Box Office: ‘Kraven the Hunter’ Preys on Meager $4.7 Million Opening Day, ‘Lord of the Rings: War of the Rohirrim’ Debuting in Fifth

As a seasoned cinema devotee with over four decades of film-watching under my belt, I must say that this weekend’s box office has left me feeling a bit like Kraven the Hunter himself – trapped in a web of disappointment.

Following numerous postponements on Sony’s release schedule, the studio’s Marvel spin-off “Kraven the Hunter” has been greeted with apathy upon its debut in cinemas. The antihero action film managed to earn only $4.7 million during its opening day and previews at 3,211 theaters.

The opening day gross of “Madame Web,” released by the studio on Valentine’s Day 2024, amounted to $6 million. However, its overall earnings in North America were disappointing, with only $43 million accumulated. This suggests that Sony is once again dealing with a comic book flop, as the R-rated “Kraven the Hunter,” due for release, will need to perform exceptionally if it hopes to surpass its projected opening of over $13 million. Even if it manages to meet these expectations, it still signifies a poor beginning for the film’s production budget of $110 million.

Titled “Kraven the Hunter,” a movie helmed by J.C. Chandor with Aaron Taylor-Johnson portraying the infamous Spider-Man adversary, has faced skepticism for quite some time now. Filmed almost three years ago, it’s had several delays in its release schedule since initially being scheduled for January 2023. Despite Sony’s success with the “Venom” trilogy, other live-action “Spider-Man” spinoffs like “Madame Web” and the vampire thriller “Morbius,” have failed to launch a franchise and were panned by critics as well.

The movie ‘Kraven’ is not bucking the trend as it’s receiving poor reviews and negative audience feedback. The movie pollster Cinema Score gave it a C grade, which is lower than both ‘Madame Web’ (C+) and ‘Morbius.’ Even movies with poor ratings can have strong multipliers during the holiday season, but a negative reception and disappointing opening are making for an uphill battle to recover.

This weekend, another IP project based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Lord of the Rings,” titled “The War of the Rohirrim” by Warner Bros., has failed to captivate audiences, debuting in fifth place. Directed by anime veteran Kenji Kamiyama, the prequel managed to earn approximately $2 million during its opening on Friday and preview screenings across 2,602 locations. Critics have given mixed reviews, with the film receiving a B grade from Cinema Score.

Unlike “Kraven,” the anticipation for “Rohirrim” is more subdued, considering it was made on a relatively lean budget of $30 million. In certain aspects, the movie has already achieved success – it was approved and expedited quickly to prevent New Line Cinema from losing the rights to Tolkien’s novels. At present, they are actively working on “The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum,” a project that will be directed by and feature Andy Serkis in the lead role.

As a dedicated movie buff and anime enthusiast, I’ve witnessed firsthand the growing popularity of anime in North America over the past few years. Blockbusters like “Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero” and “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Mugen Train” have shattered box office records, with debuts exceeding $20 million each. While these titles are undeniably popular among dedicated anime fans, I believe the timeless appeal of “Lord of the Rings,” a franchise still highly coveted due to Tolkien’s enduring legacy, should ensure its own success.

The upcoming film “Moana 2” is expected to continue dominating the box office charts, claiming the No. 1 spot for a third consecutive weekend. On its first day, Friday, it earned approximately $6 million, which represents a decrease of about 48% compared to its $11 million daily earnings a week prior. Since its record-breaking opening during Thanksgiving holiday box office, the musical sequel has been sailing smoothly and has now grossed over $320 million domestically in just 15 days, placing it among the top five highest-grossing North American releases of the year.

Following its Friday earnings of $5.8 million, “Wicked” is set to surpass $350 million in domestic box office revenue this weekend, making it the second Universal film to achieve this milestone after its split adaptation of the popular Broadway musical. With this growth, it’s likely that “Wicked” will soon overtake “Despicable Me 4,” currently holding the third-highest North American release of the year with a revenue of $361 million.

Rounding out the top five is “Gladiator II,” which chopped off another $2.1 million on Friday. The film is looking at a modest 40% drop in its fourth weekend, even faced with a new R-rated actioner on the block in “Kraven.” Paramount’s swords-and-sandals sequel looks to pass $145 million domestically through Sunday, which would rank it above “The Wild Robot” ($142 million), “Venom: The Last Dance” ($139 million) and “A Quiet Place: Day One” ($138 million) among this year’s crop of releases.

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2024-12-14 19:46