We’re starting to see where hype and tabloid news mean nothing at the box office. Zac Efron is a sort of male pin up, Frankie Avalon with abs. This weekend his starring vehicle “We Are Your Friends” left theaters empty at $1.8 million. That’s for the entire weekend. Efron can make paparazzi insane, and draw crowds of women in person that amount to Beatlemania. (I’ve seen it up to close.) But open a film? Nope.
Kristen Stewart is having the same problem. She starred in the “Twilight” series and became the Annette Funicello of vampire movies. The tabloids and fotogs turned her into a superstar of publicity. But “American Ultra,” her new movie with Jessie Eisenberg, is a huge dud. It’s made just $10 million over two weekends. Her “Twilight” fans did not follow her to a regular project.
“Straight Outta Compton” won the weekend, and deservedly so. A faith based movie called “War Room,” which is not the famous documentary called “The War Room,” was second. “Mission Impossible” rose to $170 million, defying all expectations. “Southpaw” has quietly risen to $50 million. “The Man from UNCLE” — just lies there like a lox.
