My Big Fat Greek Wedding (franchise)
My Big Fat Greek Wedding is a franchise that consists of two films, My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002) and My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 (2016), and a TV series, My Big Fat Greek Life (2003).
| My Big Fat Greek Wedding | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Joel Zwick (1) Kirk Jones (2) |
| Produced by | Gary Goetzman (1-2) Tom Hanks (1-2) Rita Wilson (1-2) |
| Screenplay by | Nia Vardalos (1-2) |
| Starring | Nia Vardalos (1-2) John Corbett (1-2) Lainie Kazan (1-2) Michael Constantine (1-2) Andrea Martin (1-2) Joey Fatone (1-2) Ian Gomez (1-2) Elena Kampouris (2) |
| Music by | Alexander Janko (1) Chris Wilson (1) Christopher Lennertz (2) |
| Cinematography | Jeffrey Jur (1) Jim Denault (2) |
| Edited by | Mia Goldman (1) Markus Czyzewski (2) |
Release date | 1: April 19, 2002 2: March 25, 2016 3: TBA |
Running time | 189 minutes (2 films)[1][2] |
| Language | English |
| Budget | Total (2 films) $23 million[3][4] |
| Box office | Total (2 films) $457.1 million[3][5] |
The two films grossed $457.1 million worldwide[3][4] against a $23 million budget.[3][5] The first film received positive reviews from critics, while the second film received mostly negative reviews.
Films
My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002)
Everyone in the Portokalos family worries about Toula (Nia Vardalos). Still unmarried at 30 years old, she works at Dancing Zorba's, the Greek restaurant owned by her parents, Gus (Michael Constantine) and Maria (Lainie Kazan). After taking a job at her aunt's travel agency, she falls in love with Ian Miller (John Corbett), a teacher who is tall, handsome, and definitely not Greek. Toula isn't sure which will be more upsetting to her father, that Ian is a foreigner or that he's a vegetarian.
The film was a sleeper hit, and the film became the highest-grossing romantic comedy of all time.[6] The film grossed $241 million domestically for a worldwide total of $368 million, despite not reaching No. 1 at the box office, against a $5 million budget.[7] The film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay at the 75th Academy Awards.
My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 (2016)
Ten years after the first film, parenting and marriage is becoming tougher and tougher for Toula (Nia Vardalos) and her husband Ian (John Corbett). Not only has their relationship lost some of its spark, but they're also dealing with a rebellious teenage daughter who clashes with Greek traditions. On top of that, Toula must contend with aging parents and the endless need of cousins and friends. But when a shocking family secret comes to light, the entire Portokalos clan makes plans to come together for an even bigger wedding than before.
The film was less successful than the original, grossing $59 million domestically, with a $88 million worldwide gross, against an $18 million budget.
Future
Other media
My Big Fat Greek Life (2003)
The film series inspired the brief 2003 TV series My Big Fat Greek Life, with most of the major characters played by the same actors, with the exception of Steven Eckholdt replacing Corbett as the husband. Corbett had already signed on to the TV series Lucky. He was scheduled to appear as the best friend of his replacement's character, but the show was cancelled before he appeared. The show received poor reviews from critics noting the random character entrances and serious plot "adjustments" that did not match the film.
The seven episodes from the series are available on DVD from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, whose TV studio division produced the show.
Cast and characters
| Characters | Films | Television series | |
|---|---|---|---|
| My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002) | My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 (2016) | My Big Fat Greek Life (2003) | |
| Fortoula "Toula" Portokalos-Miller/Nia Miller | Nia Vardalos | ||
| Ian Miller/Thomas Miller | John Corbett | Steven Eckholdt | |
| Paris Miller | Arielle Sugarman | Elena Kampouris | |
| Maria Portokalos | Lainie Kazan | ||
| Nick Portokalos | Louis Mandylor | ||
| Costas "Gus" Portokalos | Michael Constantine | ||
| Theia Voula | Andrea Martin | ||
| Nikki Portokalos | Gia Carides | ||
| Uncle Taki | Gerry Mendicino | ||
| Cousin Angelo | Joey Fatone | ||
| Mana-Yiayia | Bess Meisler | ||
| Athena Portokalos | Stavroula Logothettis | ||
| Mike | Ian Gomez | ||
| Rodney Miller | Bruce Gray | ||
| Harriet Miller | Fiona Reid | ||
| Mrs. White | Jayne Eastwood | ||
| Panos Portakalos | Mark Margolis | ||
| George | John Stamos | ||
| Anna | Rita Wilson | ||
| Bennett | Alex Wolff | ||
| Marge | Kathryn Greenwood | ||
| Northwestern Rep | Rob Riggle | ||
| Wedding Planner | Ashleigh Rains | ||
| Patrick | Jeff White | ||
- Note: A gray cell indicates that the character did not appear in that medium.
Crew
| Crew/Detail | My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002) | My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 (2016) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Director | Joel Zwick | Kirk Jones | |
| Producer(s) | Gary Goetzman, Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson | ||
| Writer(s) | Nia Vardalos | ||
| Cinematographer(s) | Jeffrey Jur | Jim Denault | |
| Composer | Alexander Janko and Chris Wilson | Christopher Lennertz | |
| Running time | 95 minutes | 94 minutes | |
Reception
Box office performance
| Film | Release date | Box office gross | Box office ranking | Budget | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States opening weekend |
North America | Other territories |
Worldwide | All time North America |
All time worldwide | |||
| My Big Fat Greek Wedding[10] | April 19, 2002 | $3,002,241 | $241,438,208 | $127,305,836 | $368,744,044 | #132 | #333 | $5 million |
| My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2[11] | March 25, 2016 | $17,861,950 | $59,689,605 | $29,233,646 | $88,923,251 | #1,389 | N/A | $18 million |
| Total[12] | $301,127,813 | $156,539,482 | $457,667,295 | $23 million | ||||
Critical and public response
| Film | Rotten Tomatoes | Metacritic | CinemaScore |
|---|---|---|---|
| My Big Fat Greek Wedding | 76% (129 reviews) | 62 (29 reviews) | N/A |
| My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 | 28% (163 reviews) | 37 (32 reviews) | A-[13] |
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating 76% based on 129 reviews, with an average rating of 6.7/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Though it sometimes feels like a television sitcom, My Big Fat Greek Wedding is good-hearted, lovable, and delightfully eccentric, with a sharp script and lead performance from Nia Vardalos."[14] On Metacritic, which assigns a rating based on reviews, the film has an average score of 62 out of 100, based on 29 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[15]
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 28% based on 163 reviews, with an average rating of 4.6/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 is as sweet and harmless as the original, but its collection of sitcom gags and stereotypes never coalesces into anything resembling a story with a purpose."[16] Metacritic gave the film a weighted average score of 37 out of 100, based on 32 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".[17] Polled by CinemaScore, audiences gave the film an average grade of "A–" on an A+ to F scale.[13][18]
References
- "MY BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING (PG)". British Board of Film Classification. July 17, 2002. Retrieved July 9, 2018.
- "MY BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING 2 (12A)". British Board of Film Classification. March 2, 2016. Retrieved July 9, 2018.
- "My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved July 9, 2018.
- D'Alessandro, Anthony; Tartaglione, Nancy. "'Batman V. Superman' Targets Second-Best Pre-Summer Global Opening With $350M". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 9, 2018.
- "My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 (2016)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved July 9, 2018.
- "TV Review - My Big Fat Greek Life". Entertainment Weekly. 2003-04-07. Retrieved 2018-02-15.
- "Top Grossing Movies that never hit #1". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2018-02-15.
- https://www.facebook.com/AmazonVideo/videos/10154890293758362/
- Nia Vardalos Hints at My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3. YouTube. June 29, 2016.
- "My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved June 2, 2019.
- "My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 (2016)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved June 2, 2019.
- "My Big Fat Greek Wedding Movies at the Box Office". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved June 2, 2019.
- "CinemaScore". Archived from the original on December 20, 2018. Retrieved June 2, 2019.
- "My Big Fat Greek Wedding Movie Reviews, Pictures". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved January 24, 2019.
- "My Big Fat Greek Wedding reviews at Metacritic.com". Metacritic. CBS. Retrieved 2010-05-08.
- "My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 (2016)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved February 20, 2018.
- "My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved March 28, 2016.
- "'Batman V Superman' Looks To Punch Out 'Hunger Games' For Best Pre-Summer Debut With $157M-$170M". Deadline Hollywood.