Bionicle: Mask of Light

Bionicle: Mask of Light is a 2003 animated science fiction fantasy film based on the Bionicle toy series created by Lego. Set in a universe filled with bio-mechanical beings allied with classical element-themed tribes, the story follows two friends from the fire-based village of Ta-Koro on a quest to find the owner of the Mask of Light, a mystical artifact that can potentially defeat Makuta, an evil entity threatening the island. The story is based on the latter half of the toyline's 2003 narrative.

The project was first proposed in 2001, during the original run of the Bionicle toyline. Lego contacted multiple writers for the project, including original Bionicle contributors Bob Thompson and Alastair Swinnerton, and Hollywood writers Henry Gilroy and Greg Weisman. Production began in 2002, taking approximately a year to complete. A major part of the graphical design was adjusting the characters so they could work in human-like ways while still resembling the original toys. The music was composed by Nathan Furst, who used orchestral and tribal elements to create the score. Voice casting was handled by Kris Zimmerman, and the voicework was done with the setting and mythos of Bionicle in mind. Multiple studios were involved in the development and distribution of Mask of Light: it was co-produced by Lego and Create TV & Film, developed by Creative Capers Entertainment and CGCG, and post-production was handled 310 Studios and Hacienda Post. It was released on September 16, 2003, in theaters. Miramax Home Entertainment and Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment, under legal entity Buena Vista Home Entertainment, handled home media distribution.

Upon release, the film garnered mixed reviews from critics, who praised the animation and action but also criticzed the production budget as too low for a theatrical film. Despite this, the film was a box office success, grossing $101 million on a budget of merely $4 million, making it successful enough to be followed by two prequel films, Bionicle 2: Legends of Metru Nui in 2004 and Bionicle 3: Web of Shadows in 2005, and a stand-alone sequel, Bionicle: The Legend Reborn, in 2009.

Box office
In the United States and Canada, the film was released alongside Underworld, Secondhand Lions, The Fighting Temptations, Cold Creek Manor, and Anything Else, and was projected to gross $5-10 million from 1,800 theaters. Analysts blamed the low projections on the amount of new releases that weekend. However, after grossing $7 million on its first day, including $600,000 from Thursday night previews, projections were raised to $10-15 million. The film ended up debuting to $17 million, finishing second at the box office behind Underworld. In its second weekend, the film grossed $12 million, staying at second, and in its third weekend, the film grossed $6 million, finishing fifth.

Critical reception
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 58% based on 104 reviews, with an average rating of 6/10. The site's consensus reads, "Despite having visually pleasing action scenes, Bionicle feels more like a big toy ad than an actual film." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 61 out of 100, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film a grade of "B+" on a scale of A+ to F.