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55-471: The film production complex was opened in 1962 and was state owned until 2005 when it was bought by one of the longest-running independent film companies in Hollywood, Nu Image and Millennium Films . With an approximate area of 30 hectares (75 acres), the complex features 10 sound stages and various standing sets – New York, London, Middle Eastern street, St Paul's Cathedral and a big ancient set, complete with

110-565: A Roman colosseum . Boyana Film was the main location for film production during the communist regime when Bulgarian cinema was at its peak. Since 2020 the company established Nu Boyana Film Studios Hellenic SA, with production studios in Thermi , Greece. Most internationally popular films serviced at the studio: Nu Boyana Studios started a program to help refugees fleeing the Russian invasion of Ukraine . They sent vehicles to pick up refugees crossing

165-430: A brutal fistfight in a cave, but Gabe impales him on a stalactite . Hal alerts him that the gang has rigged explosives above the cave, and Gabe and Jessie narrowly escape. The mercenaries flag down Frank in his rescue helicopter, and Delmar fatally shoots him. When Travers attempts to betray the others, Qualen forces him to stay by killing Kristel, leaving Qualen as their only pilot. As the mercenaries split up to look for

220-430: A car accident in 1992. The doubles filled in for Stallone on most of the climbing scenes due to the actor's fear of heights; an injury to Stallone's hand, reported to have occurred on one of the cliffs, actually occurred on a soundstage. When asked about the director's cut, Stallone explained that "the director's cut was met with a lot of disapproval at the screening and received some alarmingly low scores. Mainly because

275-943: A deal was reached with The Recon Group , a Chinese investment firm, for them to purchase a majority stake in the Millennium Films subsidiary. The deal was signed and a $ 20 million downpayment was secured. However, this deal was later announced to be off in August 2017 due to the Chinese government clamping down on overseas business investments. The same year, Millennium Films was merged into Nu Image to form Millennium Media. In 2017, Millennium faced sexual harassment allegations alleging hostile workplace and rampant sexual harassment and gender disparity. In 2018, actor Terry Crews testified in front of Congress that he had been threatened by Avi Lerner of Millennium Media not to testify in his sexual assault case. Cliffhanger (film) Cliffhanger

330-484: A fake distress call from the mercenaries, while Jessie convinces Gabe to help. He and Hal are taken prisoner by Qualen, Travers, and their accomplices Kristel, Kynette, Delmar, Ryan, and Heldon. Using Travers' beacon locator , Hal and Gabe are ordered to track down the first case atop a steep rock face. Gabe is tethered and forced to climb and retrieve the case, but Hal warns that Qualen will kill him, and Gabe severs his rope before he can be yanked down. Heldon opens fire and

385-470: A flare and the two slide down a slope, Ryan careens over the edge a cliff to his death in a gorge. The next morning, Gabe and Jessie race to beat Qualen to the last case, while Hal tries to warn away two young climbers, Evan and Brett, before Qualen's men open fire. Brett is killed, but a wounded Evan base jumps off the mountain and parachutes to safety. Frank, scouting the mountain by helicopter in search of his friends, rescues Evan. Kynette confronts Gabe in

440-422: A hurricane", which Renny Harlin was going to direct, and in which Stallone would play an ex- Navy SEAL who has to fight against a group of modern pirates who attack a coastal town during a large, catastrophic hurricane. The first version of the script for the film was written by David Chappe in 1984, who then wrote six more drafts between 1987 and 1989, and after his final draft received some praise and following

495-567: A new company, Nu Image, to produce original, low budget films alongside his brother Danny Lerner and other Cannon employees Trevor Short, Danny Dimbort and Boaz Davidson . From 1992, Nu Image began producing multiple films a year, mainly in the action genre. Many of its films went direct-to-video , however some, such as Shark Attack debuted on television . Many stars, writers and directors from The Cannon Group, Inc. appeared in films for Nu Image, including David Bradley , Michael Dudikoff , Sam Firstenberg and Billy Drago . They also built

550-401: A new draft of the script written by Sascha Penn. Jason Momoa was in early negotiations to feature in a prominent cameo role; while Mortiz brought on Toby Jaffe, Thorsten Schumacher, and Lars Sylvest as additional producers. The story was described as a survival thriller action movie, with elements of espionage. An official production poster was released for the project's presence at Cannes, with

605-489: A new generation of action talent such as Bryan Genesse and Joe Lara . However, their efforts to break into the mainstream with mockbusters such as Freefall starring Eric Roberts , Jeff Fahey and Pamela Gidley , created to capitalise on the success of Sylvester Stallone 's Cliffhanger failed to make much of an impact. Freefall ended up going direct-to-video . After the successes of creature features such as Anaconda and Deep Blue Sea released in

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660-447: A presence at Cannes, where additional funding and distribution would be decided. In December of the same year, it was announced that Jean-François Richet had replaced Waugh as director; while additional film studios joined the project including FilmFernsehFonds Bayern , Black Magic Films, Supernix, Maze Pictures, and Occupant Entertainment. Philipp Kreuzer and Joe Neurauter will serve as additional producers, while principal photography

715-462: A role as producer. The plot will detail the continued adventures of climber-turned-rescue ranger Gabriel "Gabe" Walker alongside a supporting cast, and include the Italian Alps . Casting underway for additional ensemble lead and supporting roles. Waugh expressed excitement for the challenge of working with Stallone, stating: "Growing up with the biggest action films of the '80s and '90s, ... Cliffhanger

770-429: A tentative commencement for principal photography was set for 2020. Moritz stated that there are plans for more than one installment to be made. In May 2023, it was officially announced that the project will be redeveloped as a legacy-sequel. Ric Roman Waugh will serve as director (replacing Amirpour), from a new script written by Mark Bianculli. Stallone will reprise his role from the original, in addition to taking on

825-478: Is a 1993 American action thriller film directed and co-produced by Renny Harlin and co-written by and starring Sylvester Stallone alongside John Lithgow , Michael Rooker and Janine Turner . Based on a concept by climber John Long , the film follows Gabe (Stallone), a mountain climber who becomes embroiled in a heist of a U.S. Treasury plane flying through the Rocky Mountains . The film premiered at

880-529: Is an American independent film production and financing company that was founded by Avi Lerner , Trevor Short, Danny Dimbort and Danny Lerner in 1992, and is one of Hollywood's longest running independent film companies. Millennium creates, produces, finances, and sells films worldwide. The company produces action films , most of which are filmed primarily in South Africa and Bulgaria (by 2005, it acquired Nu Boyana Film Studios ), among other locations. In

935-474: Is killed by the ensuing avalanche, which leads Qualen to believe the case is lost and Gabe is dead. While Hal is forced to lead the mercenaries onward, Gabe races ahead and finds Jessie at an old ranger station. They recover mountaineering gear and reach the second case before Qualen arrives at nightfall, burning the money to stay warm and leaving him a taunting message, "Want to trade?" Using night-vision goggles, Ryan spots Gabe and Jessie, but Gabe blinds him with

990-424: Is to adapt the story in a similar manner comparable to J.J. Abrams ' work on Star Trek . By May 2014, Joe Gazzam was hired as screenwriter after pitching his approach to the story to Moritz who was impressed. By May 2015, Stallone expressed interest in developing a direct sequel to the original film. In May 2019, the project developed into a female-led adaptation. Ana Lily Amirpour was hired as director, with

1045-466: The 1993 Cannes Film Festival , and was released in the United States on May 28, 1993, by TriStar Pictures . It received mixed to positive reviews and earned $ 255 million worldwide, becoming the 7th highest-grossing film of 1993 . Mountain rescue rangers Gabe Walker, his girlfriend Jessie Deighan, and Frank attempt to rescue their fellow ranger, Hal Tucker, and his girlfriend, Sarah, stranded in

1100-535: The Colorado Rockies . Sarah's harness breaks loose and she falls to her death, and Hal blames a guilt-stricken Gabe, who leaves the ranger service. Eight months later, Gabe returns to collect his belongings and to persuade Jessie to leave with him. Meanwhile, psychopathic former military intelligence operative Eric Qualen orchestrates the robbery of over $ 100 million in three suitcases of uncirculated bills. Turncoat U.S. Treasury agent Richard Travers hijacks

1155-631: The McDonnell Douglas DC-9 carrying the money, shooting his team members and attempting to transfer the cases in midair to Qualen and his team of mercenaries aboard a Lockheed JetStar . One of the wounded agent shoots at the thieves before the DC-9 is blown up, forcing the JetStar to crash land in the Rockies and scattering the cases across the mountainside. Hal remains bitter over Sarah's death, and responds to

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1210-471: The Ukraine border to Moldova, and transported them to Bulgaria. Nu Boyana CEO Yariv Lerner said he put a call out that said, "To all those in need in the film industry, and if you're looking for work, we welcome you here." 42°38′25″N 23°17′30″E  /  42.64022°N 23.29162°E  / 42.64022; 23.29162 Nu Image Millennium Media (formerly Nu Image and Millennium Films )

1265-467: The bidding war between several studios for it in 1989, Carolco bought his final draft for $ 500,000, with a promise of an additional $ 200,000 if the movie were made. Harlin was paid $ 3 million for directing the film, but because his contract also gave him full control of the project, he demanded many re-writes of the script to, amongst other things, increase the number of action sequences and make them bigger. Between 1990 and 1991 while they were working on

1320-519: The crew; the movie went $ 40 million over budget. Stallone reportedly had to forego $ 2 million of his $ 15 million salary as a result. The large majority of the film's scenes were shot in the Dolomites in Cortina d'Ampezzo , Italy . For example, the bridge scene was shot on Monte Cristallo in the via ferrata VF Ivano Dibona , which was reconstructed immediately after the movie. The climbing

1375-419: The film 3 out of 4 stars. Although most people enjoyed Lithgow's performance, he was criticized for his inauthentic-sounding English accent, especially when next to native English actors Fairbrass and Goodall. Michael Benge of Climbing magazine was critical of the film's unrealistic portrayal of mountaineering, including the fictional gun which fires pitons directly into rock. A novelization based on

1430-506: The film by Jeff Rovin titled Cliffhanger , was released in 1993. A video game based on the film was released via numerous game consoles on November 17, 1993. In 1994, TriStar announced plans to develop a sequel titled Cliffhanger 2: The Dam , with Stallone reprising his starring role. The plot revolved around Gabe Walker combating terrorists who took control of the Hoover Dam . The project remained in development hell until 2008, when

1485-458: The film was cut by over a minute, then by a further 16 seconds on video and DVD to gain a '15' certificate. Chief victim was the scene in which Delmar beats up Tucker, but other cuts included aggressive strong language and other moments of violence. However, the 2008 DVD release was given a '15' with no cuts made. Cliffhanger was released on VHS for rental in the United States in December 1993. It

1540-477: The film which would have had a $ 90 million budget with Stallone and Kim Basinger playing the main roles; however, due to disagreements between them and Carolco and producer Joel Silver about the script changes and lack of artistic freedom, both Scott and Emmerich gave up on the project, which in the end was cancelled. The second Carolco project in which Stallone was involved was an action disaster thriller entitled Gale Force , described as " Die Hard in

1595-545: The film's budget was provided by TriStar Pictures in exchange for distribution rights in North America, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand, Germany, and France. Seed funding was provided by Carolco shareholders Rizzoli-Corriere della Sera , Le Studio Canal+ , and Pioneer Electric Corporation . The balance of the production costs were obtained through a production loan provided by a syndicate of banks led by Credit Lyonnais Bank Nederland (CLBN). The credit of US$ 46,553,000 was, at

1650-416: The film, cancelled that project two weeks before production was supposed to begin; but Harlin still kept his $ 3 million, and he and Stallone and everyone else involved in it then moved on to Cliffhanger , another Carolco project, which had a budget of $ 70 million, almost double that of Gale Force . Harlin wanted David Bowie for the role of Qualen, but scheduling problems prevented this, and

1705-479: The first films to be produced by Millennium Films was the remake The Wicker Man starring Nicolas Cage . The film was a critical and commercial failure. They continued on with a focus on sequels and remakes of notable properties such as Day of the Dead and Rambo . After the commercial success of Rambo , Millennium Films entered into a multi-year deal with Lionsgate to produce several big-budgeted films,

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1760-489: The first of which was Conan the Barbarian . The deal would be extended over the years with successful box-office hits ( The Mechanic ) and box office bombs ( The Legend of Hercules ). Another notable success was Olympus Has Fallen starring Gerard Butler . In November 2010, First Look filed for bankruptcy. Nu Image formed Millennium Entertainment, LLC to assume the assets of First Look. Millennium Entertainment

1815-411: The helicopter, which hangs over the cliff with Gabe and Qualen atop the wreckage. Gabe fights off Qualen and climbs to safety as the wreckage falls off the cliff, killing Qualen. The authorities arrive as Gabe reunites with Jessie and Hal. Carolco Pictures had originally signed Sylvester Stallone to appear opposite John Candy in a comedy about feuding neighbors titled Bartholomew Vs. Neff , which

1870-787: The heliport. Some filming took place in Durango, Colorado . The credits of the film also thank the Ute Tribe for filming in the Ute Mountain reservation . Cliffhanger is in the Guinness Book of World Records for the costliest aerial stunt ever performed. Stuntman Simon Crane was paid $ 1 million to perform the aerial transfer scene, where he crossed between two planes at an altitude of 15,000 feet (4,600 m). The principal climbing doubles were Ron Kauk and Wolfgang Güllich . Kauk performed as Stallone's climbing double after Güllich died in

1925-435: The ice with a climbing-bolt gun , and is rescued by Hal. Jessie signals to the rescue helicopter, believing it to be Frank, and is taken hostage by Qualen, who demands that Gabe and Hal surrender the money. Meeting high atop the cliffs, Qualen frees Jessie, but Gabe throws the bag of money into the helicopter's rotor blades, shredding the cash, and tethers the helicopter's winch cable to a cliffside ladder. Hal helps shoot down

1980-420: The last case, Hal stabs Delmar in his right leg with Frank's knife, then kills Delmar with his shotgun and escapes, while Gabe recovers the money from the last case. He plants the tracking beacon on a rabbit to frustrate an increasingly unhinged Travers, who rants at Qualen by walkie-talkie, allowing the authorities to track their position. Pursued by Travers, Gabe falls into a frozen river but kills Travers through

2035-470: The late 1990s, Nu Image produced a spate of low budget franchises to capitalise on the trend including; Tobe Hooper 's Crocodile , Shark Attack , Spiders , Killer Rats , Octopus and Raging Sharks and various sequels were produced from 1999 to 2005. While not critically successful, the films were extremely successful on television and home media. In 1999, Nu Image formed a subsidiary label, Millennium Films, for higher-budget productions. From

2090-701: The mid-1980s, The Cannon Group, Inc. began expanding its operation into Africa, taking advantage of cheap locations and labor in countries such as Zimbabwe and South Africa . Avi Lerner opened Nu Metro Entertainment, a film production company based in Johannesburg to accommodate production demands in the countries. During this time, Lerner executive produced many films, such as American Ninja 2: The Confrontation and River of Death for Cannon as well as Howling IV: The Original Nightmare for Harry Alan Towers . After pressure from anti-apartheid forces, Cannon closed its African operations in 1988, Lerner created

2145-585: The mid-2000s, the main Nu Image company gradually began producing fewer films, with Millennium Films releasing more with a greater level of financing than previously. In 2005, it purchased Nu Boyana Film Studios in Bulgaria. In March 2007, Nu Image acquired a controlling 52% stake in independent film and home video company First Look Studios . As a result, Nu Image and Millennium Films were given an additional outlet for home video and theatrical distribution. One of

2200-413: The movies it borrows from, Cliffhanger is a tense, action-packed thriller and a showcase for the talents that made Sylvester Stallone a star." On Metacritic , the film has a score of 60 out of 100 based on reviews from 16 critics. Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B" on an A+ to F scale. The film was screened out of competition at the 1993 Cannes Film Festival . It

2255-434: The project was revived with Stallone's involvement, before once again being shelved. By May 2009, it was announced that reimagining was in development. Produced by Neal H. Moritz the project would be a joint-production between Original Film and StudioCanal . The story would focus around a group of young climbers, and was tentatively scheduled to begin principal photography the following year. Moritz stated that his intent

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2310-438: The project, Carolco spent over $ 4 million on all the different screenwriters and versions of the script. One of the screenwriters who worked on it, Joe Eszterhas , was paid $ 500,000 to write his version. He re-wrote it as an erotic thriller, similar to his previous screenplays, so it was rejected. Carolco, believing the intended $ 40 million budget would be too big, and unable to figure out how to make special effects for

2365-464: The role eventually went to John Lithgow. Reviewers have suggested that the 1956 dramatic film The Mountain provided some of the inspiration for Cliffhanger , which has multiple similarities. Before production began, Stallone rewrote Michael France 's script: his work changed the film significantly enough that Carolco petitioned the Writers Guild of America for him to get credit . Half of

2420-430: The stunts were absurdly overblown. For example, the average man can jump maybe twelve feet across a gorge, and the stunts had me leaping maybe three hundred feet or more, so situations like that had to be pared down and still then were fairly extreme...so you're probably better off with this cut. By the way, the second unit crew that filmed the majority of the action was extraordinary." The orchestral score to Cliffhanger

2475-437: The time, one of the largest project loan facilities ever to be made for the production of an independent film, and was fully repaid from the movie’s distribution proceeds. The financing arrangement was the result of Carolco's serious debt issues, and as a result, Carolco would ultimately receive very little of the box office gross. During principal photography , production was shut down twice when Carolco could not afford to pay

2530-631: Was a box office hit grossing $ 255 million worldwide. The film grossed $ 84 million in the United States and Canada, $ 14 million in the United Kingdom and $ 13 million in Germany. It spent 11 consecutive weeks at the top of the Japanese box office . On Rotten Tomatoes , Cliffhanger has an approval rating of 68% based on 55 reviews, with an average rating of 6.2/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "While it can't escape comparisons to

2585-557: Was by far one of my favorite spectacles. To be at the helm of the next chapter, ...with the legend himself...is a dream come true. It's going to be a great challenge and blast taking this franchise to new heights, a responsibility I don't take lightly." Moritz, Jaffe, Schumacher, Sylvest, and Braden Aftergood will serve as additional producers. The project will be a joint-venture production between Original Film, Balboa Productions , StudioCanal, Rocket Science Films, Wright Productions & Entertainment, and Front Row Entertainment. The movie had

2640-646: Was composed by film score veteran Trevor Jones with the National Philharmonic Orchestra . In his review for the Cliffhanger soundtrack, Filmtracks.com reviewer Christian Clemmensen mentioned its similarities to Jones' previous work on The Last of the Mohicans , stating: "with Cliffhanger would come a title theme strikingly similar to that of Last of the Mohicans , possibly too reminiscent in fact for some listeners to tolerate." However, his review

2695-509: Was going to be written and directed by John Hughes . When that project was dropped, Stallone became involved in two other Carolco projects. The first one was the futuristic science-fiction horror film Isobar , which was about a genetically-created monster who breaks free on a high-speed runaway train: between 1987, when Carolco first bought the original script by Jim Uhls for $ 400,000, and 1991, directors Ridley Scott and Roland Emmerich were each at different points in time attached to direct

2750-629: Was mostly on the Tofane cliffs, and in some scenes toward the end of the movie the audience clearly sees the three Tofane , the Croda da Lago, and the town of Cortina ; the location of this is on top of Mount Faloria , at the arrival of the funivia Faloria. In other scenes are the sentiero ferrato Astaldi, over the Rifugio Dibona. The small house has been constructed on the sand of the river Boite, in Fiames, close to

2805-415: Was nominated for three Academy Awards : Best Sound ( Michael Minkler , Bob Beemer , and Tim Cooney ), Best Sound Effects Editing ( Gregg Baxter ), and Best Visual Effects , all losing to Jurassic Park . It was nominated for Worst Picture, Worst Supporting Actor (John Lithgow), Worst Supporting Actress (Janine Turner), and Worst Screenplay at the 14th Golden Raspberry Awards . Roger Ebert gave

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2860-636: Was re-released on Blu-ray in Australia and United Kingdom only from 2018 to 2019 for the film's 25th anniversary under the Classics Remastered and Brand New Restoration. The film was re-released with Last Action Hero on Blu-ray 2-Movie Collection on November 2, 2021. Cliffhanger grossed $ 20.5 million during its opening weekend, ranking in first place at the box office ahead of Sliver , Super Mario Bros. , Made in America and Dave . The film

2915-561: Was released on DVD on November 26, 1997 and re-released for the Collector's Edition on June 13, 2000 by Columbia TriStar Home Video . The film on Blu-ray was released first in United Kingdom on August 4, 2008, Australia and Mexico in 2009 by Optimum Home Entertainment and Universal Studios Home Entertainment under the StudioCanal banner, and in the United States on January 12, 2010, and on 4K UltraHD Blu-ray on 15 January 2019. The film

2970-467: Was sold in August 2014. The company's library and distribution assets had been sold to a consortium consisting of its current management and Virgo Investment Group. The new owners renamed the company Alchemy in January 2015, finally cutting ties to its former sister company Millennium Films, which remained under the control of Avi Lerner . Alchemy filed for Chapter 7 Bankruptcy on June 30, 2016. In 2017,

3025-561: Was still positive, giving the Cliffhanger score four out of a possible five stars, concluding, "No matter your view of whether or not composers should recycle their own material, Jones' main identity for Cliffhanger stands on its own as a remarkable piece, and an often enjoyable action underscore will maintain your interest in between the theme's statements." The soundtrack has been released twice; through Scotti Bros./ BMG Music on 23 May 1993 and an extended version through Intrada Records on 21 February 2011. For its British cinema release,

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