‘Hercules’ Box Office: Dwayne Johnson’s Latest Movie Struggles To Find An Audience

Hercules, the latest movie from box office titan Dwayne Johnson, is reportedly having a little trouble finding an audience this weekend.

Although the Fast and Furious alum is known for his ability to generate mountains of cinematic cash — this earned him the nickname “franchise Viagra” — Johnson is having a hard time turning Brett Ratner’s taken on the Hercules legend into gold. According to Time, the hero has met his match in the form of Luc Besson’s Lucy.

That’s not to say Hercules isn’t making some money at the box office. Analysts believe the movie brought home around $11 million on Friday, which means it stands to earn roughly $29 million during its first three days of release. Unfortunately, Paramount Pictures spent approximately $100 million to bring this Hercules’ latest adventure to life. At this rate, the film could have a very difficult time breaking even in North America.

Unfortunately, Hercules didn’t receive the strongest reviews from critics ahead of its release. What’s more, the Rotten Tomatoes audience score is presently perched at 67 percent, which means that moviegoers aren’t overly thrilled with the endeavor either. In short: Hercules probably won’t recover from this lackluster debut.

Movie critic James Berardinelli was particularly unimpressed with the endeavor:

“[‘Hercules’ is a] big-budget misfire of a sizable order, a visually busy but emotionally dead endeavor that wearies the viewer with endless computer generated special effects while failing to provide a scintilla of human interest.”

The folks at Cinema Blend were especially unkind the flick:

“This is ultimately a nothing movie, with only a few memorable shots in service of dream sequences that never receive a payoff. Most of the effects, reserved for monsters and beasts, are flat-out cartoony and unfinished. And the final battle, which seems truncated from something bigger and more ambitious, is a green screen nightmare. Johnson deserves better, but the sad part about it is that he doesn’t seem to realize it.”

Unfortunately for Paramount, the writing for their Hercules flick was essentially on the wall earlier this year. Audiences largely avoided director Renny Harlin’s epic flop The Legend of Hercules when it arrived back in January. While the flick didn’t have the star power of Dwayne Johnson driving ticket sales, it would seem moviegoers aren’t overly concerned about Hercules and his big-screen adventures.

Are you surprised that Hercules is struggling at the box office this weekend? Do you think the movie can recoup its $100 million budget before it leaves theaters?

[Lead image via Paramount Pictures]