Wanted
Theatrical poster
Directed by	Timur Bekmambetov
Produced by	Marc Platt Jason Netter Jim Lemley
Written by	Michael Brandt Derek Haas Chris Morgan
Starring	James McAvoy Morgan Freeman Angelina Jolie
Music by	Danny Elfman
Distributed by	Universal Pictures
Release date(s)	United Kingdom: June 25, 2008 Russia: June 26, 2008 United States: June 27, 2008 Australia: July 31,2008
Running time	110 min.[1]
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$75 million
Gross revenue	$161,856,681
Official website
Allmovie profile
IMDb profile

Wanted is a 2008 action film loosely based on the comic book miniseries Wanted by Mark Millar. The film is directed by Timur Bekmambetov and stars James McAvoy, Morgan Freeman, Thomas Kretschmann, Konstantin Khabensky and Angelina Jolie. Production began in April 2007. Wanted was released on June 25, 2008 in the United Kingdom and June 27, 2008 in the United States. For the 2008 film adaptation of the comic book, see Wanted (film). ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... This biographical article needs more biographical information on the subject. ... Marc E. Platt, sometimes credited as Marc Platt, is an American film, television and theatre producer. ... ... James Andrew McAvoy (pronounced MACK-uh-voy; born 21 April 1979[1]) is an acclaimed BAFTA Scotland, ALFS Award, Rising Star Award and two-time BAFTA, European Film Award, Golden Globe nominated Scottish stage and screen actor best known for his starring roles in the Academy Award for Best Picture... For the Dawsons Creek director, see Morgan J. Freeman. ... Jolie redirects here. ... Daniel Robert Elfman (born May 29, 1953 in Los Angeles, California) is an American musician who led the rock band Oingo Boingo as singer / songwriter from 1976 until its breakup in 1995, and has composed film scores extensively since 1985s Pee-wees Big Adventure. ... Universal Pictures is the main motion picture production/distribution arm of Universal Studios, a subsidiary of NBC Universal. ... is the 176th day of the year (177th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2008 in film is slated to have sequels such as: Rambo, Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay, The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Hellboy II: The Golden Army, Lost Boys: The Tribe, The Dark Knight, The Incredible Hulk, The X-Files... is the 177th day of the year (178th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2008 in film is slated to have sequels such as: Rambo, Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay, The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Hellboy II: The Golden Army, Lost Boys: The Tribe, The Dark Knight, The Incredible Hulk, The X-Files... is the 178th day of the year (179th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2008 in film is slated to have sequels such as: Rambo, Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay, The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Hellboy II: The Golden Army, Lost Boys: The Tribe, The Dark Knight, The Incredible Hulk, The X-Files... is the 212th day of the year (213th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2008 in film is slated to have sequels such as: Rambo, Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay, The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Hellboy II: The Golden Army, Lost Boys: The Tribe, The Dark Knight, The Incredible Hulk, The X-Files... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... 2008 in film is slated to have sequels such as: Rambo, Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay, The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Hellboy II: The Golden Army, Lost Boys: The Tribe, The Dark Knight, The Incredible Hulk, The X-Files... Look up Action film in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... A comic book is a magazine or book containing the art form of comics. ... A miniseries (sometimes mini-series), in a serial storytelling medium, is a production which tells a story in a limited number of episodes. ... For the 2008 film adaptation of the comic book, see Wanted (2008 film). ... Mark Millar (born December 24, 1969) is an award-winning Scottish comic book writer born in Coatbridge, Scotland. ... This biographical article needs more biographical information on the subject. ... James Andrew McAvoy (pronounced MACK-uh-voy; born 21 April 1979[1]) is an acclaimed BAFTA Scotland, ALFS Award, Rising Star Award and two-time BAFTA, European Film Award, Golden Globe nominated Scottish stage and screen actor best known for his starring roles in the Academy Award for Best Picture... For the Dawsons Creek director, see Morgan J. Freeman. ... Thomas Kretschmann (born September 8, 1962) is a German actor who has also performed in Hollywood movies. ... Konstantin Khabensky (born January 11, 1972) is a famous Russian actor best known in the West for starring in the films Night Watch and Day Watch as the lead character Anton Gorodetsky. ... Jolie redirects here. ... is the 176th day of the year (177th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Era (or Anno Domini), in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 178th day of the year (179th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Era (or Anno Domini), in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. ...

Plot

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The plot summary in this article or section is too long or detailed compared to the rest of the article. Please edit the article to focus on discussing the work rather than merely reiterating the plot.

The film opens with a man meeting with a ballistics expert, attempting to find out who made a particular bullet for a "competitor". The conversation is interrupted by a sniper shooting the ballistics expert through the head from a nearby building. The man then dashes down the corridor and leaps through the window, shooting and killing his opponents in mid-flight. The man then receives a phone call from a man he calls Cross (Thomas Kretschmann). Cross tells the man that the snipers were decoys. Cross then fires a multi-stage bullet through the man's head from the window of a house across town. Image File history File links Wikitext. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... For other uses, see Ballistics (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Sniper (disambiguation). ... Thomas Kretschmann (born September 8, 1962) is a German actor who has also performed in Hollywood movies. ... Decoys is a 2004 Canadian sci-fi/comedy movie about two college guys who are determined to lose their virginity. ... The second stage of a Minuteman III rocket A multistage (or multi-stage) rocket is a rocket that uses two or more stages, each of which contains its own engines and propellant. ...

The narrative then shifts to Wesley Allan Gibson (James McAvoy). Wesley hates his job as an account manager, where he endures regular verbal abuse from his annoying boss. Wesley, who suffers from panic attacks, also correctly suspects that his best friend and co-worker is having an affair with his shrewish girlfriend. James Andrew McAvoy (pronounced MACK-uh-voy; born 21 April 1979[1]) is an acclaimed BAFTA Scotland, ALFS Award, Rising Star Award and two-time BAFTA, European Film Award, Golden Globe nominated Scottish stage and screen actor best known for his starring roles in the Academy Award for Best Picture... For the band, see Verbal Abuse. ... A panic attack is a period of intense fear or discomfort, typically with an abrupt onset and usually lasting no more than 30 minutes. ...

One night, at the pharmacy, Wesley meets a mysterious woman who tells him that his father was an elite assassin who had been killed the day before. Wesley does not believe this; he tells the woman that his father abandoned him a week after his birth. At that moment, Cross appears, gun in hand. The woman opens fire on Cross. Wesley and the woman escape from the resulting shoot-out and have a wild car chase in the streets of Chicago. For other uses, see Pharmacy (disambiguation). ... Jack Ruby murdered the assassin, Lee Harvey Oswald, in a very public manner. ... This article is about the video game. ... For other uses, see Chicago (disambiguation). ...

Wesley is brought to the headquarters of The Fraternity, a thousand-year-old secret society of assassins. The group's leader, Sloan (Morgan Freeman), formally introduces Gibson to Fox (Angelina Jolie) the woman from the night before, and invites him to follow in his father's footsteps as an assassin. Sloan tests Wesley by making him shoot the wings off a fly. When Wesley refuses, a gun is put to his head, triggering a panic attack. Wesley somehow manages to shoot the wings off several flies. The Fraternity of Assassins is an ancient secret society of assassins in the 2008 film Wanted. ... For the Europe album, see Secret Society (Europe album). ... For the Dawsons Creek director, see Morgan J. Freeman. ... Jolie redirects here. ...

Sloan explains that Wesley's panic attacks are actually a very rare ability that when under stress causes his heart to beat at an excess of 400 beats per minute, sending abundant amounts of adrenaline into his bloodstream. This allows them to see and react faster than normal. Sloan also tells Wesley that he had inherited his father's vast fortune. Sloan offers Wesley his father's position within The Fraternity and gifts him with his father's gun. Wesley, pulling the gun on Sloan and the others, refuses and leaves. The heart and lungs, from an older edition of Grays Anatomy. ... Epinephrine (INN) or adrenaline (BAN) is a hormone and a neurotransmitter. ... Red blood cells (erythrocytes) are present in the blood and help carry oxygen to the rest of the cells in the body Blood is a circulating tissue composed of fluid plasma and cells (red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets). ...

Wesley wakes up the the next day hoping that everything was a dream, but discovers his father's gun (which he stashes in the toilet tank). He also discovers $3.6 million in his bank account. Wesley tells off his boss and quits his job, knocking out his friend's teeth with his keyboard as he leaves (the shattered keys and teeth spells out "fuck you"). Fox, who has been waiting for him outside, gives him a ride back to the Fraternity headquarters - an unassuming textile mill. For other uses, see Bank (disambiguation). ... The cotton mill is a type of factory that was created to house spinning and weaving machinery. ...

Wesley immediately begins training with the Fraternity, determined to avenge his father. He is taught to shoot, fight with knives, and is desensitized to pain with regular beatings. Wesley is also taught to "curve" bullets by slinging his gun in such a way that the bullet travels in a curve rather than a straight line. The training is brutal, and is only endurable with the assistance of periodic medicinal baths that accelerate healing. traditional Norse knife A knife is a sharp-edged hand tool used for cutting. ... This article is about the projectile, for other uses see bullet (disambiguation). ...

With his training completed, Wesley is given orders to kill people from The Loom of Fate, a loom that gives the names of the targets through a binary code hidden in the weaving of the threads. While on his first assignment, Wesley seems to refuse to kill his target. He recalls an earlier conversation with Fox in which he opined that it isn't right to kill people without knowing anything about them or why they deserve to die. Fox then told him her life story. Fox's father was a judge who was handling a sensitive case and the defendant had put a hit on him. One day a hired killer held the young girl at knife point as they waited for her father to return home. The killer then lit the father on fire as the young girl watched. He later branded his initials into her neck. Fox explained that the man who killed her father had been targeted by the Fraternity several weeks prior to the events of the story, but their assassin had failed to carry out his duty. Wesley bends a bullet trajectory to kill the target a moment after this recollection. For other uses, see Loom (disambiguation). ... The term binary code can mean several different things: There are a variety of different methods of coding numbers or symbols into strings of, including fixed-length binary numbers, prefix codes such as Huffman code, and other arithmetic coding. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... A defendant or defender is any party who is required to answer the complaint of a plaintiff or pursuer in a civil lawsuit before a court, or any party who has been formally charged or accused of violating a criminal statute. ...

Wesley later returns to his apartment to retrieve his father's gun. He encounters Cross upon leaving the building. Gunfire is exchanged and Wesley pursues Cross. Wesley accidentally kills a fellow Fraternity member, a Russian bomb-maker named the Exterminator, in the process. Cross takes this opportunity to "curve" a bullet into Wesley's arm.

Wesley analyzes the bullet from his arm and traces its origins. He determines that it is the work of a renegade Fraternity member named Pekwarsky (Terrence Stamp). Sloan grants Wesley permission to personally carry out the kill order on Cross despite Fox's protests. After Wesley leaves, Sloan hands Fox a new kill order. It has Wesley's name on it. Terence Stamp (born July 22, 1939) is a British actor. ...

Wesley and Fox travel to the Fraternity's original base of operations in Europe. The two easily capture Pekwarsky and force him to take them to Cross. The meeting leads to a confrontation between Wesley and Cross on a moving train. Fox steals a car and crashes it into the train, eventually causing the train to derail when it reaches a bridge over a deep ravine. Wesley is about to fall into the ravine before Cross catches his hand, saving his life. Wesley unhesitatingly shoots him. Before Cross dies, he tells Wesley that he is his real father and that the Fraternity had been lying to him. Fox confirms the truth and explains that Wesley was recruited because he was the only person that Cross wouldn't kill. Fox then tells Wesley about the kill order on him and raises her weapon to shoot him. Wesley, however, shoots the glass underneath him and plunges into the river below. For other uses, see Europe (disambiguation). ... Notable historic train accidents: // 1830s September 15, 1830 – England: William Huskisson becomes first passenger-train death. ... A ravine is a very small valley, which is often the product of streamcutting erosion. ... For other uses, see River (disambiguation). ...

Wesley awakes in an apartment across the street from his former apartment. He finds Pekwarsky there. Upon inspecting the apartment, he discovers it belonged to his father, who had been monitoring him his whole life. Pekwarsky hands Wesley a loom weaving and tells him to decode it. Wesley is shocked to discover Sloan's name in the weaving. Pekwarsky explains that Cross went rogue due to this discovery. Since then Sloan has used false kill orders to direct the Fraternity as mere contract killers. Wesley realizes that Cross had never actually tried to kill him in their previous confrontations; he had been assassinating Fraternity members to keep them away from Wesley. Pekwarsky departs after giving Wesley plane tickets, stating that his father wished him a life free of violence. Tweed loom, Harris, 2004 Woven sheet Weaving is an ancient textile art and craft that involves placing two sets of threads or yarn called the warp and weft of the loom and turning them into cloth. ... There are very few or no other articles that link to this one. ... A hitman (alternately, hit man) is a hired assassin, often by organized crime. ...

While exploring the apartment further, Wesley discovers a secret room containing all of his father's weapons and maps. He even finds a supply of The Exterminator's mini-bombs, realizing that The Exterminator had been working with his father. Wesley then devises a plan to take out Sloan and the Fraternity. See map for the navigational aid The acronym MAPS could refer to: Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies Mail Abuse Prevention System Multi-jurisdictional Automated Preclearance System Mid-Atlantic Percussion Society Medical Advanced Pain Specialists Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship Multidisciplinary Academic PerspectiveS Metropolitan Area ProjectS Category: ...

Wesley begins the first phase of his plan by filling a garbage truck with rats gorged on explosives-laced peanut butter, "arming" a number of the rats with the Exterminator's mini-bombs. He then crashes the truck into the Fraternity compound and releases the rats. After the rats explode, he charges in, killing all the Fraternity members he encounters. Upon entering Sloan's office, he finds himself surrounded by Fox and her fellow master assassins. Wesley tells them that Sloan is killing for profit by providing his killers with fraudulent kill orders. He then attempts to kill Sloan, but is disarmed by Fox. This article is concerned solely with chemical explosives. ... Peanut butter in a jar. ...

Fox asks Sloan if this is true. Sloan then reveals that all of their names had come up in the weaving, and that he had merely acted to protect them. He then goes on to explain that if they truly believe in the code then they should all commit suicide right where they stand. Otherwise, they should kill Wesley. The other assassins decide to kill Wesley, but Fox turns on her fellow assassins. She "curves" a bullet to kill the assassins who had been standing in a circle, including herself. Sloan escapes. Tweed loom, Harris, 2004 Woven sheet Weaving is an ancient textile art and craft that involves placing two sets of threads or yarn called the warp and weft of the loom and turning them into cloth. ... For other uses, see Suicide (disambiguation). ...

Wesley, penniless once more, does not know what to do with himself. While Wesley provides a voice-over, the audience sees a young man sitting in front of a computer in a cubicle much like Wesley did at the beginning of the film. The man types the name "Wesley Gibson" into Google and searches for it but does not have any results, as in the beginning of the film. Sloan appears and points a gun at the man's head. At that moment, the man turns around and is revealed to be a decoy. Wesley, who is actually several miles away, then shoots Sloan in the head from the same window and in the same manner as his father killed Mr. X at the beginning of the movie. A voice-over is a narration that is played on top of a video segment, usually with the audio for that segment muted or lowered. ... A cubicle desk forms an integral whole with the five or six foot high partitions that separate it from the neighbors. ... This article is about the corporation. ...

The movie ends with Wesley giving an overview of his last six weeks as an assassin: "What the fuck have you done lately?"

Cast

• James McAvoy as Wesley Gibson: A meek 24-year-old who works in a cubicle, but is heir to a legacy of assassins. McAvoy was cast in the lead role in October 2006.^[2] McAvoy, who had screen-tested for the role early in 2006, was initially rejected due to the studio seeking an actor that had conventional Hollywood leading-man looks and physique. The actor was later recalled, being considered the "runt of the litter" of those who tested. According to McAvoy, "They [ultimately] wanted someone geeky." The Scottish actor, who portrays an American in the film, trained for the film's action scenes.^[3]
• Morgan Freeman as Sloan: The charismatic assassin partner of Wesley Gibson's deceased father.
• Angelina Jolie as Fox: One of Fraternity assassins who mentors Gibson.^[4] Jolie was cast in March 2007 after screenwriter Dean Georgaris rewrote the screenplay to tailor the role for her.^[5]
• Thomas Kretschmann as Cross: A rogue assassin who has left the Fraternity.
• Common as The Gunsmith: A professional gunman who trains others to use weapons.
• Konstantin Khabensky as The Exterminator: Khabensky, who starred in Bekmambetov's Night Watch, was cast so the director would have a familiar face around Wanted.^[6]
• Marc Warren as The Repairman
• Dato Bakhtadze as The Butcher: A master of knife work.^[7]
• Terence Stamp as Pekwarsky: A master in the science of killing. Pekwarsky operates as a rogue agent outside of The Fraternity.^[8]
• David O'Hara as Mr. X: Said to be the greatest assassin. His killing catalyzes Wesley's introduction to the Fraternity.
• Chris Pratt as Barry^[9]
• Kristen Hager as Cathy^[10]

James Andrew McAvoy (pronounced MACK-uh-voy; born 21 April 1979[1]) is an acclaimed BAFTA Scotland, ALFS Award, Rising Star Award and two-time BAFTA, European Film Award, Golden Globe nominated Scottish stage and screen actor best known for his starring roles in the Academy Award for Best Picture... This article is about the country. ... For the Dawsons Creek director, see Morgan J. Freeman. ... Professor Solomon Seltzer is a fictional character, a comic book super-villain in Mark Millars Wanted mini-series. ... Jolie redirects here. ... Thomas Kretschmann (born September 8, 1962) is a German actor who has also performed in Hollywood movies. ... Lonnie Rashid Lynn, Jr. ... Konstantin Khabensky (born January 11, 1972) is a famous Russian actor best known in the West for starring in the films Night Watch and Day Watch as the lead character Anton Gorodetsky. ... Night Watch (Russian: ) is a Russian fantasy action thriller film, made in 2004 by the Kazakhstan-born film director Timur Bekmambetov. ... Marc Warren (born March 20, 1967 in Northampton) is an English actor, best known for his role as Danny Blue in Hustle. ... Terence Henry Stamp (born July 22, 1938[1]) is an English actor. ... Mr. ... David OHara (born on 9 July 1965) is a Scottish actor. ... Chris Pratt on Everwood Born in Minnesota (June 21, 1979) and raised in Lake Stevens, Washington, Chris Pratt is best known for his role as Bright Abbott in the television series Everwood. ... Kristen Hager (born April 4, 1984)[1] is a Canadian film and television actress. ...

Production

The comic book miniseries Wanted by Mark Millar first attracted the attention of Universal Studios executive Jeff Kirschenbaum, a comic book fan who sought a film adaptation that would be considered a "hard-R" and encouraged the studio to pick up the rights to the miniseries.^[11] By 2004, producer Marc Platt set up development of the film adaptation. In December 2005, Russian-Kazakh director Timur Bekmambetov was attached to helm the project as his first English-language film, with the script being written by Derek Haas and Michael Brandt.^[12] Millar did not like the first draft of the script. He explained, "I wanted the film to basically be the opposite of the Spider-Man movie, the idea of someone getting powers and realizing they can do what they want, then choosing the dark path. The [script] I read was just too tame. It just seemed a little bit Americanized. But Timur came in with his Eastern European madness, and he really made it nasty. He went closer to the spirit of the book."^[13] A comic book is a magazine or book containing the art form of comics. ... A miniseries (sometimes mini-series), in a serial storytelling medium, is a production which tells a story in a limited number of episodes. ... For the 2008 film adaptation of the comic book, see Wanted (2008 film). ... Mark Millar (born December 24, 1969) is an award-winning Scottish comic book writer born in Coatbridge, Scotland. ... This article is about the American media conglomerate. ... Film adaptation is the transfer of a written work to a feature film. ... A motion picture rating system categorizes films with regard to suitability for audiences in terms of issues such as sex, violence, substance abuse, profanity, impudence or other types of mature content. ... Marc E. Platt, sometimes credited as Marc Platt, is an American film, television and theatre producer. ... Language(s) Kazakh, Russian (and/or languages in country of residence) Religion(s) Sunni Islam The Kazakhs (also spelled Kazaks, Qazaqs; Kazakh: Қазақтар IPA: ; Russian: Казахи; the English name is transliterated from Russian) are a Turkic people of the northern parts of Central Asia (largely Kazakhstan, but also found in parts of... This biographical article needs more biographical information on the subject. ... Spider-Man is a 2002 American superhero film based on the fictional Marvel Comics character Spider-Man. ...

Director Timur Bekmambetov said that the film would keep the same characters from the miniseries, though the director would take liberty in adapting the comic book's world.^[14] In July 2006, screenwriter Chris Morgan was hired to revise the third act of the Wanted script written by Haas and Brandt.^[15] The script was also rewritten by screenwriter Dean Georgaris to include the role of The Fox for actress Angelina Jolie.^[4] Haas and Brandt returned to even out the character of Wesley Gibson, which they had established in their first draft.^[16] Jolie redirects here. ...

Comic book author Mark Millar described the first half of the film as being close to the graphic novel. Millar also said that the film's ending was similar, though it was relocated elsewhere from the setting in the graphic novel. The superhero costumes in the series were also removed, with the exception of the leather attire worn by Wesley Gibson and The Fox. Ironically, this had been Millar's intent when writing the graphic novel, although he and artist J. G. Jones had forgotten to. "I wanted them to have those powers and then just wear those costumes for the initiation, but just for one panel." he said. "And then I forgot. I’d have liked [the filmmakers] to keep the supervillain mythos. That’s one thing I’m kind of sad they didn’t keep, ’cause I really liked that, the idea that supervillains and heroes did exist at one point and they’re all gone now."^[13] The story arc of the Fates issuing death orders in line with the series's original theme of predestination was a new element to the film, an addition to which Millar was amicable.^[17] J. G. Jones is an American comic book artist. ...

Wanted includes free running and parkour in addition to car chases and gunfights.^[3] Wanted creator Mark Millar saw previsualized footage for the film and said the footage had raised his expectations for the film adaptation.^[18] This article is about the physical art. ... A traceur performs a cat balance, which in French is called an équilibre de chat. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

Location plate shooting took place in Chicago in April 2007.^[19] Several chase scenes, including one with a low flying helicopter, were shot in Chicago on May 17 and 18 on Wacker Drive along the Chicago River, between Columbus Drive and LaSalle Street.^[20] Production moved to the Czech Republic later in May,^[5] scheduled for 12 weeks of shooting.^[21] For the film, production designer John Myhre constructed a large textile factory in Prague as part of an industrial world, the setting of a mythological environment in which looms create fabrics interwoven with the destinies of people, interpreted by weavers to issue orders for specific individuals' deaths to preserve the balance of the world.^[6] Afterward, filming moved to Budapest, then returned to Chicago in August.^[19] For other uses, see Chicago (disambiguation). ... is the 137th day of the year (138th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 138th day of the year (139th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... John Myrhe is an American Production Designer who has been working in Hollywood since the late 1980s. ... For other uses, see Loom (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Budapest (disambiguation). ...

Release

Wanted was initially set to be released in cinemas on March 28, 2008, but in December 2007, Universal announced it would be moving the release date later to June 27, 2008. Wanted was released June 27, 2008. Previews started in the UK on June 25.^[22] is the 87th day of the year (88th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Era (or Anno Domini), in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 178th day of the year (179th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Era (or Anno Domini), in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 178th day of the year (179th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Era (or Anno Domini), in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 176th day of the year (177th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

Box office performance

In its opening weekend, Wanted grossed $50.9 million in 3,175 theaters in the United States and Canada, ranking #2 at the box office and averaged an estimated $16,100 per theater, the $50.9 million opening exceeded the analysts projections of $30-$35 million opening weekend. ^[23], ^[24] Wanted grossed more in its opening weekend than any previous live-action film starring Angelina Jolie. It has made over $100 million in the US alone and over $167 million globally.

Critical reception

The film received generally positive reviews from critics. As of June 27, 2008, the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reported that 72% of critics gave Wanted positive reviews, based on 163 reviews—with the consensus that the film "is a fast-paced, crackling thrill ride tailor-made for the Summer audience."^[25] Metacritic reported the film had an average score of 64 out of 100, based on 30 reviews.^[26] is the 178th day of the year (179th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Era (or Anno Domini), in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Metacritic is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows, DVDs and books. ...

Lisa Schwarzbaum of Entertainment Weekly encapsulated many critics' views, saying "'Wanted' is kind of unintelligible and idiotic. Also kind of nasty and brutish. And also undeniably kind of fun..."^[27] Likewise, Tom Long of The Detroit News said, "Wanted may be the most absolutely stone bonkers, crazy-good movie of the century. Or it may be a gargantuan piece of trash. Chances are it's a combination of the two. But man, does it rock".^[28] Richard Roeper of Ebert & Roeper commented, saying "It’s made for fans of films that really just want to see some great visuals, some amazing sequences and some terrific performances"^{[citation needed]} while Roger Ebert says it "Slams the pedal to the metal and never slows down."^{[citation needed]} Claudia Puig of USA Today found the "thrilling stunts and hyperkinetic action scenes [to be] the undisputed stars of this surprisingly entertaining film". ^[29] Conversely, John Rosenblatt of The Austin Chronicle denounced those same attributes, saying, "If Maxim magazine ever decides to branch out into filmmaking, Wanted is just the kind of ear-throttling nonsense it's bound to produce",^[30] and David Fear of Time Out New York called it "the cinematic equivalent of an energy drink. The film keeps artificially pumping your adrenal glands with mindless, malnutritional sensations, only to leave you crampy and cranky minutes later. ...[T]his exercise in ultraviolence then insults us by having a beaten, bloodied McAvoy inform viewers that he used to be a loser 'just like all of you'".^[31] Frank Lovece of Film Journal International, one of few mainstream critics to have read the comic-book miniseries, said the film compared poorly with the source material. Noting that the hero in the comic goes even further, "breaking the fourth wall and positioning himself so that he's 'prison-raping' and taunting the reader for having liked the series," Lovece found that, "While Millar may have contempt for his readers—and, by extension, the medium in which he works—at least he has his own vision, and gets it across with style and wit" that the movie lacked.^[32] Entertainment Weekly (sometimes abbreviated EW) is a magazine published by Time Inc. ... The Detroit News is one of the two major newspapers in the U.S. city of Detroit, Michigan. ... Richard Roeper (born October 17, 1959)[1] is a columnist/film critic for the Chicago Sun-Times and, since September of 2000, has co-hosted the television series At the Movies with Ebert & Roeper with fellow film critic Roger Ebert. ... Ebert & Roeper at the Movies (more commonly known as Ebert & Roeper) is a movie review television program featuring film critic Roger Ebert and columnist Richard Roeper, both of the Chicago Sun-Times. ... Roger Joseph Ebert (born June 18, 1942) is a Pulitzer Prize-winning American film critic. ... USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. ... The Austin Chronicle is an alternative weekly newspaper published every Thursday in Austin, Texas, United States. ... Maxim is an international English language lad mag (mens magazine) based in the United Kingdom and known for its revealing pictorials featuring popular actresses, singers, and female models, of which none are nudes. ... The distinctive Time Out logo, seen on all its publications Time Out is a publishing company based in London, England. ... Frank Lovece is an American journalist, author, comedy performer and comic-book writer. ... Film Journal International is a motion-picture industry trade magazine published by the American company Nielsen Business Media, a division of The Nielsen Company. ... A comic book is a magazine or book containing the art form of comics. ... A miniseries (sometimes mini-series), in a serial storytelling medium, is a production which tells a story in a limited number of episodes. ...

In the comics press, Erik Amaya of Comic Book Resources said, "The film's biggest faults lie in how far it strays from the source", and that, "If you've ever seen any movie about leather-clad assassins, you already know how this film plays out. The speed and skill of the movie-making balance out those faults, however".^[33] Tom McLean of Newsarama noted that while the story deviated strongly from the source, the movie "stands out as a highly entertaining action film that preserves the comic's core premise and cheeky attitude while taking the story into very different but still satisfying territory".^[34] Comic Book Resources logo Comic Book Resources is a website dedicated to the coverage of comic book-related news and discussion. ... Newsarama. ...

Among European critics, Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian said, "It looks as if it has been written by a committee of 13-year-old boys for whom penetrative sex is still only a rumour, and the resulting movie plays like a party political broadcast on behalf of the misogynist party", concluding, "In an ideal world, the title would have the word 'Not' tacked on to the front".^[35] Peter Bradshaw is a British writer and film critic. ... For other uses, see Guardian. ...

Many audience members have compared the movie to Fight Club and The Matrix.^{[citation needed]} For the film based on the novel, see Fight Club (film). ... This article is about the 1999 film. ...

References

British Board of Film Classification logo The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC), originally British Board of Film Censors, is the organisation responsible for film and some video game classification and censorship within the United Kingdom. ... 2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Era (or Anno Domini), in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 167th day of the year (168th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Era (or Anno Domini), in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 175th day of the year (176th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Empire is a British film magazine published monthly by Emap Consumer Media since July 1989. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 292nd day of the year (293rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 39th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 47th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 47th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 82nd day of the year (83rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Charles Mackintoshs Glasgow Herald building, now The Lighthouse The Herald is a national broadsheet newspaper published Monday to Saturday in Glasgow, Scotland, with an audited circulation of 71,000, making it the best-selling national Scottish broadsheet newspaper. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... March 26 is the 85th day of the year (86th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 78th day of the year (79th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Variety is a daily newspaper for the entertainment industry. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 79th day of the year (80th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 162nd day of the year (163rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the original U.S. music television channel. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 163rd day of the year (164th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 171st day of the year (172nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Variety is a daily newspaper for the entertainment industry. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 172nd day of the year (173rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... July 3 is the 184th day of the year (185th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 191st day of the year (192nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 129th day of the year (130th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Variety is a daily newspaper for the entertainment industry. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 130th day of the year (131st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 229th day of the year (230th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Era (or Anno Domini), in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 26th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 341st day of the year (342nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Variety is a daily newspaper for the entertainment industry. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 39th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 337th day of the year (338th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Wizard or Wizard: The Magazine of Comics, Entertainment and Pop Culture (originally titled Wizard: The Guide to Comics and Wizard: The Comics Magazine) is a magazine about comic books, published monthly in the United States by Wizard Entertainment. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 338th day of the year (339th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 58th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 39th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 203rd day of the year (204th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Comic Book Resources logo Comic Book Resources is a website dedicated to the coverage of comic book-related news and discussion. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 41st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 285th day of the year (286th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Comic Book Resources logo Comic Book Resources is a website dedicated to the coverage of comic book-related news and discussion. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 287th day of the year (288th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 162nd day of the year (163rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 163rd day of the year (164th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... February 20 is the 51st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... February 20 is the 51st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 108th day of the year (109th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 108th day of the year (109th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 137th day of the year (138th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... // The Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois and owned by the Tribune Company. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 143rd day of the year (144th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calenda