‘Machete Kills’ Stumbles At The Weekend Box Office
Director Robert Rodriguez’s over-the-top sequel Machete Kills had a very hard time generating business at the box office this weekend.
The follow-up to the 2010 cult favorite Machete may sport a lot of familiar faces, but this didn’t help lure moviegoers to theaters. According to the estimates posted at Box Office Mojo, Rodriguez’s zany action flick earned around $3.7 million since Friday.
While this number may seem incredibly low, the film’s estimated $20 million budget helps put things into perspective. If the movie does strong business overseas, then it could break even before vanishing from theaters. There’s a very good chance Machete Kills will find an audience on home video as well.
Robert Rodriguez’s Machete did a little better at the box office upon its release back in 2010. The $10 million action flick made approximately $44 million worldwide during its theatrical run. The movie also enjoyed strong sales on Blu-ray and DVD.
Poor reviews may have contributed to the general public’s overall lack of interest in the sequel. The film’s Rotten Tomatoes score is currently stalled at 30 percent. This may not matter much to fanboys, but these negative write-ups could convince casual film fans to stay away.
Although Machete Kills wasn’t a popular choice over the weekend, Alfonso Cuaron’s sci-fi drama Gravity and Paul Greengrass’ Captain Phillips certainly had no trouble separating eager moviegoers from their disposable income.
Early reports suggest that the George Clooney and Sandra Bullock outer space flick earned an additional $44 million from North American audiences. This brings the picture’s worldwide total to a very impressive $151 million. Overwhelmingly positive reviews and strong word-of-mouth definitely helped keep business pouring in.
Captain Phillips got off to a very strong start this weekend. It may not have beaten Gravity in terms of numbers, but the folks at Sony Pictures should definitely be happy with its performance. The Tom Hanks thriller earned around $26 million this weekend.
Here’s the top 10 and their estimated totals.
1. Gravity – $44.2 million
2. Captain Phillips – $26 million
3. Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 – $14.2 million
4. Machete Kills – $3.7 million
5. Runner Runner – $3.7 million
6. Prisoners – $3.6 million
7. Insidious Chapter 2 – $2.6 million
8. Rush – $2.3 million
9. Don Jon – $2.3 million
10. Baggage Claim – $2 million
Did you catch Machete Kills or any of the other new releases in theaters? Are you surprised that Robert Rodriguez’s sequel didn’t do better business at the box office?
[Image via Open Road Films]
