The Total Recall remake (reviews) makes Colin Farrell the everyman action hero; Zachary Gordon opens up his newest Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days (reviews).
Pamela McClintock of THR:
Sony's Total Recall remake might have a hard time wresting the domestic box-office crown away from The Dark Knight Rises.
Tracking suggests the sci-fi action pic -- opening more than 20 years after original Total Recall hit theaters -- will open in the $25 million to $30 million range. In director Len Wiseman's redo, Colin Farrell stars in the role made famous by Arnold Schwarzenegger.
The weekend's other new entry is 20th Century Fox's Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days, the third entry in the modestly budgeted family franchise that's based on the best-selling book series. The threequel is expected to debut in the $15 million to $17 million range, though some box-office observers believe it could do more.
Dark Knight Rises, from Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures, is widely expected to gross $35 million or more in its third weekend. On Wednesday, Christopher Nolan's final Batman pic crossed the $600 million mark at the worldwide box office, including a domestic total of $311.4 million.
The superhero tentpole is doing massive business by any measure, though the July 20 Colorado theater shooting no doubt has impacted the bottom line (Dark Knight Rises continues to trail The Dark Knight). Family films were hurt the most in the wake of the massacre, though moviegoing picked up notably this past Saturday.
Total Recall, based both on the 1990 Paul Verhoeven film and the short story by Philip K. Dick, cost in the $125 million range to produce and is counting on doing good business around the globe. The movie, also starring Kate Beckinsale, Jessica Biel and Bryan Cranston, opens day-and-date in a handful of Asian markets before expanding into other territories next weekend.
The film has received generally negative reviews in the U.S.
Fox looks to be in good shape with Dog Days, which cost $22 million to produce. The two previous Wimpy Kid films opened in March to take advantage of Easter break, but because Wimpy the third installment is set in the dog days of summer, the threequel was relocated to August.
David Bowers, who directed the sequel Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules, returns in the director's chair for Dog Days, while Zachary Gordon and Steve Zahn return in the lead roles.
The family franchise has been a solid performer so far but is much more of a domestic property. Diary of a Wimpy Kid debuted to $22.1 million in 2010 on its way to earning $75.7 million worldwide. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules, released in 2011, earned $72.4 million globally.
No comments:
Post a Comment