Idria Elba will have one more good reason to smile this weekend. Although the newest movie featuring the Golden Globe Award-winning actor received dismal reviews from the critics, the box office reception of No Good Deeds told quite a different story.
Gary Goldstein of the Los Angeles Times called the film predictable but “an otherwise brisk, efficient thriller. Despite the “been there, done that” feel of the movie, Goldstein does commend the performances of both Idris Elba and his co-star, Taraji P. Henson.
Meanwhile, Jen Chaney of Th e Washington Post had the following to offer regarding her opinion of the film.
“The real truth about “No Good Deed” is that it’s just another stalker mystery in which impending danger is too obviously telegraphed by thunder claps and malfunctioning car alarms. The characters only vaguely resemble actual people.”
Well, I bet all the critics are really scratching their heads now; No Good Deeds opened at the box office this weekend and pulled in an impressive $24 million in ticket sales. On Friday, the movie took in over $8 million to hold reign over the other opening movies this weekend. What makes this feat most impressive is that this film was released without a promotional screening tour. In fact, the screening for No Good Deeds was cancelled last minute with the studio citing the necessity to “keep potential ticket buyers spoiler-free.”
Perhaps the men behind the curtain actually realized that if the movie was screened and spoilers released, there would then be no reason for people to see the movie in the theater. Perhaps this is just an ingenious ploy on the part of the marketing team behind the film.
All speculation aside, the story that plays out in No Good Deeds is the typical “damsel in distress” plot starring Elba in the role of Colin, an escaped convict who invades the home of Terry, a picture perfect housewife (Taranji Henson). A tense game of cat and mouse ensues, and the movie ends, well… I’m not the type of person to spoil it for you; you’ll just have to find out yourself.
The total cost for making No Good Deeds was a mere $13 million. The movie was directed by Sam Miller, who previously worked on the series Luther , which also starred Idris Elba .
No Good Deeds is currently showing at a theater near you.
[Photo credit: The Epoch Times ]