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LOS ANGELES—The new science-fiction spectacle “Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets” opens with a memorable montage of intergalactic communities joining to form a giant space colony, all set to the tune of David Bowie’s “Space Oddity.”
“Under Pressure” would have worked, too.
“Valerian” arrives in theaters on July 21 already boasting an unusual, and high-stakes, record: It is believed to be the most expensive film in history that wasn’t made by one of the six major studios. Its $180 million production budget is in line with costly competitors like “Spider-Man: Homecoming,” but its production company, Paris-based EuropaCorp , is a fraction of the size of Hollywood’s major players.
A 3-D extravaganza that’s been called a cross between “Avatar” and “Star Wars,” “Valerian” will have to overcome a host of obstacles to turn a profit. Released in the most competitive part of the summer movie season, it’s the only big budget movie that isn’t based on characters or franchises already well known to audiences. There is also the foreign nature of the name itself, “Valerian,” based on a French comic book. “To a U.S. audience, that is an unfamiliar name,” acknowledges EuropaCorp Chief Executive Marc Shmuger.
