Two smaller films that open in the wake of Deadpool and Alien’s reign at the box office fail to make the needle jump on an early weekend preview.
Lionsgate is having a tough August. The humble studio has one of the year’s most notable bombs with Borderlands, and this is in a year that saw the infamous Madame Web released in theaters. Add to that, the recent controversy where the studio attempted to spin the divisive early word-of-mouth on Francis Ford Coppola’s Megalopolis with a campaign that was revealed to have used false quotes in its trailer, which was immediately pulled. Now, the studio’s newest release, which is banking off of one of the 90s’ most beloved properties, has been released to dismal early numbers after a build-up of negative reactions.
The Crow opened last night and Deadline is reporting that the Rupert Sanders-directed vehicle opened with a very underwhelming debut. The Crow would only collect $650K in early Thursday previews and is not expected to fly this weekend with more than a single-digit opening. Very few people online were optimistic about this film as it attempted to re-envision the beloved 1994 film, which starred Brandon Lee. The Bill Skarsgård film, which co-stars FKA Twigs and Danny Huston, currently stands at a 19% on Rotten Tomatoes with an audience rating yet to be calculated.
It also wasn’t a good sign that Lionsgate held their embargo until the day that screenings for the movie had finally commenced. In the review from our EIC Chris Bumbray, he attempted to be diplomatic about this view of it, stating, “This is a decent enough gothic actioner with some interesting choices made in the execution, but it’s also frustratingly uneven and rather poorly paced. […] Yet, the movie still gets a pass from me, as there are some legitimately great set pieces.”
While The Crow at least had some attention paid to it, it was still beaten out by Zoe Kravitz’s directing debut, Blink Twice, which didn’t have a significant buzz leading up to its release. However, the film would also open with less than a million totaling $820K at the early Thursday box office. The reviews for Blink Twice are heads and shoulders above The Crow with a certified fresh 77% rating. In the review from our own Tyler Nichols, he says, “There are many things to like about Blink Twice but it’s hard not to be just a little bit frustrated. The story is good and feels like it could have been great with just a few tweaks. As is, many characters feel wasted, and the narrative feels divorced from reality at times. But the messaging is on point and the story just flies by, which in this day and age, will always be a major plus. Kravitz is clearly very talented and has a distinct vision. I’m very curious to see what her sophomore effort will be as it will no doubt be more refined.”