Friday, March 29, 2024

Summer Bomb Busters: $200 Mil Warner’s “Tarzan,” Disney’s Spielberg “BFG” Predicted Shaky Weekends

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Hollywood is not having a great summer. It’s certainly not the Blockbuster summer everyone hopes for. It looks more like a Summer Bomb Buster.

First, Fox went off track with both “X Men: Apocalypse” and now “Independence Day: Resurgence.” Neither of them came close to making the kind of money their predecessors had. If it weren’t for China not caring what the movies are about, the finances would be out the window. As it is, with “IDR,” even China may not really save it.

Now comes the $200 million “Legend of Tarzan.” It’s got a 25 critics score. Social media reviews are very negative. Warner Bros. has shielded “Tarzan” from New York press. But I fear the worst is coming. One tracking site is predicting a $21 million four day weekend. Can China save it? Do the Chinese even know about Tarzan?

Warner’s has two potential hits coming– “Suicide Squad” and “Fantastic Beasts.” So those will help.

Then there’s Steven Spielberg’s “The BFG.” I raved about this movie in Cannes. I loved it. I’ve never heard a word from Disney or Lucas Films about even a screening in New York. Nada. That is a bad sign that the studio has no faith in the film. Spielberg didn’t come to New York. Mark Rylance? Who knows?

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Last night they had a low cost low profile screening at Village East Cinemas. That ain’t the Ziegfeld. (It’s not even the AMC Lincoln Square. Village East, in the East Village, is used for low low budget indies.) Seems to me “The BFG” had huge potential. But again, tracking sites say $19 million for four day weekend. Is that even possible?

For Disney it doesn’t matter. They already have billions this year from Zootopia, Captain America, etc. They’re the box office leader. But Spielberg might be a little upset.

Stay tuned. July 4th weekend may not be filled with many fireworks.

Roger Friedman
Roger Friedmanhttps://www.showbiz411.com
Roger Friedman began his Showbiz411 column in April 2009 after 10 years with Fox News, where he created the Fox411 column. His movie reviews are carried by Rotten Tomatoes, and he is a member of both the movie and TV branches of the Critics Choice Awards. His articles have appeared in dozens of publications over the years including New York Magazine, where he wrote the Intelligencer column in the mid 90s and covered the OJ Simpson trial, and Fox News (when it wasn't so crazy) where he covered Michael Jackson. He is also the writer and co-producer of "Only the Strong Survive," a selection of the Cannes, Sundance, and Telluride Film festivals, directed by DA Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus.
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