Luc Besson’s “Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets” is coming, opening Friday night with a 58 on Rotten Tomatoes– really a 38 if you read the reviews. It cost $225-$250 million. The most expensive indie film ever made, and it’s going to bomb big time.
Bomb is the appropriate word because “Dunkirk,” which will beat it handily is all about real bombs going off during World War II on the beach in France. “Dunkirk” is looming between a 94 and 98 on Rotten Tomatoes. It should be 100.
“Valerian,” bloated indecipherable according critics, will be lucky to clear $18 million for the weekend according to tracking reports. The movie stars a lot of people including Ethan Hawke, who knows from sci fi failures. He met his first wife, Uma Thurman, making “Gattaca,” a disaster.
Pop star Rihanna makes her debut (she’s been in a couple of other films, but this is a role) in “Valerian.” She picked the wrong horse. While Harry Styles shines in “Dunkirk,” Rihanna is headed for airplane viewing.
The budget bloat of the film is added to because STK licensed a Beatles song, “Because” for their trailer. Those songs do not come cheap. “Because” is not on the soundtrack.
