‘R.I.P.D.’: Box Office Estimates Aren’t Looking Good

The Ryan Reynolds and Jeff Bridges action-comedy R.I.P.D. could be this summer’s next big flop.

Spearheaded by director Robert Schwentke, the upcoming comedy tells the story of a deceased cop who ends up working for the Rest in Peace Department. Instead of tracking down human criminals, the cop now hunts all sorts of nasty supernatural villains.

Unfortunately for executives at Universal, R.I.P.D. could be the studio’s first major flop of the year. According to Comic Book Movie, industry insiders currently believe the movie will only make around $15 million over the weekend.

Here’s the problem: Universal sunk around $130 million into R.I.P.D. to get it on the big screen. If the movie fails to find box office success, then the studio could lose quite a bit of money on the endeavor.

Universal has enjoyed a pretty strong year thus far. Despicable Me 2, Fast and Furious 6, and the low-budget Ethan Hawke horror flick The Purge were popular choices with moviegoers. However, R.I.P.D. could effectively put the brakes on the studio’s winning streak.

“Given their year, Universal was probably due for something like this. But it’s a whopper. We could be talking ‘Jonah Hex’ territory here,” analyst Jeff Bock explained to The Wrap.

Released in 2010, the Warner Bros. flick Jonah Hex famously crashed and burned at the summer box office. Despite some big names, the adaptation of the DC Comics character only earned a measly $10 million from moviegoers. This definitely isn’t a path any studio wants to go down.

Director Robert Schwentke’s R.I.P.D. is facing some stiff competition at the box office this weekend. Not only will the flick have to contend with James Wan’s The Conjuring, it will also have to square off against the star-studded sequel to Schwentke’s 2010 action movie Red.

Are you planning to catch R.I.P.D. in theaters over the weekend? Do you think the movie stands a chance against the other box office contenders?

[Image via Universal Pictures]