On the heels of the successful opening of The Amazing Maurice across 1,700-plus screens in the U.S., Viva Kids has locked in theatrical release dates for the remainder of its 2023 PG-rated slate, which includes TAT Productions’ Epic Tails, the Samuel Goldwyn Writing Awards screenplay winner Inspector Sun, the highly anticipated Dragonkeeper and R.L. Stine’s Zombie Town, starring Dan Aykroyd, Chevy Chase and TikTok star Madi Monroe.
After The Amazing Maurice premiered at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, Viva released the critically acclaimed indie exclusively in theaters on February 3 with a 45-day theatrical window and successfully grossed over $2.6 million at the U.S. box office in its first 10 days.
“As a true independent film distributor Viva is thrilled to not only see The Amazing Maurice succeed at the box office, but also garner positive acclaim from critics and audiences alike,” says Victor Elizalde, President of Viva Kids. “We are confident our 2023 slate of movies will draw in theater-goers and keep the kids/family momentum going.”
Described as The Secret Life of Pets meets Hercules, Viva will release Epic Tails theatrically in the U.S. on May 12. The film also known as Argonuts in Europe tells the story of Pattie, a quirky, intelligent mouse and her feline friend Sam, as they embark upon an exciting adventure through Ancient Greece.
Epic Tails is led by The Jungle Bunch director David Alaux and producer Jean-François Tosti, who both co-founded TAT productions with writer Éric Tosti. Viva Kids previously distributed TAT’s Terra Willy (2020) and Pil’s Adventures (2022), both of which were an international success and garnered critical acclaim.
The family-friendly crime mystery Inspector Sun is slated for a domestic theatrical release on September 1. With shades of Murder on the Orient Express, Inspector Sun unfolds in the glamorous travel age of the 1930s, on a seaplane en route from Shanghai to San Francisco.
Inspector Sun is a co-production of The Thinklab Media and Gordon Box in association with 3Doubles Productions. The film was directed by Julio Soto Gúrpide (Deep) from a screenplay by Rocco Pucillo who won the 2013 Samuel Goldwyn Writing Award for this script. Viva’s Senior Vice President Laura Prieto negotiated the U.S. distribution deal with Peter Rogers of Kapers Animation.
Viva has set an October 27 theatrical date for Dragonkeeper. The Spain-China co-production features the voices of Bill Nighy (Love Actually), Bill Bailey (Hot Fuzz), Anthony Howell (Alien: Isolation) and newcomer Mayalinee Griffiths. Based on the first book in Carole Wilkinson’s series of fantasy novels, the film follows Ping, a young orphan who must venture across ancient China to help the last surviving dragons from extinction. Across her wild and dangerous journey Ping finds a way to unlock her power and discover that she is a true dragonkeeper.
Early visual development on the film comes from animation vet Sergio Pablos (Despicable Me, director of Klaus), while the film is directed by Salvador Simó (Buñuel in the Labyrinth of the Turtles). The film is set to be the biggest completed Spain-China co-production to date.
Closing out 2023, Viva is planning a day-and-date theatrical for R.L. Stine’s Zombie Town, to be timed with Huluween. A family-friendly, action-packed adventure based on Stine’s book of the same name, Zombie Town stars Dan Aykroyd (Ghostbusters, Driving Miss Daisy), TikTok superstar Madi Monroe (A Piece of Cake, Around the World in 80 Days), comedic legend Chevy Chase (Vacation, Caddyshack), with a cameo from the author himself. Blending teen romance, humor and mystery, Zombie Town is a love letter to fans of R.L. Stine and millennial cult classics such as Halloweentown and the Goosebumps series.
