‘Hitman’s aim is true, but ‘Logan’ isn’t so lucky
Critics loved Logan Lucky and gave a big collective shrug to The Hitman’s Bodyguard, but when it came to the test of the marketplace, audiences went their own way.
The two action flicks faced off this weekend, and The Hitman’s Bodyguard emerged the victor with a chart-topping $21.6 million, according to studio estimates Sunday, while Logan Lucky sputtered with $8.1 million.
Both had notable stars: Logan has Channing Tatum and Daniel Craig, while Bodyguard boasts Ryan Reynolds and Samuel L. Jackson. Both were opening in more than 3,000 theaters; and both cost around $30 million to produce.
But when it came to reviews, critics vastly preferred Logan, which boasts a “fresh” 93% Rotten Tomatoes score, while Bodyguard rests at a “rotten” 39%. And yet, when presented with the choice, audiences put their dollars toward Bodyguard.
“It was a battle of the action ensemble cast movies. Audiences looked at these two action movies in the marketplace and made a decision,” said Paul Dergarabedian, a senior media analyst for comScore. “I think for audiences, they’re just looking for the fun of it. ... ( Bodyguard) was critic-proof. It provided a perfect escape.”
Lionsgate, which distributed Bodyguard, expects the film to play well into September.
While it’s not an all-out flop, the stakes were a little higher for Logan Lucky. The NASCAR heist pic was not only director Steven Soderbergh’s big return to movies, but meant to also upend the traditional distribution model with crafty filmmaker-driven know-how, independent financ-
ing, foreign and streaming service sales and a more concentrated and cheaper marketing push.
An $8.1 million debut from more than 3,000 screens, however, isn’t enough to make a gamechanging splash.
Dergarabedian posited that the limited exposure for Soderbergh and the producers means that Lo- gan could still be a winning endeavor, despite coming in behind the horror holdover Annabelle: Creation, which earned $15.5 million in its second weekend.
In fourth place was Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk, one of the summer’s bigger successes, with $6.7 million, which bumped its domestic total to $165.5 million. Animated sequel The Nut Job 2: Nutty by Nature, starring the voices of Will Arnett, Katherine Heigl and Maya Rudolph, clocked in at No. 5 with $5.1 million.
And there were a few milestones, too: The buddy comedy Girls Trip sailed past the $100 million mark domestically, and Wonder Woman crossed $800 million worldwide.
But overall the box office is still losing. As of this weekend, comScore estimates that the summer season is down 13% from last year, and the year as a whole is down 5%.
“The deficit keeps going up. We’re limping towards the finish line with one leg dragging behind,” Dergarabedian said. “It’s not a great place to be.”
Final numbers are expected Monday.