Saturday, December 7, 2024

Box Office: “Dune” Finally Crosses $100 Million Line, But Will Smith’s “King Richard” a Royal Bust

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More good news, bad news, this time for Warner Bros.

“Dune,” which I think is a Best Picture nominee with many more nods as well, has finally reached Nirvana.

Denis Villeneuve’s sci-fi opera hit $100 million overnight and is at $100,877,000. Everyone can relax now. Total time was 36 days. And it was a nail biter. But “Dune” has persevered especially since it was shown on HBO Max for much of that time. Bravo to all involved.

For Warner Bros., “Dune” is a great success and a nice pay off for work well done. But they’re having trouble on another front. Will Smith’s “King Richard” has refused to take flight. It can’t get the ball over the net. It’s quite a racquet. (Okay, that’s enough!)

“King Richard” is having trouble securing an audience. Not even the Black audience seems that interested in going to theaters to see it despite its strong message of family and dedication to sport.

I’m not sure if it’s because Richard Williams, whom Smith is getting raves for playing, is a little off putting. Or if Smith’s constant personal confession in the press– he has a book out– has turned people off. I know that personally I never want to hear another word about Smith or his wife’s sex lives. But clamming up at this point might serve Smith well.

More tomorrow…

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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