Can Tom Cruise Beat 'Kingsman'?
by EG
There was a time when, if you were a movie, the last thing you wanted to do was go up against Tom Cruise at the box office. That time was long ago, however, and Cruise is far from a reliable box-office draw these days. This summer's The Mummy was a colossal flop domestically, and last year's Jack Reacher: Never Go Back did even worse. That's why Cruise's new movie, American Made, is unlikely to best the modestly successful Kingsman: The Golden Circle in its second weekend of release. It's not out of the question, actually, that Cruise could even lose out to a remake of the 1980 thriller Flatliners.
Tom Cruise could have trouble grounding a group of cheeky spies at the box office this weekend.
American Made, starring Cruise as a real-life pilot who smuggled cocaine for an infamous Columbia cartel in the 1980s before turning CIA-informant, flies into more than 3,000 theaters on Friday, including a major play in Imax houses. Pre-release tracking suggests the action-drama will open in the $15 million range, likely not enough to beat holdover Kingsman: The Golden Circle, which debuted to $45.5 million last weekend.
Universal says a launch in the low- to- mid-teens would be fine since American Made is likely to have lasting power thanks to stellar reviews and positive word of mouth. Also, American Made has already earned $60 million internationally, where Cruise arguably remains remains a bigger star. The actor could use a win at the North American box office after his last two movies, The Mummy (2017) and Jack Reacher: Never Go Back (2016), turned in soft performances.
American Made reunites Cruise with his Edge of Tomorrow director, Doug Liman. Cross Creek financed the film, with the budget reportedly brought down to $50 million after tax rebates and incentives. Cross Creek produced alongside Imagine Entertainment and Quadrant Pictures. American Made currently boasts an 88 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes, one of the best scores of Cruise's career. Domhnall Gleeson, Sarah Wright, E. Roger Mitchell, Jesse Plemons, Lola Kirke, Alejandro Edda, Benito Martinez, Caleb Landry Jones and Jayma Mays co-star.
Cross Creek will have a busy weekend, between American Made and its Flatliners remake, from Sony. The horror pic, rolling out in 2,200 locations, is tracking to debut domestically to $10 million-$12 million (Sony is being much more conservative in suggesting $7 million-$8 million).
The horror genre has been doing terrifying business at the box office this year between such R-rated hits as It and Annabelle: Creation, whose success is in part attributed to a strong turnout by younger moviegoers. Flatliners, rated a friendlier PG-13, is likewise expected to appeal to teens and young adults.
Directed by Joel Schumacher, the 1980 Flatliners starred Kiefer Sutherland, Julia Roberts, William Baldwin, Oliver Platt and Kevin Bacon as five medical students who conduct near-death experiments by stopping their hearts for short bursts of time. Ellen Page, Diego Luna, Nina Dobrev, James Norton and Kiersey Clemons star in the $19 million remake, directed by Niels Arden Opley.
Get the whole preview at The Hollywood Reporter.
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