Thursday, March 28, 2024

Box Office Weekend Disaster Looms as “Ben Hur” Remake Earns Just $900,000 on Thursday Night

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What if you rode around in a chariot and no one cared?

Last night the “Ben Hur” remake took in just $900,000. For a movie with what is probably a $150 million pricetag, that is very alarming.

All signs point to a disastrous weekend. The original estimate was $12 million but it may be much much worse.

Warner Bros.’ “War Dogs” didn’t do much better on Thursday with $1.6 million. The very Martin Scorsese-lite film by Todd Phillips is like the bastard child of “Wolf of Wall Street” and “The Big Short.” A narration device is used that makes “War Dogs” sound like both films. Miles Teller and Jonah Hill seem like they can’t stand each other even in scenes where they’re supposed to be friendly.

The film is also offensive in so many ways. And Jonah Hill’s weight (I emphasize as I struggle with it too) is very shocking. Teller, who was interesting in “Rabbit Hole” and “Whiplash” moves to a two word title and gets blander. The real star is Ana de Armas, who I could see in a lot more movies. Wasted totally: Shaun Toub, a fine actor whose screen time is cut to ribbons.

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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