The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
‘TERMINATOR’ SEQUEL WINS, BUT DISAPPOINTS
While Paramount’s “Terminator: Dark Fate” won the box office, opening in first place with $29 million, the result is well below analyst projections of $35 million to $40 million, according to estimates from measurement firm Comscore. The previous series installment, “Terminator: Genisys,” also opened poorly, with $27 million in 2015, and on an extended Fourth of July weekend.
The $185 million “Dark Fate” is the sixth entry in the “Terminator” franchise and the third attempt to revive the series in a decade. Although the sequel generated buzz at Comic-Con for being the first entry since 1991’s “Terminator 2: Judgment Day” to reunite series creator James Cameron and stars Linda Hamilton and Arnold Schwarzenegger, moviegoers failed to turn up for it.
“The box office fate of many long-running franchises has been mixed,” said Paul Dergarabedian, a senior media analyst at Comscore. “Some rely heavily on their box office outside of North America to recoup their often sizable production costs. ‘Terminator: Dark Fate’ has been embraced by the fans and has enjoyed solid reviews, so it could enjoy long-term playability in the coming weeks.
“The current marketplace is extremely crowded and competitive, and ‘Joker’ has become such an unbelievable long-running juggernaut that it has essentially cut into almost every other new film’s audience and has dominated the fall movie season in a way that could not have been predicted just a couple of months ago.”
“Dark Fate” was also reportedly plagued with production issues, including a bloated budget, script problems, creative battles between Cameron and director Tim Miller (“Deadpool”) and a set that went dark for days.
“Dark Fate” earned so-so reviews, with a B-plus CinemaScore and a 69% “fresh” score on review aggregation site Rotten Tomatoes.
In second place, Warner Bros.’ “Joker” continued its autumn success, adding $13.9 million in its fifth weekend for a cumulative $299.6 million. Globally, the movie stands at an impressive $934 million.
At No. 3, Disney’s “Maleficent: Mistress of Evil” added $12.2 million in its third weekend for a cumulative $84.3 million.
In fourth place, Focus Features’ Harriet Tubman biopic “Harriet” opened with $12 million, slightly above analyst projections of $10 million.
Directed by Kasi Lemmons (“Eve’s Bayou”), the picture stars Cynthia Erivo as the titular freedom fighter. It was well-received, with an A-plus CinemaScore and a 73% “fresh” rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Rounding out the top five, United Artists Releasing’s “The Addams Family” added $8.5 million in its fourth weekend for a cumulative $85.3 million.
In sixth place, Sony’s “Zombieland: Double Tap” added $7.4 million in its third weekend for a cumulative $59.3 million.
At No. 7, STX Entertainment’s “Countdown” added $5.9 million in its second weekend for a cumulative $17.8 million.
In eighth place, Sony’s “Black and Blue” added $4.1 million in its second weekend for a cumulative $15.4 million.
At No. 9, Warner Bros. opened the crime drama “Motherless Brooklyn” with $3.7 million, well below analyst projections of $10 million.
Edward Norton serves as writer, director, producer and star of the $26 million movie, an adaptation of Jonathan Lethem’s novel about a ‘50s-era private investigator with Tourette’s syndrome who is on the hunt to solve his mentor’s killing.
The film, which earned a 62% “fresh” rating on Rotten Tomatoes, also features Bruce Willis, Gugu MbathaRaw, Alec Baldwin and Willem Dafoe.
Rounding out the top 10, Entertainment Studios Motion Pictures’ animated “Arctic Dogs” opened with $3.1 million, well below analyst projections of $10 million.