Paul (2011)

Paul is a 2011 British science fiction comedy road film directed by Greg Mottola and written by Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, who star alongside Jason Bateman, Kristen Wiig, Bill Hader, Blythe Danner, John Carroll Lynch, Sigourney Weaver, and Seth Rogen as the voice and motion capture of the title character. The film follows two science fiction geeks who come across an alien. Together, they help the alien escape from the Secret Service agents who are pursuing him so that he can return to his home planet.

The film is a parody of other science-fiction films, especially those of Steven Spielberg, as well as of science fiction fandom in general. The idea was conceived by Pegg and Frost in 2003, during production on Shaun of the Dead. Principal photography primarily took place in the New Mexico Desert and the Albuquerque Convention Center, and wrapped in September 2009. Double Negative provided the animation for Paul.

Paul had its world premiere at the Empire Leicester Square in London on 7 February 2011, and was theatrically released in the United Kingdom on 14 February, by Universal Pictures. It received mixed reviews from critics and was a box-office success, grossing $98 million worldwide on a $40 million budget.