As part of an unprecedented worldwide simultaneous release, the film debuted at precisely the same instant in every major city on 5 November: 06:00 in Los Angeles, 09:00 in New York City, 14:00 in London, 17:00 in Moscow, 23:00 in Tokyo, 01:00 on 6 November in Sydney, and at equivalent local times across more than fifty other countries.
Many of the "raindrops" in Neo and Smith's final confrontation are actually single strands of Matrix code, similar to the code shown on displays in the "real world" throughout the trilogy. This subtle visual effect was added to suggest the Matrix was beginning to destabilise. It is most apparent in IMAX and other large cinemas, but on smaller television screens it appears as banded rain that seems to "jump", much like TV static during close-ups of the fight sequences.
In the film's closing scene, the bench on which the Oracle sits bears a small metal dedication plate that reads "in Memory of Thomas Anderson".
Ian Bliss was chosen to play Bane partly because his impersonation of Hugo Weaving (Agent Smith) was uncannily accurate, and because he bore some physical resemblance to Weaving.
The station situated between the Machine World and the Matrix is named Mobil Ave. 'Mobil' is an anagram of 'Limbo', the customary waystation between Heaven and Earth in Catholic tradition. This bit of wordplay carries an extra layer of meaning because Keanu Reeves has dyslexia.
In the club scene, the Merovingian sports his tie tied in a style that is actually known as the Merovingian tie-knot.
Gloria Foster (the Oracle) died of diabetes before she was able to complete any scenes for the third picture, as well as for the game Enter the Matrix (2003). Mary Alice assumed the role of the Oracle for both the third film and the tie‑in game. The Wachowskis chose to make clear that, within The Matrix universe, programmes that reside inside the Matrix can alter themselves and select their forms and appearances. In Enter the Matrix, the Oracle’s altered appearance is addressed when she explains to Niobe and Ghost that the Merovingian punished her for directing Neo to him. That punishment cost the Merovingian the Keymaker and several loyal henchmen; in revenge he stole her previous residual self‑image, forcing her to adopt an older one which also curtailed some of her abilities, such as her memory. In Revolutions, the opening exchange when Morpheus and Trinity meet the “new” Oracle was revised to acknowledge her changed look — the alternative would have been for them to pretend not to notice, which might have been even more awkward. Interestingly, for the Spanish premiere Foster’s dub voice, Juana Beuter, was retained for Mary Alice, giving the Oracle (at least in Spain) two different bodies but the same voice.
The film's final park-set sequence is the only instance throughout the entire trilogy in which greenery and a blue sky are visible inside the Matrix.
The corner where Neo and Smith clash in the crater is the very same spot Neo used to make his phone call at the close of The Matrix (1999) — the junction of Pitt, Hunter and O'Connell Streets in Sydney, Australia. When they strike the ground, the phone box can be seen to the right.
Keanu Reeves reportedly received $15 million for the film, amounting to $400,000 for every minute of his screen time.
The black cat at the end of the film is the same one seen in the "déjà-vu" sequence from The Matrix (1999); it even mews in exactly the same way.
During the final showdown between Neo and Agent Smith in The Matrix Revolutions (2003), and again over the end credits, the film presents the following Sanskrit sloka intoned in a westernised style: "Asatoma Sat Gamaya, Tamasoma Jyotir Gamaya, Mrityorma Anritam Gamaya", which translates as "Lead me from the unreal to the Real, Lead me from the darkness to the Light, Lead me from the temporary to the Eternal".
The late Gloria Foster and her successor Mary Alice had previously portrayed sisters in a long-running Broadway production — a detail casting director Mali Finn recalled while searching for someone to succeed Foster.
During the sequence in which Morpheus, Trinity and Seraph pursue the Trainman, an advert for Tastee Wheat briefly appears. Tastee Wheat was previously mentioned in The Matrix (1999) when Mouse attempted to describe the food in the real world.
Although its name is never stated explicitly, material from The Animatrix (2003) reveals that the Machine City is in fact called 'Zero-One' and is situated in the Empty Quarter of Saudi Arabia.
The ship referred to as the Hammer was in fact called Mjolnir, named after Thor's hammer. In Norse legend the hammer unfailingly returned to its master, summoning lightning and thunder as it travelled. In the same way, the vessel returned to its master (Zion), accompanied by its own bolts of lightning and peals of thunder.
The key of the opening theme heard at the start of each Matrix film (stirring strings and fanfare-like horn blasts) rises with every instalment. The Matrix (1999) opens in E minor, The Matrix Reloaded (2003) moves up by a whole tone to F-sharp minor, and The Matrix Revolutions (2003) rises a semitone to G minor.
Only one full-scale APU was ever built. It was entirely modelled in AutoCAD, with components made detachable so the detailing could be altered for scenes featuring different pilots and APUs. The complete model weighed about two tonnes.
Mary Alice portrayed the mother of Laurence Fishburne in his professional stage debut, aged ten.
In The Matrix, the human resistance acknowledge they do not know the exact year, only that it is nearer to 2199 than to 1999. The Matrix Reloaded discloses that the resistance has been created and destroyed on five occasions, each cycle lasting roughly a century, so the timeline is likely set several hundred years after 1999.
The 'product placement' billboards in the subway chase were added in post-production — during filming those poster spaces displayed tatty adverts for a film titled 'Burly Man Chronicles', featuring Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne and Hugo Weaving. It was the name of a video that documented the making of the second and third Matrix films.
The Matrix Reloaded (2003), Enter the Matrix (2003) and this instalment were filmed consecutively — back-to-back-to-back.
In The Matrix (1999), when Morpheus tells Neo the tale of The One, he explains the Oracle foretold The One's return and that his arrival would herald the destruction of the Matrix and an end to the war between humans and machines. By the film's end the war is indeed over, yet the Matrix is not destroyed: an assimilated Neo defeats Agent Smith once and for all; instead the Matrix is reset and the truth about it is revealed to the human population, who are then given the opportunity to be freed. Earlier in The Matrix (1999), Morpheus had already said the Oracle tells you 'exactly what you need[ed] to hear' and that 'there's a difference between knowing the path and walking the path'. In an earlier scene he also states that 'most of these people [inside the Matrix] are not ready to be unplugged'. Morpheus's lines in the first film therefore foreshadow the ending of The Matrix Revolutions.
The special effects team devoted two months to engineering a device that would form the perfect raindrop.
Maggie and Captain Rowland both briefly mention the term "VDTs" as a possible explanation for what happened to Bane and why he has self-inflicted cuts (not realising that Bane is possessed by Agent Smith). However, "VDTs" are never defined or explained at any point in the film. Some sources claim that "VDTs" stands for "Virtual Delirium Tremens", the virtual form of "Delirium Tremens", a delirious state caused by the absence or withdrawal of certain substances.
The name of the climactic battle cue, "Neodämmerung", is taken from the German word Götterdämmerung, literally "twilight of the gods". It was the title of a section of Richard Wagner's opera Der Ring des Nibelungen ("The Ring of the Nibelung"), drawn from Norse mythology. Götterdämmerung recounts the tale of Ragnarok or Ragnarokkr ("twilight of the gods" or "fate of the gods"), the final, cataclysmic engagement that destroyed the gods' dwelling — and the gods themselves — for ever. Even though they knew their fate, the gods fought to secure humanity's survival. The name is apt not only thematically but also because Wagner's influence is strongly felt in the film's music.
Photographs of Lilly Wachowski's infant nephew were used as the reference when modelling the face of the "Deus ex Machina".
Seraph is the singular form of Seraphim, a Hebrew term that literally translates into English as "the burning ones". However, in Hebrew the word is also used as an alternate name for "Angels".
Neo's name is an anagram of 'One'.
Composer Don Davis felt it would be a waste for the choir merely to vocalise simple "ooohs" and "aaahs" during the climactic battle piece, "Neodämmerung". In one interview he even quipped that he would have had them sing "This is the one, see what he does". He asked the Wachowskis to provide him with a text, suitable for the film, for the choir to perform. They returned with excerpts from the Upanishads, which echo the themes of the trilogy. The full lyrics of "Neodämmerung" are available on Davis's website.
As Morpheus, Trinity and Seraph board the lift serving the Merovingian's club, Morpheus presses the red "HELP" button to go down. However, the "P" had been defaced, so the button shows only "HEL."
The narrative is picked up in The Matrix Online (2005).
A flying rig referred to as "the tuning fork" (capable of rotating a full 360 degrees) was specially built to produce the effect of Neo and Smith fighting in mid-air as they ascended skywards.
Although this film officially brought the Matrix film trilogy to a close, a follow-up in the form of The Matrix Resurrections (2021) was announced 16 years later and released in 2021. Director Lana Wachowski said she drew on 'ideas that Lilly and I explored twenty years earlier about our reality, which have become even more relevant now'.
Sati is an ancient Hindu custom in which a widow immolates herself on her husband's funeral pyre. The practice is now unlawful in India. In Hindu mythology, Sati is also the name of a goddess who set herself alight because she could not bear the humiliation heaped upon her husband, Lord Shiva.
The name Zion, derived from Hebrew, refers to the citadel in Palestine that formed the core of Jerusalem and came to symbolise the Jewish homeland, representing Judaism and Jewish national aspirations. The term was also adopted by the Rastafari movement to denote their promised land, commonly identified as Ethiopia. Considering the atmosphere, musical influences, robes and other features of Zion's subterranean community, the latter meaning may well have inspired the name.
To make the film visually distinct from its predecessor, the bulk of the action is set in the real world; by contrast, in The Matrix Reloaded (2003) most of the action took place within the Matrix.
As Neo visits the Oracle in her flat, the jazz standard "I'm Beginning to See the Light" plays in the background; an alternate rendition of the same song is also used in the corresponding scene in The Matrix (1999).
The film's total takings fell by 66 per cent in its second week of release.
In the score for the first instalment, several cues were given titles that are anagrams of "The Matrix" or "Wachowski Brothers". In this film, the piece accompanying Neo and Trinity as they approach the Machine City is titled "Saw Bitch Workhorse".
Before any of her scenes could be filmed, Gloria Foster died of diabetes, and the Wachowskis had to recast the role of the Oracle with Mary Alice. The Wachowskis made it canonical that, within The Matrix universe, programmes inhabiting the Matrix are able to change and choose their forms and appearances. In the Oracle's case, Enter the Matrix (2003) explains that the Merovingian took her then-current residual self-image as punishment for aiding Neo, forcing her to revert to an older avatar with limited capabilities.
The Hammer's entire crew are named after firearms. 'AK' refers to the Kalashnikov family of automatic rifles. 'Colt' and 'Mauser' are the names of firearm manufacturers. 'Maggie' is a shortened form of 'Magnum'.
Eva Mendes, Samantha Mumba, Brandy Norwood, and Tatyana Ali were all rumoured to be potential replacements for the character Zee after the original choice, Aaliyah, was killed in a plane crash on 25 August 2001. Nona Gaye (the daughter of the late Motown legend Marvin Gaye) was ultimately cast in the role.
The film contains 804 visual-effects shots, with nearly all of them incorporating some form of live-action element.
All three films in The Matrix trilogy feature at least one nightclub-style scene. In this film it takes place inside the Merovingian's residence following the shoot-out.
The 2003 Super Bowl trailer, the only one that bundled both back-to-back sequels, 'Reloaded' and 'Revolutions', is claimed by some fans to show every man and woman plugged into the Matrix waking up and emerging from their pods. However, neither copies of that trailer downloaded in 2003 nor the versions included on modern home-video releases display any such footage. Subsequent trailers each promoted one film or the other and, similarly, did not depict people awakening from the Matrix. Including such a scene would have been nonsensical, since the events allegedly portrayed do not occur in either film.
The Oracle smokes cigarettes of the brand 'Double Destiny'.
In the summer of 2020, appearing on the Team Deakins podcast, the cinematographer for The Matrix trilogy characterised working on the sequels as a negative experience, saying, "All the things that were positive about the first film were absent in the last two. We were no longer free. People were watching you. There was a great deal of pressure. Deep down, I didn’t like them. I felt we should have gone in a different direction. There was plenty of friction and a number of personal issues, and, to be honest, that came through on screen. It was not my most elevated moment, nor anyone else’s. The Wachowskis had read that bloody book by Stanley Kubrick that said, 'Actors don't give natural performances until you wear them out.' So let’s go for take 90! I want to dig Stanley Kubrick up and kill him."
It was the second live-action feature to receive a simultaneous release in both standard cinemas and IMAX theatres.
During their meeting with the Merovingian in the club, Morpheus, Trinity and Seraph are told by him: "You have fought through Hel to do so. Yes?" 'Hel' is the label of the button Morpheus pressed in the lift to reach the club's level.
Sati (Sathi) translates as 'friend' in Nepali, the most widely spoken language in the country of Nepal.
The term "Merovingian" denotes the first Frankish dynasty, which ruled from around AD 500 until 751.
While Trinity pursues the Trainman in the underground, a Powerade advert can be seen. When The Matrix Reloaded (2003) opened in cinemas, Powerade ran Matrix-themed adverts on US television.
Most of the extras at Club Hel were actual members of the local BDSM scene wearing their own gear. The wardrobe department realised that these people, rather than generic background performers, had a better understanding of the practical challenges involved in wearing such attire, and the production would not otherwise have been able to afford so many high-quality BDSM outfits. A number of accessories were supplied by the wardrobe department to help create a coherent aesthetic.
The lighting in the fight between Neo and Smith suggests devilish wings sprouting from Smith. With the film implying that Neo stands for Jesus Christ, this casts the clash as a contest between Christ and the Devil over the fate of the world.
Agent Smith calls Neo "Neo" only once across the trilogy. It takes place at the end of the burly brawl, the trilogy's final, epic confrontation. There are a few possible explanations. One is that he is echoing what the Oracle told Neo, since Smith has become the Oracle and now possesses the 'Oracle's eye'. Another is that Smith is showing respect and uses the name Neo prefers.
The first film to have its premiere at the newly opened Walt Disney Concert Hall in central Los Angeles.
Adam Savage constructed an intricate, moving clockwork assembly inside the model of the Zion Dock control tower to demonstrate what powered the lift. Production designer Owen Paterson was horrified and asked him to keep it from the Wachowskis, fearing they would insist it operate on-screen — which would have greatly complicated the shoot. The mechanism was later glued into position.
John Gaeta: The film's visual-effects supervisor portrays an APU operator on-screen.
Although the film was shot using Super 35, the closing credits read 'Filmed in Panavision'.
Seraph employs a pair of Browning BDM pistols during the cloakroom shoot-out.
In the second and third Matrix instalments, Carrie-Anne Moss performs 'scorpion kicks'. Because the manoeuvre requires extreme flexibility and strength, in the original film she only appeared to do so, aided by a prop leg.
Although Sati's parents were compelled to return to the Matrix, they arranged for her to be freed. She later reappears in The Matrix Resurrections (2021), taking a small but pivotal part in the story. When questioned about her parents, she says that they were deleted.
The nightclub sequence captures the real club night 'The Sydney Hellfire Club', which operated for 27 years and stands as the longest-running club night in Australian club history.
The room high up in the skyscraper where Neo battles Smith is modelled on the film's production office.
In the final scene the Oracle wears yin-yang earrings, symbolising the balance that is maintained between her and the Architect.
Jada Pinkett Smith (Niobe) and Mary Alice (the Oracle) both featured in the television series "A Different World".
To aid their understanding of the mechanics and aesthetics of a hand-to-hand brawl in mid-air, the film's fight choreography team recorded trial footage aboard a parabolic free-fall aeroplane, akin to those used in astronaut training.
The sentinels' on-screen assault set the production back $40 million and yielded only 14 minutes of action.
There were plans to give some of the Agent Smith dummies to the cast and crew once filming wrapped. Unfortunately, hours spent drenched beneath the studio's hot lights meant the dummies had become malodorous and were teeming with bacteria. Ironically, in the first film Smith delivers a monologue about being infected by humans' smells.
Two additional types of Machine were intended to appear as the fleet neared the Machine City, but they were scripted and later cut or edited out. 'The Keep' was conceived as a living machine tower equipped with whip‑like directed‑energy weapons; Neo would have fought it by drawing on his connection to the Source, yet the sequence disrupted the pace of the journey to the City and was removed. The 'Surface Sentinel', aka the 'Super Sentinel', was planned as a massive, heavily‑armed upgrade that patrolled the surface, but the script had it crashing through the hovercraft and its sheer size made that awkward. Consequently, fairly conventional Sentinels were used instead, though on close inspection these appear noticeably stouter and 'meaner'.
The complete cast in the closing credits is listed in alphabetical order by surname.
Among the Matrix films, The Matrix Revolutions (2003) is the sole entry that doesn't finish with a Rage Against the Machine track in any form. The original The Matrix features "Wake Up" during its end credits; The Matrix Reloaded concludes with "Calm Like a Bomb"; and The Matrix Resurrections wraps up with a cover of "Wake Up" performed by Brass Against.
The film The Matrix Revolutions (2003) comprised 2,100 visual effects shots and 150 sets.
Laurence Fishburne and Harry Lennix have appeared together in three films; the most recent of these is Man of Steel (2013).
Lachy Hulme teamed up with Kate Beahan for the film The Crocodile Hunter: Collision Course.
At the eight-minute mark, one of the characters introduces his daughter. He pronounces her name as "KaMAla". A US politician pronounces her forename as "KAmala".
As at 2025, The Matrix Revolutions (2003) holds a 33% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, making it the lowest-rated film in the Matrix series.
