A coproduction between MGM and Paramount, “Ben-Hur” is the third adaption of Lee Wallace’s novel, “Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ”. “No major movie wants to open wide outside the top five”, says Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for comScore.
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Warner Bros. Pictures also took the third-spot on the domestic charts with the new film “War Dogs“, which grossed the most of the new releases.
Ben-Hur also proves the long-held belief that rebooting classics is nearly never a good idea; as Deadline’s report points out, both 1998’s Psycho ($21.5M), and 2006’s All The King’s Men ($7.2M) failed to make a profit at the box-office (the Coen Brother’s True Grit being the exception). Paramount’s US$100 million (RM402 million) remake of Ben-Hur bombed in its opening weekend at the North American box office, industry data showed yesterday, putting it on course to become the summer’s biggest flop. “Hopefully this is a lesson for Hollywood”.
With Jack Huston playing the part of the betrayed nobleman turned slave seeking revenge (and finding redemption) in the role made famous by Charlton Heston, critics were not impressed. That’s on the lighter end of openings for the studio, but the film could be helped by its strong reviews.
“Suicide Squad” has experienced another drop in its ratings, but despite that, the film remains to hold the top spot in the box office for three weeks in a row.
The historical blockbuster flopped spectacularly compared to Suicide Squad ($A27.2 million in the U.S. on the weekend) and Sausage Party ($A20.1 million). Can any of them topple Suicide Squad? “Everyone has been picking on this film critically”. You’d think the family film would win out, considering how more adult-oriented films are crowding the top of the box office. At the limited box-office moviegoers will find “Greater”, “The Sea of Trees” in NY and L.A., and “Southside with You”.
Coming in at No. 2 is Sausage Party with $15.3 million, followed by War Dogs at No. 3 with $14.3 million, Kubo and the Two Strings at No. 4 with $12.6 million and Ben-Hur at No. 5 with $11.4 million.
Based on a true story, “War Dogs” stars Jonah Hill and Miles Teller as a pair of twentysomething American hotshots who score a lucrative Pentagon contract to run guns for USA allies in Afghanistan.
Ben-Hur, a befuddling remake of a 1959 classic that continues to loom large in the popular imagination and was also very much the product of its time in ways that are tough to replicate successfully for a modern audience, made $11.4 million in its box-office debut this weekend.
The animated children’s film features the voices of Charlize Theron, Ralph Fiennes and Rooney Mara.
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Kubo was lauded with a 96% critical score on RottenTomatoes.com.and an A audience score on CinemaScore.
