 After more than three years since production, the highly anticipated futurist vampire movie Daybreakers written and directed by Brisbane filmmakers the Spierig brothers, will be unleashed across national cinemas on 4 February on 136 screens. Following a strong opening in the US, taking over A$25 million at the box-office to date, Daybreakers is set to become the highest grossing Australian horror movie at the box-office, and one of the most popular Australian genre movies of all time.
Filmed at Warner Roadshow Studios on the Gold Coast during 2006 and 2007, and originally scheduled to hit worldwide cinema screens in late 2008, the movie's Australian release date has been rescheduled at least four times creating an agonizing wait for fans of the Spierig's debut zombie comedy splatter-fest Undead (2003).
When late 2008 approached without promotional fanfare or any indication of Daybreakers' release, rumours began to circulate. This wasn't helped by the fact Greg Mclean's Rogue (2007) had received numerous release delays before failing at the box-office, which suggested jittery distributors felt the film would struggle commercially. Spierig fans wondered whether a similar fate had befallen Daybreakers.
On 8 October 2008, the Spierig brothers wrote a letter to Bloody Disgusting to quell growing fears about the film's fate. In the news article, Spierig Brothers talk 'Daybreakers' theatrical release, the filmmakers reassured fans that Lionsgate had delayed the film's release to ensure its success in a tough marketplace, and were not planning to dump it into DVD markets. Such a cruel fate has befallen a number of quality horror flicks in recent years, including the stylish and hugely unlucky, Trick 'r Treat (2008).
For distributors the decision made sense. 2008 was a horror year for horror movies with the genre capturing less than 2 per cent of the US box-office, down from an average of 7 per cent over the last decade. This was compounded by comparisons being made between Daybreakers' premise and smash-hit I am Legend (2007), spawning fears the film would be labeled a copycat in the afterglow. Another problem for distributors was the outbreak of global Twilight (2008) fever. Market speculators feared the phenomenon had exhausted demand for vampire flicks, and audiences needed time to breathe before another vampire movie's release.
After a long delay, Daybreakers was rescheduled for an Australian release of 21 January 2010, before being rescheduled again to 4 February. While a January/February release is still a tough release period for a horror movie competing against a tail-end of summer blockbusters, Daybreakers has already proven its worth and is performing solidly.
Despite a rocky road to release, this is a must see for all genre and horror fans.
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