THE Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian opened in US cinemas on Friday, May 16, to a generally enthusiastic response from American critics – but still failed to take as much as anticipated at the box office.

The sequel did open at No. 1 – as expected – but its estimated three-day haul of $56.6 million fell some way short of the $80 million that had been anticipated and even failed to beat the $65.6 million start for its 2005 predecessor, The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe.

The ‘disappointing’ figures mean that Prince Caspian is the second summer blockbuster to under-perform at the American box office in recent weeks – although its performance was nowhere near as bad as that for Speed Racer last weekend, which took only $18.6 million in its first three days, despite costing distributor Warner Bros. Pictures’ $160 million to make.

Still, the majority of reviews pointed towards the darker tone and greater emphasis on battle scenes as working in the film’s favour, as well as the decision to put some of the religious aspects of the novels to the background.

Set one year after the events of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, the film picks up as the Kings and Queens of Narnia find themselves back in that faraway realm to discover that more than 1,300 years have passed in Narnian time.

During their absence, the Golden Age of Narnia has become extinct, Narnia has been conquered by the Telmarines and is now under the control of the evil King Miraz, who rules the land without mercy. But the four children will soon meet an intriguing new character in the form of Narnia’s rightful heir to the throne, the young Prince Caspian (played by newcomer Ben Barnes), who has been forced into hiding as his uncle Miraz plots to kill him in order to place his own newborn son on the throne.

With the help of the kindly dwarf, a courageous talking mouse named Reepicheep, a badger named Trufflehunter and a Black Dwarf, Nikabrik, the Narnians, led by the mighty knights Peter and Caspian, embark on a remarkable journey to find Aslan, rescue Narnia from Miraz’s tyrannical hold, and restore magic and glory to the land.

Critical reaction

Leading the acclaim in America, The New York Post wrote: “Another classic saga of deeds dastardly and swashes buckled, The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian doesn’t quite equal the first film, but some may find this one a less-insistent piece of pure entertainment because it isn’t so overtly Christian.”

*The Chicago Sun-Times felt: “With bigger battles and scarier monsters than its predecessor, the new movie flaunts grander visual effects, and, with one notable exception, a dash more individuality than the initial installment.”

And The Washington Post opined: “Prince Caspian, like its predecessor, delivers sweeping, swashbuckling action in a handsome production, albeit one that leaves viewers feeling quite pummeled by the end of its nearly 2 1/2 -hour running time.”

The Los Angeles Times felt that it was “squarely in the tradition of the kind of teenage movies the Disney organization used to make before teens discovered horror and gore”, while USA Today felt that “[al]though the movie could have ended a few scenes earlier, it is still a journey well worth taking…”

The Hollywood Reporter stated that it’s “a worthy if somewhat less wondrous successor to that 2005 phenomenon”; Variety noted that it’s “a bit darker, more conventional and more crisply made than its 2005 predecessor”, and Film Journal International concluded “Narnia may never escape comparisons to Middle Earth, but it’s on its way to creating its own satisfying vision of a fantasy world”.

Prince Caspian is directed once again by veteran helmer Andrew Adamson and based on a screenplay co-written by Adamson, Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely. It opens in UK cinemas on Thursday, June 26.

Watch the trailer or view photos

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