MONDAY: The actual number for Tom Cruise was a little less than thought at $22,872,490. Tyler Perry exceeded his estimate, finishing at $28.5 million.
SUNDAY: Tom Cruise and “Jack Reacher” had a bad weekend, that’s for sure. First there’s the humiliation of being soundly trounced by Tyler Perry and Madea’s “Halloween.” (That movie did $27 million.)
Then there’s Tom. He’s never been a box office go getter. His biggest films are the “Mission: Impossible” franchise and “War of the Worlds.”
Otherwise, Tom is barely part of the $100 million club. “Edge of Tomorrow,” a really good film, was left in theaters like a squozed [sic] orange. They just waited and waited until it crossed the $100 mil mark.
The first “Jack Reacher” in 2012 made a total of $80 million. That’s on par for Tom Cruise movies domestically. “Oblivion,” “Knight and Day,” etc are in that average. This idea that he’s the World’s Biggest Movie Star is simply a PR thing. You have to go back to 2004 for “Collateral,” a non franchise movie that made over $100 million– and not a lot over. In 2002, “Minority Report” made $132 million. That’s 12 and 14 years ago.
So now “Jack Reacher: Never Go Back.” It looks like a $23 million number 2 opening. That’s his worst overall opening in in four years. The reviews are pretty bad, too. So the people who wondered what happened to Jack Reacher the character now know, and next weekend many fewer will care one way or another. Internationally there will be great numbers now because Warner Bros. smartly opened in 25 or more countries on Wednesday and Thursday. And where English isn’t spoken, and Hollywood is far away, these movies are most welcome.
Tom gets a time out now until June, for “The Mummy.” As long as people line up for autographs, Cruise is insulated from reality. But between Scientology and the constant reminder that he doesn’t see his 10 year old daughter, his PR status is not a positive one. Now he’s got time to repair that.
