Now You See Me 2
Now You See Me 2 is a 2016 American heist thriller film directed by Jon M. Chu from a screenplay by Ed Solomon and a story by Solomon and Peter Chiarelli. It serves as a sequel to 2013's Now You See Me and the second installment in the Now You See Me series. The film stars an ensemble cast that includes Jesse Eisenberg, Mark Ruffalo, Woody Harrelson, Dave Franco, Daniel Radcliffe, Lizzy Caplan, Jay Chou, Sanaa Lathan, Michael Caine, and Morgan Freeman. The plot has the Four Horsemen and their leader Dylan Rhodes recruited by Walter Mabry, a criminal mastermind, to steal a data chip.
On July 3, 2013, the film was officially announced to be in development. Filming began in November 2014 and lasted until May 2015. The film was released on June 10, 2016, by Lionsgate. It received mixed reviews from critics but was a box office success, grossing $334 million worldwide.
Plot
Eighteen months after outwitting the FBI, the fugitive Four Horsemen – J. Daniel Atlas, Merritt McKinney, Jack Wilder, and new member Lula May – await orders from the Eye, the secret society of magicians. The Horsemen’s handler, FBI Special Agent Dylan Rhodes, delivers their instructions: the Horsemen are to expose corrupt tech CEO Owen Case, whose latest cell phone will secretly collect users’ personal data to sell on the black market. In New York City, the Horsemen hijack the phone’s launch, but are interrupted by a mysterious figure who reveals to the public that Jack faked his death, and that Dylan is working with the Horsemen. Dylan eludes the FBI as the Horsemen escape down a construction chute only to find themselves in Macau.They are captured by Chase, Merritt’s twin brother, and brought to Walter Mabry, Owen’s former business partner. Having exposed the Horsemen in New York, Walter reveals how they were lulled unconscious and flown to Macau. He explains that Owen took his company from him, as well as a chip designed by Walter to access any computer system in the world. Despite the protests of the other Horsemen, Daniel agrees to steal the chip for Walter before Owen can sell it. They acquire supplies from a magic store owned by Li and Bu Bu, and arrange to deliver the chip to the Eye, knowing they cannot trust Walter. Posing as potential buyers, they infiltrate the Macau Science Center, using cardistry and sleight of hand to sneak the chip past its supervisor, Allen Scott-Frank.
Dylan is contacted by Thaddeus Bradley, the magic debunker he framed for the Horsemen’s crimes. Thaddeus offers his help in finding the Horsemen, and Dylan extradites him from prison. They go to Macau, and Dylan finds Daniel waiting to give the chip to the Eye. Walter arrives, having manipulated Daniel into believing he was in contact with the Eye, and Dylan fights Walter’s men as Daniel escapes with the chip. Captured, Dylan discovers Walter is the son of Arthur Tressler, whose fortune Dylan and the Horsemen stole. Walter and Arthur lock Dylan in a safe and drop him underwater, mirroring the death of Dylan’s father. Arthur pays Thaddeus for bringing him Dylan, and Thaddeus promises to deliver the Horsemen as well. Dylan escapes from the safe and is rescued by the Horsemen. Realizing the chip they have is a fake, they resolve to stop Walter from acquiring the real chip, and are joined by Li and Bu Bu.
The Horsemen announce a new performance in London, with an implicit threat to expose Walter, who flies to London with Arthur and Chase in a private jet. On New Year’s Eve, the Horsemen perform across the city, but they and Dylan are captured by Walter’s men and brought to the jet. Once in the air, they are forced to hand over the fake chip, which Walter confirms is real. Dylan and the Horsemen are thrown out of the plane, which is revealed to be a set floating on the Thames. They explain how they had misled the three into thinking they had won and reveal Jack had hypnotized Chase into throwing them out of the plane as planned. Walter, Arthur, and Chase’s misdeeds are broadcast to the crowd and around the world, and they are taken into FBI custody as Dylan and the Horsemen escape before the FBI can apprehend them. They arrive at the Greenwich Observatory, where they meet other members of the Eye, including Li, Bu Bu, and Allen. Their leader is revealed to be Thaddeus, who explains to Dylan that he was actually his father’s partner in magic and was pretending to be his rival this whole time. He appoints Dylan the new leader, and the Horsemen are shown a secret entrance to see more of the Eye.
Cast
- Jesse Eisenberg as J. Daniel Atlas. He is a member of the Four Horsemen.
- Mark Ruffalo as Dylan Rhodes, a former FBI agent and the leader of the Four Horsemen and the son of the late illusionist Lionel Shrike.
- Woody Harrelson as Merritt McKinney/Chase McKinney. Member of the Four Horsemen. Twin brothers who specialize in hypnosis.
- Dave Franco as Jack Wilder, a magician specializing in card tricks. He is a member of the Four Horsemen.
- Daniel Radcliffe as Walter Mabry, Arthur Tressler's illegitimate son, a young technology tycoon.
- Lizzy Caplan as Lula May, a new member of the Four Horsemen, replacing Henley.
- Morgan Freeman as Thaddeus Bradley, a magic debunker, exposing the tricks of other magicians and the grandmaster of the Eye and a friend of Lionel Shrike.
- Jay Chou as Li, a Macanese magic shop owner.
- Sanaa Lathan as FBI Deputy Director Natalie Austin, who tracks down Rhodes for helping the Horsemen.
- Michael Caine as Arthur Tressler, the Four Horsemen's former sponsor, who wants revenge for losing his money and power.
- Henry Lloyd-Hughes as Allen Scott-Frank, head of the Macau Science Center and member of the Eye.
- Ben Lamb as Owen Case, Walter's former business partner.
- David Warshofsky as FBI Agent Cowan.
- Tsai Chin as Bu Bu, Li's grandmother, who owns a magic shop in Macau.
- Richard Laing as Lionel Shrike, a magician who drowned while performing an escape trick thirty years ago.
Production
Filming
On November 25, 2014, Mark Ruffalo posted to his Facebook that filming had begun on the sequel, as the film was shooting in London, England. On March 11, 2015, shooting began in China, where filming took place in Macau and the Macau Science Center, and ended on May 12, 2015 in New York City.Theme song
"Now You See Me" By Jay ChouSoundtrack
The film's music was written and composed by Brian Tyler. The soundtrack was released on June 10, 2016 by Varèse Sarabande.Release
In November 2014, the film was officially titled Now You See Me 2, and was set to be released on June 10, 2016. In March 2016, the film's international release date was announced as July 4, 2016.Now You See Me 2 was released on Digital HD on August 19, with a subsequent Blu-ray Combo Pack and DVD released on September 6.
Reception
Box office
Now You See Me 2 grossed $65.1 million in the United States and Canada and $269.8 million in other territories for a worldwide total of $334.9 million, against a budget of $90 million.In the United States and Canada, Now You See Me 2 opened on June 10, 2016, alongside Warcraft and The Conjuring 2, and was projected to gross $23–26 million from 3,232 theaters in its opening weekend. The film grossed $1.8 million from its Thursday night previews, besting the $1.5 million made by its predecessor, and $8.4 million on its first day. It went on to gross $22.3 million in its opening weekend, finishing third at the box office behind The Conjuring 2 and Warcraft.
In China, the film was released on June 24, 2016 and had an opening day of $14.8 million, a record for Lionsgate and up 67.9% from the original's first day. In its opening weekend the film grossed $44.4 million, also a record for Lionsgate. China was the largest territory for the film, with a total gross of $97.1 million.
Critical response
Now You See Me 2 received mixed reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 34% based on 191 reviews, with an average rating of 4.85/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Now You See Me 2 packs in even more twists and turns than its predecessor, but in the end, it has even less hiding up its sleeve." On Metacritic, the film has a score of 46 out of 100, based on 33 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A–" on an A+ to F scale, the same score earned by its predecessor.Although critics and fans were disappointed that Isla Fisher was not returning as Henley Reeves, many praised Lizzy Caplan's addition to the cast. Caplan was described as "one of the sequel's biggest improvements" by Entertainment Weekly, while Dave White of TheWrap wrote that she "provides a fresh infusion of smart-ass energy into the boy's club." Australian film magazine Filmink also noted that Caplan "over-shadows her skilled co-stars with her sassy and commanding screen presence." Owen Gleiberman of Variety wrote that "all bearded creepy grins, makes Walter a megalomaniac imp, like the world's youngest Bond villain." Randy Cordova of The Arizona Republic, who preferred the film to the original, said of the villain character that "In hands, he is a spoiled and petulant baddie, alternately creepy and hilarious."
Ignatiy Vishnevetsky of The A.V. Club wrote that the sequel "up the ludicrous quotient" from the original, "double-timing the convoluted plotting and embracing implausibility as an aesthetic...f Chu doesn't seem comfortable with the swooping, lens-flare-speckled flashiness that director Louis Leterrier brought to the first film, he seems even less interested than his predecessor in creating the impression of a recognizably real world — which is a good thing, at least for a movie about a superstar heist crew called the Horsemen that involves twins, multiple secret identities, and a global corporate surveillance plot that can only be foiled through the use of stage magic."
Michael Phillips of the Chicago Tribune gave the film a mixed review but considered it "more fun" than its predecessor.
Accolades
| Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipient | Result | |
| Teen Choice Awards | July 31, 2016 | Choice Summer Movie | |||
| Teen Choice Awards | July 31, 2016 | Choice Summer Movie Star: Male | Dave Franco | ||
| Teen Choice Awards | July 31, 2016 | Choice Summer Movie Star: Female | Lizzy Caplan |