Release Date and Studio Information
The film I Am Legend premiered in the United States on December 14, 2007, and was distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. The production was led by Akiva Goldsman and David Heyman, with the studio handling global theatrical and home-media distribution through major studio channels.
The movie was filmed primarily in New York City and at studio facilities, with principal photography concluding in 2006. Warner Bros. Pictures coordinated the marketing campaign and international release schedule, positioning the film as a leading blockbuster during the holiday season as documented in industry tracking sources.
Box Office Performance and Audience Reception
I Am Legend earned approximately $256 million in the United States and Canada and over $585 million worldwide, making it one of the highest-grossing films of its release year. The audience score on major review aggregators reflects strong mainstream appeal, with the film ranking among the top-performing releases for its studio that season according to aggregated critic and audience data.
The film's opening weekend set a record for Will Smith's career at the time, and it maintained a top position in the weekly box office charts for multiple consecutive weeks. Marketing focused on the post-apocalyptic premise and Smith's role as the sole survivor, driving high anticipation and repeat viewership based on ticket-sales estimates.
Production Background and Source Material
I Am Legend is adapted from the 1954 novel of the same name by Richard Matheson, with the screenplay rewritten multiple times during development. The production team updated the setting from the original book to modern New York City, using extensive practical sets and digital effects to depict a deserted urban landscape as detailed in the film's credits and production notes.
Key Creative Roles
Will Smith starred as Robert Neville, with the supporting cast including Alice Braga and Will Patton. The director of photography and visual effects supervisors collaborated to create the film's distinctive look, blending natural lighting with computer-generated imagery to portray the infected creatures and empty streets using techniques common in modern visual effects pipelines.