‘Hercules’: Can Dwayne Johnson’s Movie Recover At The Box Office?
Hercules, the latest movie featuring cinematic behemoth Dwayne Johnson, continues to strive for relevance at the box office this week.
After getting thoroughly whipped by director Luc Besson’s Lucy over the weekend, the folks at MGM and Paramount Pictures are no doubt hoping Brett Ratner’s take on the Hercules legend can scrape together some money this week before Guardians of the Galaxy makes its theatrical bow. Unfortunately, it appears that Johnson’s latest effort will have some serious trouble recouping its $100 million budget.
According to the numbers posted at Box Office Mojo, Hercules snagged another $3.3 million from film fiends on Monday. Unfortunately, Scarlett Johnansson’s action flick still came out on top with $4.9 million in receipts. What’s more, the movie is well on its way to turning a profit for the boys and girls at Universal.
Of course, there’s still a glimmer of hopes for Hercules; the film has already grossed $28 million from foreign moviegoers. Could Johnson’s international star power help propel the fantasy flick to great heights overseas? Chances are Paramount and MGM will keep a watchful eye on those figures as the days roll on. This year’s RoboCop remake and Tom Cruise’s Edge of Tomorrow certainly benefited from overseas markets, so there’s a chance Hercules could make some decent money before it vanishes from theaters.
Sadly, a handful of lukewarm reviews and a weak audience score at Rotten Tomatoes won’t help Hercules in the long run. If the studio hoped to benefit from strong word of mouth, then they may want to prepare themselves for the worst. So where did Brett Ratner and Dwayne Johnson go wrong? According to the Northbrook Star, Hercules doesn’t make the most of its talented and charismatic lead.
Critic Bruce Ingram explains:
“Unfortunately, ‘Hercules’ has to get down to the business of fulfilling its genre requirements eventually and it’s at that point, after a pretty ridiculously contrived double-cross, that interest starts to wane. It’s obvious from the beginning, of course, that Hercules will at some point have to dig deep and uncover the truth within the legend so everyone can go home feeling inspired. But it’s so much more fun to go along with the irreverent vibe of the first hour or so.”
The silver lining: movies like Hercules tend to do extremely well on home video. Folks who aren’t willing to shell out the price of a movie ticket may not have a problem purchasing Ratner’s Hercules flick on DVD or Blu-ray. Regardless, the film a rare misfire for an actor who is usually accustomed to box office hits.
[Lead image via MGM / Paramount Pictures]
