06 February 2013
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First Arnold Schwarzenegger took a major blow to his ego when his comeback as an action hero tanked at the box office, and now his Expendables buddy Sylvester Stallone's solo project failed to take off. So what’s going on?
Sylvester Stallone's headlines Bullet to the Head, but the debut of the old-fashioned action flick at the box office failed miserably when it opened to number 6 with $4.5 million. The zombie romantic comedy Warm Bodies won the weekend win a unknown cast.
Stallone isn't alone. The Terminator, Arnold Schwarzenegger, had a bad opening weekend with The Last Stand, his first film after leaving office as California’s governor. His return to action films fared a little better than Stallone with $6.3 million opening weekend, but took the number 9 spot on the charts. Audience preferred the Guillermo del Toro produced horror flick Mama with Jessica Chastain and the Oscar nominated Zero Dark Thirty, also starring Chastain.
Funny enough, both The Last Stand and Bullet to the Head work in the aging aspect for comedic relief. To bad they aren't laughing it up all the way to the bank. Schwarzenegger and Stallone will once again be teaming up for another action flick in The Tomb. Each have other upcoming flicks in the same genre. Should Hollywood be worried about the two actors opening a film?
Old guys aren't the only ones taking a hit. Parker, starring their Expendables co-star Jason Statham and Jennifer Lopez, opened poorly the week prior to Stallone’s flop with only a $7 million take.
Ironically, four of the Expendables cast have solo action flicks in the first quarter of 2013 with Bruce Willis being the next one in line to prove he’s still a viable action star. A Good Day To Die Hard, his 5th film in the Die Hard series opens February 14, but early tracking suggest the film set in Russia will top the charts unlike his Expendables co-stars.
Are action movies no longer a viable genre? Or is the award-season putting a damper on popcorn movies in favor of quality over quantity? Not necessarily since Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters continues to stay in the top 5 after two weeks.
Tom Cruise’s Jack Reacher also didn’t break any records with his heroism acts on screen late last year. And having A-list names such as Russell Crowe and Mark Wahlberg didn’t help Broken City any either.
Famous faces are no longer selling movies as proven by movie-goers’ choice for smaller fare with a fairly unknown cast. Fans ready for the new generation of faces?
What is your explanation for the recent shift in the box office? Post your thoughts.
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Comments
Maybe unknown to people who have not watched movies of the 21st century.
a 7 million opening is typical for every Statham movie,that is his standard. Stallone has not had a hit from outside Rocky and Rambo since 1993 Cliffhanger probably,or perhaps 1996 Daylight. Schwarzenegger, outside of Terminator had his last hit probably with end of days in 1999 or Eraser in 1996.
So safe to say Schwarzenegger and Stallone have not had a hit outside the brand of Terminator/Rocky/Rambo since the 90s,around the time they were 49-51. Now,some 17 years later they struggle,but I think it is about choosing the solo projects.Expendables was a hit due to novelty of seeing them together
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