Asteroid City Trivia | 40 facts about the new Wes Anderson film

“Asteroid City” is the new Wes Anderson film with an all-star ensemble cast. It is a mix of sci-fi, comedy and drama.

So let’s find out some trivia and facts about the new film.

1. Asteroid City is a 2023 American science fiction comedy-drama film
2. The film is directed and co-produced by Wes Anderson
   From a screenplay by Anderson
3. And a story by Anderson and Roman Coppola
4. The film features an ensemble cast that includes Jason Schwartzman, Scarlett Johansson, Tom Hanks, Jeffrey Wright, Tilda Swinton, Bryan Cranston, Edward Norton, Adrien Brody, Liev Schreiber, Hope Davis, Steve Park, Rupert Friend, Maya Hawke, Steve Carell, Matt Dillon, Hong Chau, Willem Dafoe, Margot Robbie, Tony Revolori, Jake Ryan, and Jeff Goldblum
5. Its metatextual plot simultaneously depicts the events of a Junior Stargazer convention in a retrofuturistic version of 1955, staged as a play, and the creation of the play
6. The project was first announced in September 2020 as an untitled romance film, with Anderson writing and directing
7. Originally set for Rome, filming took place in Spain between August and October 2021, with cinematographer Robert D. Yeoman and COVID-19 safety precautions in place
8. Several sets in Chinchón, resembling a desert landscape and a mock train station, were used for the shoot
9. The post-production process included editor Barney Pilling and composer Alexandre Desplat in his sixth collaboration with Anderson
10. The official title was revealed in October 2021
11. Asteroid City had its world premiere at the 76th Cannes Film Festival on May 23, 2023, where it competed for the Palme d’Or
12. It was released in the United States via a limited theatrical release on June 16, 2023
13. Before expanding to a wide release on June 23, 2023, by Focus Features
14. The film received positive reviews from critics
15. In September 2020, it was reported Wes Anderson would be writing and directing a romance film, which he would produce alongside Jeremy Dawson of American Empirical Pictures and Steven Rales of Indian Paintbrush
16. By February 2021, Michael Cera and Jeff Goldblum entered negotiations to star in the director’s next film, which was now described as being about a “group of brainy teenagers”
17. Tilda Swinton was the first person to officially join the cast, doing so in June 2021
18. In May 2023, Anderson talked about how the COVID-19 pandemic inspired the film and its story
19. Principal photography, originally set for Rome, took place in Spain between August and October 2021, with COVID-19 safety precautions in place
20. Several sets were built in Chinchón, including a vast diorama resembling a desert landscape with the eponymous town of Asteroid City, including its train station, a diner, a garage, and an observatory
21. Cast member Fisher Stevens said the film would include “the wildest cast since The Bridge on the River Kwai” and that the cast and crew “were all bubbled together in a hotel, which was an old monastery”
22. The film’s title was revealed by Bill Murray to be Asteroid City at the BFI London Film Festival in October 2021
23. Alexandre Desplat composed the film’s score in his sixth collaboration with Anderson
24. Costume design was by multiple Academy Award winner Milena Canonero
25. In July 2022, it was announced that Focus Features would distribute the film, reuniting them with Anderson after Moonrise Kingdom (2012)
26. It was also revealed Murray would not be in the film as initially reported as a result of contracting COVID-19 before he could shoot his scenes
27. As of June 22, 2023, Asteroid City had grossed $1.2 million in the United States and Canada, and $1.9 million in other territories, for a worldwide gross of $3.2 million
28. In its limited opening weekend, Asteroid City made $853,382 from six theaters, finishing in 10th
29. Its per-venue average of $142,230 was the best total since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic
30. And the largest since La La Land in 2016
31. Expanding to 1,500 theaters in its second weekend
32. The film is projected to gross $7–8 million
33. On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a 74% rating
34. Based on 186 critics’ reviews
35. With an average rating of 7.1/10
36. The website’s consensus reads: “Asteroid City is unlikely to win Wes Anderson many new converts, but those who respond to his signature style will find this a return to immaculately arranged form”
37. Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 75 out of 100
38. Based on 53 critics
39. Indicating “generally favorable reviews”
40. Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of “B” on an A+ to F scale