cite news | first=Katey | last=Rich | url=http://www.cinemablend.com/new/Woody-Harrelson-Trying-To-Survive-Armageddon-9522.html | title=Woody Harrelson Trying To Survive Armageddon | publisher=Cinema Blend | date=15 July 2008 | accessdate=3 February 2009 }}</ref> a Yellowstone hermit who prophesies the end of the world and is considered crazy by others. Harrelson compared his character to the mythological Greek figure ], whose predictions were dismissed<ref>{{cite news | first=Shawn | last=Adler | url=http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2008/07/14/exclusive-woody-harrelson-joins-roland-emmerichs-world-ending-2012/ | title=EXCLUSIVE: Woody Harrelson Joins Roland Emmerich’s World-Ending ''2012'' | work=MTV Movies Blog | publisher=] | date=July 14, 2008 | accessdate=July 14, 2008 }}</ref>


''2012'' ranked number one on its opening weekend, grossing $65,237,614 on its first weekend (the fourth-largest opening for a disaster film).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/genres/chart/?id=disaster.htm&sort=opengross&order=DESC&p=.htm|title=Disaster Movies at the Box Office|access-date=December 25, 2014|website=Box Office Mojo}}</ref> Outside North America it is the 28th-highest-grossing film, the fourth-highest-grossing 2009 film,<!-- Sources contradict each other; some say fourth, others fifth. --><ref>{{cite web|url=https://boxofficemojo.com/intl/weekend/yearly/?yr=2009&p=.htm|title=Overseas Total Yearly Box Office|website=]|access-date=June 29, 2011}}</ref> and the second-highest-grossing film distributed by Sony-Columbia, after '']''. ''2012'' earned $165.2&nbsp;million on its opening weekend, the 20th-largest overseas opening.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://boxofficemojo.com/intl/weekend/opening/|title=Overseas Total All Time Openings|website=]|access-date=June 29, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110623165415/http://www.boxofficemojo.com/intl/weekend/opening/|archive-date=June 23, 2011|url-status= live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=November 15, 2009 |last=Finke |first=Nikki |title='2012' Dominates For $225M 5-Day Launch Worldwide; 'Xmas Carol' Holds Well; 'Precious' & 'Fantastic Mr. Fox' Play To Packed Theaters; 'Pirate Radio' Sinks |url=https://deadline.com/2009/11/first-box-office-18611/ |website=Deadline}}</ref> In total earnings, the film's three highest-grossing territories after North America were China ($68.7 million), France and the Maghreb ($44.0 million), and Japan ($42.6 million).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?page=intl&id=2012.htm|title=2012 (2009) – International Box Office Results – Box Office Mojo|work=]|year=2010|access-date=July 7, 2017}}</ref>
==Soundtrack==
The original score for the film was composed by ] and ]. Singer ] from '']'' contributed a song for the film called "]" and expressed his gratitude for the opportunity in an interview with ].<ref>http://www.mtv.com/movies/news/articles/1625467/story.jhtml</ref> The film's soundtracks consist of 24 tracks, which also includes the song "Fades Like a Photograph" by ] and another song called "It's Not The End of The World", written by Kloser and Wander.<ref>http://www.amazon.com/2012-Soundtrack-Various/dp/B002R55IDU</ref>


In 2020, the film received renewed interest during the ], becoming the second-most popular film and seventh-most popular overall title on ] in March 2020.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/pandemic-and-2012-among-netflixs-most-popular-titles-2020-3 |title=Movies and TV shows about pandemics and disasters are surging in popularity on Netflix |first=Travis |last=Clark |work=Business Insider |date=March 20, 2020 |access-date=March 29, 2020}}</ref>
==Marketing==
On November 12, 2008, the new studio released the first teaser trailer for ''2012'' that showed a ] surging over the ] and interlaced a purportedly scientific message suggesting that the world would end in 2012, and that the world's governments were not preparing its population for the event. The trailer ended with a message to viewers to "find out the truth" by searching "2012" on search engines. '']'' criticized the marketing effectiveness as "deeply flawed" and associated it with "websites that make even more spurious claims about 2012".<ref>{{cite news | last=Pickard | first=Anna | url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2008/nov/25/2012-ronald-emmerich | title=''2012'': a cautionary tale about marketing | work=] | date=November&nbsp;25, 2008 | accessdate=December&nbsp;10, 2008 }}</ref>


===Critical response===
The studio also launched a ] website operated by the fictional Institute for Human Continuity, where filmgoers could register for a lottery number to be part of a small population that would be rescued from the global destruction.<ref>{{cite news | last=Billington | first=Alex | url=http://www.firstshowing.net/2008/11/15/roland-emmerichs-2012-viral-institute-for-human-continuity/ | title=Roland Emmerich's ''2012'' Viral - Institute for Human Continuity | work=FirstShowing.net | date=November&nbsp;15, 2008 | accessdate=December&nbsp;10, 2008 }}</ref> David Morrison of ] has received over 1000 inquiries from people who thought the website was genuine and has condemned it, saying "I've even had cases of teenagers writing to me saying they are contemplating suicide because they don't want to see the world end. I think when you lie on the internet and scare children in order to make a buck, that is ethically wrong."<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/relax-the-end-isnt-nigh-1804340.html|title=Relax, the end isn't nigh|last=Connor|first=Steve|date=17 October 2009|work=The Independent|accessdate=2009-10-20}}</ref> Another viral marketing website promotes ''Farewell Atlantis'', a fictional suspense novel by the film's lead protagonist, about the events of 2012.<ref>http://farewellatlantis.com/</ref>
On ], the film has an approval percentage of 40% based on 242 reviews and a rating of 5.20 out of 10. The critics consensus reads: "Roland Emmerich's ''2012'' provides plenty of visual thrills, but lacks a strong enough script to support its massive scope and inflated length."<ref>{{cite web|title=2012|work=]|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/2012}}</ref> On ], the film has a score of 49 out of 100 based on 34 critic reviews, meaning "Mixed or Average".<ref>{{cite web|title=2012 Reviews|work=]|url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/2012/}}</ref> Audiences polled by ] gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale.<ref>{{cite web|title=Home - Cinemascore|work=]|url=https://www.cinemascore.com/}}</ref>


] praised ''2012'', giving it {{frac|3|1|2}} stars out of 4 and saying that it "delivers what it promises and since no sentient being will buy a ticket expecting anything else, it will be, for its audiences, one of the most satisfactory films of the year".<ref name="ebert1">{{cite news |url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/2012-2009 |title=The late, great planet Earth: A thoroughly destroyable show |work=] |first=Roger |last=Ebert |author-link=Roger Ebert |date=November 12, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091115111837/http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=%2F20091111%2FREVIEWS%2F911119994 |archive-date=November 15, 2009 |access-date=April 1, 2020 |url-status=live }}</ref> Ebert and Claudia Puig of '']'' called the film the "mother of all disaster movies".<ref name="ebert1" /><ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/reviews/2009-11-13-2012rev13_ST_N.htm |title='2012': Now that's Armageddon! |work=USA Today |last=Puig |first=Claudia |author-link=Claudia Puig |date=November 13, 2009|access-date=November 20, 2009}}</ref> Dan Kois of '']'' gave the film 4 out of 4 stars, deeming it "the crowning achievement in Emmerich's long, profitable career as a destroyer of worlds."<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|last=Kois|first=Dan|date=November 13, 2009|title=Movie review: '2012' is a perfect disaster|newspaper=]|language=en-US|url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/12/AR2009111207930.html|access-date=October 30, 2021|issn=0190-8286}}</ref> Jim Schembri of '']'' gave the film 4 out of 5 stars, describing it as "a great, big, fat, stupid, greasy cheeseburger of a movie designed to show, in vivid detail, what the end of human civilisation will look like according to his vast army of brilliant visual effects artists."<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|last=Schembri|first=Jim|date=November 12, 2009|title=2012|url=https://www.theage.com.au/entertainment/movies/2012-20091112-ge86nv.html|access-date=October 30, 2021|website=The Age|language=en}}</ref>
] had also organized a "] campaign" to promote the film, where a two-minute scene from the film was broadcast across 450 American commercial television networks, local English and Spanish language stations, and 89 cable outlets within a 10-minute window between 10:50 PM ]/] and 11:00 PM EDT/PDT on October 1, 2009.<ref name="2012block"/> The scene featured the destruction of Los Angeles and ended with a cliffhanger, with the entire 5-minute-38-second clip made available on Comcast's ] web site. The trade newspaper '']'' estimated that,
"The stunt will put the footage in front of 90% of all households watching ad-supported TV, or nearly 110 million viewers. When combined with online and mobile streams, that could increase to more than 140 million".<ref name="2012block"/> Sony also plans on replicating this promotion in other regions.<ref name="2012block">{{cite web|url=http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118009036.html?categoryid=13&cs=1&nid=2562|title=Sony readies 'roadblock' for 2012|last=Graser|first=Mark|date=September 23, 2009|publisher=Variety|accessdate=2009-09-29}}</ref>


] of '']'' compared the film to '']'', writing: "Beware ''2012'', which works the dubious miracle of almost matching ''Transformers 2'' for sheer, cynical, mind-numbing, time-wasting, money-draining, soul-sucking stupidity."<ref>{{cite magazine |url= https://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/movie/25457899/review/30842785/2012 |title=''2012'': Review |magazine=] |first=Peter |last=Travers |date=November 12, 2009 |access-date=November 12, 2009 |author-link= Peter Travers| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20091115093733/http://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/movie/25457899/review/30842785/2012| archive-date=November 15, 2009 | url-status= dead }}</ref> Rick Groen of '']'' gave the film 1 out of 4 stars, writing: "As always in Emmerich's rollicking Armageddons, the cannon speaks with an expensive bang, while the fodder gets afforded nary a whimper."<ref>{{Cite news|last=Groen|first=Rick|date=November 12, 2009|title=Apocalypse by the numbers|language=en-CA|work=The Globe and Mail|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/film/apocalypse-by-the-numbers/article1346284/|access-date=October 30, 2021}}</ref> ] of '']'' wrote that the film's "ludicrous thrills begin burning themselves out by the movie's midpoint", and added: "As the movie approaches its two-and-a-half hour mark, you, too, may feel that The End can't come soon enough."<ref name=":2">{{Cite magazine|last=Orr|first=Christopher|date=November 13, 2009|title=The Mini-Review: '2012'|magazine=The New Republic|url=https://newrepublic.com/article/71153/the-mini-review-2012|access-date=October 30, 2021|issn=0028-6583}}</ref> Tim Robey of '']'' gave the film 2 out of 5 stars, saying that it was "dim, dim, dim, and so absurdly overscaled that we're not supposed to mind."<ref>{{Cite web|last=Robey|first=Tim|date=November 4, 2013|title=2012, review|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/6551436/2012-review.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220111/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/6551436/2012-review.html |archive-date=January 11, 2022 |url-access=subscription|url-status=live|access-date=October 30, 2021|website=The Telegraph}}{{cbignore}}</ref> Linda Barnard of the '']'' gave the film 1 out of 4 stars, writing: "the clunky script and kitchen-sink approach to Emmerich's global apocalypse tale... makes the movie fail on a bunch of fronts."<ref>{{Cite news|last=Barnard|first=Linda|date=November 12, 2009|title=2012: No end in sight|language=en-CA|work=The Toronto Star|url=https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/movies/2009/11/12/2012_no_end_in_sight.html|access-date=October 30, 2021|issn=0319-0781}}</ref>
{{Expand section|date=November 2009}}<!-- There is A LOT more marketing for 2012, it should be gone more in detail. -->


==Release== ===Accolades===
{{Anchor|Awards|Accolades}}
''2012'' was originally scheduled to be released on July&nbsp;10, 2009. The release date was changed to November, 2009 to move out of the busy summer schedule into a time frame that the studio considered to have more potential for financial success. According to the studio, the film could have been completed for the summer release date, but the date change will give more time to the production.<ref>{{cite journal | last=DiOrio | first=Carl | url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/film/news/e3i40152e91c349224ffdbf6cdddd7271f5 | title=''2012'' release date pushed back | journal] | date=January&nbsp;20, 2009 | accessdate=January&nbsp;20, 2009 }}</ref> The film was released on November 11, 2009.<ref name="2012-release-dates"> {{cite web|url=http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1190080/releaseinfo |title=2012 (2009) - Release dates |accessdate=2009-11-10 |work=IMDB.com }}</ref><ref name="worldwide-release"> {{cite web|url=http://www.2012preservationlist.net/ |title=What Would You Take With You in 2012 |accessdate=2009-11-12 |work=2012preservationlist.net }}</ref> It was released on Friday November 13, 2009 in ], ] and the ], and will be released on November 21, 2009 in ].<ref name="worldwide-release-dates"> {{cite web|url=http://www.sonypictures.com/movies/2012/international/ |title=2012 Worldwide Release Dates |accessdate=2009-11-12 |work=sonypictures.com }}</ref> It was given a wide release in ] on November 13, 2009. In Malaysia, the film will be released on Thursday November 12, 2009. In the United Kingdom, some theatres, such as the Vue Cinemas Islington & Inverness and Hull Princes Quay, have a screening time of 8:12pm (20:12 on a 24 hour clock) to coincide with the film's title.<ref>http://www.myvue.com/cinemas/film_info_detail.asp?SessionID=&cn=1&ci=31&ln=1&fi=9537</ref>
] was nominated for an ] for his role as President Thomas Wilson.<ref name="img" />]]
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="font-size: 95%;"
|-
! Award
! Category
! Nominee(s)
! Result
|-
| ]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bfca.org/ccawards/CCA_2009_press.php |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120719183027/http://www.bfca.org/ccawards/CCA_2009_press.php |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 19, 2012 |title=The 15th Annual Critics Choice Movie Awards |publisher=] |access-date=June 30, 2011 }}</ref>
| ]
| ], Marc Weigert, Mike Vézina
| {{nom}}
|-
| rowspan=2|]<ref name="img">{{cite web|url=http://www.naacpimageawards.net/41/winners/ |title=The 41st NAACP Image Awards |publisher=] |access-date=June 30, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110718235242/http://www.naacpimageawards.net/41/winners/ |archive-date=July 18, 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
| rowspan=2|]
| ]
| {{nom}}
|-
| ]
| {{nom}}
|-
| rowspan=2|]<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.mpse.org/goldenreels/2010awards/2010featurenominees.html | title=2010 Golden Reel Award Nominees: Feature Films | publisher=] | access-date=June 30, 2011 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716131219/http://www.mpse.org/goldenreels/2010awards/2010featurenominees.html | archive-date=July 16, 2011 | url-status=dead }}</ref>
| Best Sound Editing – Music in a Feature Film
| Fernand Bos, Ronald J. Webb
| {{nom}}
|-
| Best Sound Editing – Sound Effects and Foley in a Feature Film
| Fernand Bos, Ronald J. Webb
| {{nom}}
|-
| rowspan=4|]<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.filmmisery.com/?p=1919 | title=Satellite Awards Announce 2009 Nominations | publisher=Filmmisery.com | date=November 29, 2009 | access-date=June 30, 2011 | archive-date=August 8, 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200808202151/http://www.filmmisery.com/?p=1919 | url-status=dead }}</ref>
| ]
| Paul N.J. Ottosson, Michael McGee, Rick Kline, Jeffrey J. Haboush, Michael Keller
| {{won}}
|-
| ]
| Volker Engel, Marc Weigert, Mike Vézina
| {{won}}
|-
| ]
| Barry Chusid, Elizabeth Wilcox
| {{nom}}
|-
| ]
| David Brenner, Peter S. Elliot
| {{nom}}
|-
| rowspan=2|]s<ref name="scrnrant">{{cite web | url=https://screenrant.com/2010-saturn-award-nominations-ross-45936/ | title=Avatar Leads 2010 Saturn Awards Nominations | publisher=Screenrant.com | date=February 19, 2010 | access-date=June 30, 2011 | author=Miller, Ross| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110703161213/http://screenrant.com/2010-saturn-award-nominations-ross-45936/| archive-date=July 3, 2011 | url-status= live}}</ref>
| ]
| ''2012''
| {{nom}}
|-
| ]
| Volker Engel, ], Mike Vézina
| {{nom}}
|-
| rowspan=3|]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.visualeffectssociety.com/ayear/8th-annual-ves-awards|title=8th Annual VES Awards|work=visual effects society|access-date=December 22, 2017}}</ref>
| ]
| ], ], Josh Jaggars
| {{nom}}
|-
|Best Single Visual Effect of the Year
| ], ], Josh R. Jaggars, ] for "Escape from L.A."
| {{nom}}
|-
|]
|Haarm-Pieter Duiker, Marten Larsson, Ryo Sakaguchi, Hanzhi Tang for "Los Angeles Destruction"
| {{nom}}
|}


==Canceled television spin-off==
==Reception==
{{Anchor|Sequel}}
In 2010 '']'' reported a planned spin-off television series, ''2013'', which would have been a sequel to the film.<ref name="ewee">{{cite magazine|url=http://hollywoodinsider.ew.com/2010/03/02/abc-passes-2012-tv-show |title=ABC passes on '2012' TV show |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |date=March 2, 2010 |access-date=July 3, 2014 |author=Rice, Lynette |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101017150120/http://hollywoodinsider.ew.com/2010/03/02/abc-passes-2012-tv-show/ |archive-date=October 17, 2010 }}</ref> ''2012'' executive producer ] told the magazine, "] will have an opening in their disaster-related programming after '']'' ends, so people would be interested in this topic on a weekly basis. There's hope for the world despite the magnitude of the 2012 disaster as seen in the film. After the movie, there are some people who survive, and the question is how will these survivors build a new world and what will it look like. That might make an interesting TV series."<ref name="ewee" /> However, plans were canceled for budget reasons.<ref name="ewee" /> It would have been Emmerich's third film to spawn a spin-off; the first was '']'' (followed by '']'', '']'', '']'', '']''), and the second was '']'' (followed by the animated '']'').


===Reviews=== ==Notes==
{{Notelist}}
Upon release the film has received mixed reviews from critics. ] reports that 39% of critics gave the film a positive review, based upon a sample of 174 reviews, with an average score of 5 out of 10. Critics cited numerous scientific inaccuracies, lazy script and heavy reliance on the CG visuals, while some praised the CG effects. On its "top critics" section, it fared even worse with only 23% of critics giving it a positive review, based on 30 reviews, with an average score of 4.6/10. On ], the film has a score of 51 out of 100.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.metacritic.com/film/titles/2012 |title=2012 |publisher=Metacritic |accessdate=2009-11-14}}</ref>

] was enthusiastic about the film, giving it 3.5 stars out of 4, saying it "delivers what it promises, and since no sentient being will buy a ticket expecting anything else, it will be, for its audiences, one of the most satisfactory films of the year."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20091111/REVIEWS/911119994 |title=2012 |publisher=Robert Ebert |accessdate=November 14, 2009}}</ref>

==Television spin-off==
Speaking to '']'', Emmerich confirmed that a television series based upon the film is in the works. The series will serve as a sequel to the film and is planned to focus on a group of survivors in 2013.<ref>http://hollywoodinsider.ew.com/2009/11/04/2012-tv-planned/</ref>


==References== ==References==
{{reflist|2}} {{Reflist}}


==External links== ==External links==
{{Wikiquote}}
*
* {{Official website|http://www.sonypictures.com/movies/2012/}}
* {{imdb title|id=1190080|title=2012}}
* {{Amg movie|432410|2012}} * {{IMDb title|1190080|2012}}
* {{TCMDb title|723523|2012}}
* at ]
* {{AFI film|id=65014|title=2012}}
* at ]
* {{Rotten-tomatoes|2012|2012}}
* at ]
* {{Metacritic film|title=2012}}
* , a website set up as part of the ''2012'' movie ] campaign
* {{Mojo title|2012|2012}}
* , another website part of the ] campaign ostensibly set up by Charlie Frost, a fictional character in the film ''2012''
* , another website part of the ] campaign ostensibly set up by a ] former employee of the Institute for Human Continuity
* Fan site for 2012


{{Roland Emmerich}} {{Roland Emmerich}}
{{Authority control}}
{{Portal bar|Film|United States|Speculative fiction|Science fiction|2010s}}


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Latest revision as of 12:36, 21 January 2025

2009 film by Roland Emmerich

For films released in 2012, see 2012 in film. For other films with the same name, see 2012 (disambiguation) § Film.
2012
Film poster showing a Nepalese monk on a mountain watching as tsumani waves coming over the Himmalyan mountains, with the film's credits, title and release date in the bottom and tagline aboveTheatrical release poster
Directed byRoland Emmerich
Written by
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyDean Semler
Edited by
Music by
Production
companies
Distributed bySony Pictures Releasing
Release date
  • November 13, 2009 (2009-11-13)
Running time158 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$200 million
Box office$791.2 million

2012 is a 2009 American epic science fiction disaster film directed by Roland Emmerich, written by Emmerich and Harald Kloser, and stars John Cusack, Amanda Peet, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Oliver Platt, Thandiwe Newton, Danny Glover and Woody Harrelson. Based on the 2012 phenomenon, its plot follows novelist Jackson Curtis (Cusack) and geologist Adrian Helmsley (Ejiofor) as they struggle to survive an eschatological sequence of events including earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, megatsunamis, and a global flood.

Filming, planned for Los Angeles, began in Vancouver in early August 2008 and wrapped up in mid-October 2008. The film ran a lengthy advertising campaign, which included the creation of a website from its main characters' point of view and a viral marketing website on which filmgoers could register for a lottery number to save them from the ensuing disaster.

Released in the United States by Sony Pictures Releasing on November 13, 2009, 2012 received mixed reviews, but was a commercial success, grossing $791.2 million worldwide against a production budget of $200 million, becoming the fifth highest-grossing film of 2009. The film was nominated for Best Action, Adventure, or Thriller Film and Best Special Effects at the 36th Saturn Awards, and for Best Visual Effects at the 15th Critics' Choice Awards.

Plot

In 2009, American geologist Adrian Helmsley visits astrophysicist Satnam Tsurutani in East India and learns that a new type of neutrino from a solar flare is heating the Earth's core. Returning to Washington, D.C., Adrian alerts White House Chief of Staff Carl Anheuser and President Thomas Wilson.

In 2010, over forty-six nations begin to build nine arks in the Himalayas, in Tibet, and storing artifacts in secure locations. Nima, a Buddhist monk, is evacuated with his grandparents, and his brother Tenzin joins the ark project. Additional funding is secretly raised by selling tickets to the rich for €1 billion per person.

In 2012, struggling science-fiction writer Jackson Curtis is a chauffeur in Los Angeles for Russian billionaire Yuri Karpov. Jackson's former wife Kate and their children, Noah and Lilly, live with Kate's boyfriend, plastic surgeon and amateur pilot Gordon Silberman. Jackson takes Noah and Lilly camping in Yellowstone National Park. When they find Yellowstone Lake dried up and fenced off by the United States Army, they are caught and brought to Adrian. They later meet conspiracy theorist and radio personality Charlie Frost, who tells Jackson of Charles Hapgood's earth crust displacement theory and how the Mesoamerican Long Count calendar predicts the end of the world in 2012 and worldwide catastrophe, and that the world's governments silence anyone attempting to warn the public.

Despite his initial skepticism, Jackson heeds Charlie's warning after seeing indications that validate it. At the Santa Monica Airport, after dropping off Yuri's sons Alec and Oleg, who also warn of impending doom as they board a plane, he rents a Cessna 340A and sets out to rescue his family. As the Pacific Coast suffers a horrific 10.9 earthquake along the San Andreas Fault, Jackson and his family reach the airport and get the Cessna airborne. The group flies to Yellowstone and Jackson retrieves Charlie's map of the arks' location. The Yellowstone Caldera erupts, with Charlie staying behind to finish his broadcast; he is killed by debris. Realizing they need a larger plane to fly to Asia, the group lands at McCarran International Airport south of Downtown Las Vegas to search for one.

Adrian, Carl, and First Daughter Laura fly to the arks while President Wilson remains in the White House to address the nation. Jackson finds the Karpovs, Yuri's girlfriend, Tamara, and their pilot, Sasha. Sasha and Gordon fly the families out in an Antonov An-500, as the volcanic ashes from the Caldera envelop the Las Vegas Valley. The planet's crust shifts, resulting in billions of deaths in disasters worldwide, including President Wilson. With the presidential line of succession gone, Carl appoints himself acting commander-in-chief.

Upon reaching the Himalayas, the Antonov's engines malfunction. As the plane touches down on a glacier, the party uses a Bentley Flying Spur stored in the hold to escape, except Sasha, who stays in the cockpit and is killed when the jet goes over a cliff. The survivors are spotted by Chinese Air Force helicopters, which take only the three ticket-bearing Karpovs, leaving Tamara and Jackson's family behind. The abandoned group later encounters Nima, who, with his own family, takes them to the arks, where they stow away on Ark 4 with Tenzin's help.

With a megatsunami approaching, Carl orders the loading gates closed, though most people have not boarded. Adrian persuades the captain and the other surviving world leaders to allow passengers aboard the arks, while Yuri falls to his death as he pushes his sons onto Ark 4. The gate closes after survivors are on board, injuring Tenzin and fatally crushing Gordon. Tenzin's impact driver used to access the ship gets lodged in the gate mechanism, preventing it from closing completely and disabling the ship's engines. As the tsunami strikes, the ark starts flooding as it is set adrift, heading for Mount Everest. Adrian rushes to clear the gears, but watertight doors close, trapping the stowaways and drowning Tamara. Noah and Jackson dislodge the tool. The crew regains control of the ark, while Jackson and Noah make it back safely.

Twenty-seven days later, the waters are receding. The arks approach the Cape of Good Hope, where the Drakensberg Mountains have now become the highest mountain range on Earth. Adrian and Laura begin a relationship, while Jackson and Kate reconcile.

Cast

John Cusack (left) and Amanda Peet (right), who play lead roles in the film

Production

Development

Graham Hancock's Fingerprints of the Gods was listed in 2012's credits as the film's inspiration, and Emmerich said in a Time Out interview: "I always wanted to do a biblical flood movie, but I never felt I had the hook. I first read about the Earth's crust displacement theory in Graham Hancock's Fingerprints of the Gods." He and composer-producer Harald Kloser worked closely together, co-writing a spec script (also titled 2012) which was marketed to studios in February 2008. A number of studios heard budget projection and story plans from Emmerich and his representatives, a process the director had previously undertaken for Independence Day (1996) and The Day After Tomorrow (2004).

Later that month, Sony Pictures Entertainment obtained the rights to the spec script. Planned for distribution by Columbia Pictures, 2012 cost less than its budget; according to Emmerich, the film was produced for about $200 million.

Filming

Filming, originally scheduled to begin in Los Angeles in July 2008, began in Kamloops, Savona, Cache Creek, and Ashcroft, British Columbia, in early August 2008 and wrapped up in mid-October 2008. With a Screen Actors Guild strike looming, the film's producers had a contingency plan in case of a walkout by actors. Uncharted Territory, Digital Domain, Double Negative, Scanline, and Sony Pictures Imageworks were hired to create the film's visual effects.

The film depicts the destruction of several cultural and historical landmarks around the world. Emmerich said that the Kaaba was considered for selection, but Kloser was concerned about a possible fatwa against him.

Soundtrack

The film's score was composed by Harald Kloser and Thomas Wander. Adam Lambert contributed a song to the film, "Time for Miracles", which was originally written by Alain Johannes and Natasha Shneider. The 24-song soundtrack includes "Fades Like a Photograph" by Filter and "It Ain't the End of the World" by George Segal and Blu Mankuma. "Master of Shadows" by Two Steps from Hell was used for the film's trailers.

Release

Marketing

2012 was marketed through the fictional Institute for Human Continuity, at a viral marketing website that was created by the movie studio. The website featured main-character Jackson Curtis' book Farewell Atlantis, streaming media, blog updates, and radio broadcasts from zealot Charlie Frost on his website, This Is the End. On November 12, 2008, the studio released the first trailer for 2012, which ended with a suggestion to viewers to "find out the truth" by entering "2012" on a search engine. The Guardian called the film's marketing "deeply flawed", associating it with "websites that make even more spurious claims about 2012".

At the website, filmgoers could register for a lottery number to be part of a small population that would be rescued from the global destruction. David Morrison of NASA, who had received over 1,000 inquiries from people who thought the website was genuine, condemned it. "I've even had cases of teenagers writing to me saying they are contemplating suicide because they don't want to see the world end", Morrison said. "I think when you lie on the internet and scare children to make a buck, that is ethically wrong." Another marketing website promoted Farewell Atlantis.

Comcast organized a "roadblock campaign" to promote the film in which a two-minute scene was broadcast on 450 American commercial television networks, local English-language and Spanish-language stations, and 89 cable outlets during a ten-minute window between 10:50 and 11:00 pm Eastern and Pacific Time on October 1, 2009. The scene featured the destruction of Los Angeles and ended with a cliffhanger, with the entire 5:38 clip available on Comcast's Fancast website. According to Variety, "The stunt will put the footage in front of 90% of all households watching ad-supported TV, or nearly 110 million viewers. When combined with online and mobile streams, that could increase to more than 140 million".

Theatrical

2012 was released to cinemas on November 13, 2009, in Indonesia, Mexico, Sweden, Canada, Denmark, China, India, Italy, the Philippines, Turkey, the United States, and Japan. According to Sony Pictures, the film could have been completed for a summer release, but a delay allowed more time for production.

Home media

The DVD and Blu-ray versions were released on March 2, 2010. The two-disc Blu-ray edition includes over 90 minutes of features, including Adam Lambert's music video for "Time for Miracles" and a digital copy for PSP, PC, Mac, and iPod. A 3D version was released in Cinemex theaters in Mexico in February 2010. It was later released on Ultra HD Blu-ray on January 19, 2021.

Alternate ending

An alternate ending appears in the film's DVD release. After Ark 4's Captain Michaels announces that they are heading for the Cape of Good Hope, Adrian learns by phone that his father, Harry, and Harry's friend Tony Delgatto, survived a megatsunami that capsized their cruise ship Genesis. Adrian and Laura strike up a friendship with the Curtis family, Kate thanks Laura for taking care of Lilly, Laura tells Jackson that she enjoyed his book Farewell Atlantis, and Jackson and Adrian have a conversation reflecting on the events of the worldwide crisis. Carl apologizes to Adrian and Laura for his negligent actions. Jackson returns Noah's cell phone, which he recovered during the Ark 4 flood. Finally, the ark finds the shipwrecked Genesis and its survivors on a beach.

Reception

Box office

2012 grossed $166.1 million in North America and $603.5 million in other territories for a worldwide total of $769.6 million against a production budget of $200 million, making it the first film to gross over $700 million worldwide without making $200 million domestically. Worldwide, it was the fifth-highest-grossing 2009 film and the fifth-highest-grossing film distributed by Sony-Columbia, (behind Sam Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy and Skyfall). 2012 is the second-highest-grossing film directed by Roland Emmerich, behind Independence Day (1996). It earned $230.5 million on its worldwide opening weekend, the fourth-largest opening of 2009 and for Sony-Columbia.

2012 ranked number one on its opening weekend, grossing $65,237,614 on its first weekend (the fourth-largest opening for a disaster film). Outside North America it is the 28th-highest-grossing film, the fourth-highest-grossing 2009 film, and the second-highest-grossing film distributed by Sony-Columbia, after Skyfall. 2012 earned $165.2 million on its opening weekend, the 20th-largest overseas opening. In total earnings, the film's three highest-grossing territories after North America were China ($68.7 million), France and the Maghreb ($44.0 million), and Japan ($42.6 million).

In 2020, the film received renewed interest during the COVID-19 pandemic, becoming the second-most popular film and seventh-most popular overall title on Netflix in March 2020.

Critical response

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval percentage of 40% based on 242 reviews and a rating of 5.20 out of 10. The critics consensus reads: "Roland Emmerich's 2012 provides plenty of visual thrills, but lacks a strong enough script to support its massive scope and inflated length." On Metacritic, the film has a score of 49 out of 100 based on 34 critic reviews, meaning "Mixed or Average". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale.

Roger Ebert praised 2012, giving it 3+1⁄2 stars out of 4 and saying that it "delivers what it promises and since no sentient being will buy a ticket expecting anything else, it will be, for its audiences, one of the most satisfactory films of the year". Ebert and Claudia Puig of USA Today called the film the "mother of all disaster movies". Dan Kois of The Washington Post gave the film 4 out of 4 stars, deeming it "the crowning achievement in Emmerich's long, profitable career as a destroyer of worlds." Jim Schembri of The Age gave the film 4 out of 5 stars, describing it as "a great, big, fat, stupid, greasy cheeseburger of a movie designed to show, in vivid detail, what the end of human civilisation will look like according to his vast army of brilliant visual effects artists."

Peter Travers of Rolling Stone compared the film to Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, writing: "Beware 2012, which works the dubious miracle of almost matching Transformers 2 for sheer, cynical, mind-numbing, time-wasting, money-draining, soul-sucking stupidity." Rick Groen of The Globe and Mail gave the film 1 out of 4 stars, writing: "As always in Emmerich's rollicking Armageddons, the cannon speaks with an expensive bang, while the fodder gets afforded nary a whimper." Christopher Orr of The New Republic wrote that the film's "ludicrous thrills begin burning themselves out by the movie's midpoint", and added: "As the movie approaches its two-and-a-half hour mark, you, too, may feel that The End can't come soon enough." Tim Robey of The Daily Telegraph gave the film 2 out of 5 stars, saying that it was "dim, dim, dim, and so absurdly overscaled that we're not supposed to mind." Linda Barnard of the Toronto Star gave the film 1 out of 4 stars, writing: "the clunky script and kitchen-sink approach to Emmerich's global apocalypse tale... makes the movie fail on a bunch of fronts."

Accolades

A smiling Danny Glover
Danny Glover was nominated for an NAACP Image Award for his role as President Thomas Wilson.
Award Category Nominee(s) Result
Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards Best Visual Effects Volker Engel, Marc Weigert, Mike Vézina Nominated
NAACP Image Award Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture Chiwetel Ejiofor Nominated
Danny Glover Nominated
Motion Picture Sound Editors Best Sound Editing – Music in a Feature Film Fernand Bos, Ronald J. Webb Nominated
Best Sound Editing – Sound Effects and Foley in a Feature Film Fernand Bos, Ronald J. Webb Nominated
Satellite Awards Best Sound (Editing and Mixing) Paul N.J. Ottosson, Michael McGee, Rick Kline, Jeffrey J. Haboush, Michael Keller Won
Best Visual Effects Volker Engel, Marc Weigert, Mike Vézina Won
Best Art Direction and Production Design Barry Chusid, Elizabeth Wilcox Nominated
Best Film Editing David Brenner, Peter S. Elliot Nominated
Saturn Awards Best Action, Adventure, or Thriller Film 2012 Nominated
Best Special Effects Volker Engel, Marc Weigert, Mike Vézina Nominated
Visual Effects Society Awards Outstanding Visual Effects in a Visual Effects-Driven Feature Motion Picture Volker Engel, Marc Weigert, Josh Jaggars Nominated
Best Single Visual Effect of the Year Volker Engel, Marc Weigert, Josh R. Jaggars, Mohen Leo for "Escape from L.A." Nominated
Outstanding Created Environment in a Feature Motion Picture Haarm-Pieter Duiker, Marten Larsson, Ryo Sakaguchi, Hanzhi Tang for "Los Angeles Destruction" Nominated

Canceled television spin-off

In 2010 Entertainment Weekly reported a planned spin-off television series, 2013, which would have been a sequel to the film. 2012 executive producer Mark Gordon told the magazine, "ABC will have an opening in their disaster-related programming after Lost ends, so people would be interested in this topic on a weekly basis. There's hope for the world despite the magnitude of the 2012 disaster as seen in the film. After the movie, there are some people who survive, and the question is how will these survivors build a new world and what will it look like. That might make an interesting TV series." However, plans were canceled for budget reasons. It would have been Emmerich's third film to spawn a spin-off; the first was Stargate (followed by Stargate SG-1, Stargate Infinity, Stargate Atlantis, Stargate Universe), and the second was Godzilla (followed by the animated Godzilla: The Series).

Notes

  1. ^ Credited as "Thandie Newton"

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External links

Films directed by Roland Emmerich
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