SUNDAY MORNING UPDATE: Total was $5.3 million. Released by Open Road. They should have called it “Nut Job 2” after their big hit.
EARLIER: It’s strike three for Arnold Schwarzenegger. The former governor of California used to be a movie star. But that was a long time ago. His latest, “Sabotage,” is his third bomb in a row after “The Last Stand” and “Escape Plan.” It’s hard to believe any studio would let him star in a movie at this point. Arnold has some involvement in the new “Terminator” but the real stars are Jason Clarke and Emilia Clarke (not related to each other).
Arnold will be more like a seasoning from the past. But “Sabotage” opened last night to $1.8 million and will do around $5 million for the weekend. In the old days, Arnold would spend $5 million on partying over the weekend of a new release.
Of course there are many reasons for his decline, not the least of which is that women who’ve followed the story of his break up with Maria Shriver are not going to go see him. This leaves nostalgic 50 year olds and people who cut out of seeing other movies playing in the same cineplex.
Next career move: run for mayor of Toronto.
By the way, it wasn’t like Arnold was such a big draw before he left showbiz for politics. “The 6th Day,” “End of Days,” and “Collateral Damage” weren’t hits either. And that dates back 15 years.
