Hollywood butt-kickers Dwayne Johnson and Scarlett Johansson will square off at the North American box office later this summer.
Although folks can feasibly enjoy both Hercules and Lucy when they hit theaters this July, chances are moviegoers won’t have time to squeeze both action-packed motion pictures into their busy schedules. The question remains: does Dwayne Johnson have what it takes to dominate the box office?
Helmed by Rush Hour director Brett Ratner, Hercules follows the legendary warrior (Johnson) as he embarks on a quest to take down a “tyrannical warlord.” Dwayne isn’t going it alone; he stars in the flick alongside such noteworthy actors as Ian McShane, John Hurt, Joseph Fiennes, and Rufus Sewell.
Hercules starring Dwayne Johnson is out on July 25th from @ParamountUK Here’s a poster pic.twitter.com/DnNqHgnwDk
— UKFilmNews.com (@UKFilmNews) June 4, 2014
Dwayne Johnson built considerable buzz for the movie by posting a slew of behind-the-scenes photos on Twitter last year. However, it’s unclear if all that hard work will translate into cash. Although Johnson has a very loyal and dedicated following, there’s always a chance that Scarlett Johnasson and Luc Besson could steal his thunder.
After all, who doesn’t enjoy watching a beautiful woman with superhuman powers knock bad guys around on the big screen? Johnasson will attempt to answer that question with Lucy , a movie that was recently rescheduled for this July. According to FanSided , Besson’s latest directorial effort was originally slated to arrive on August 8. However, Universal Pictures ultimately decided to move the film up to July 25 .
Although Dwayne Johnson feels that his version of Hercules offers up something wholly unique, he’s definitely hoping that director Renny Harlin’s The Legend of Hercules isn’t a sign of things to come. The $70 million fantasy flick only collected a palty $18 million during its run through the North American box office earlier this year. Of course, the movie didn’t benefit from Johnson’s considerable star power.
The Inquirer reports that Dwayne Johnson was extremely excited to star in Brett Ratner’s take on the Hercules legend. During an interview with the publication last year, the Pain & Gain star said he’d always dreamed of bringing the character to life .
Johnson explained:
“‘Hercules’ is something that I have been chasing and developing for over a decade. When I first got into Hollywood, one of my first thoughts was, where is ‘Hercules’ and who’s doing it? I was in a different position at that time than I am today. But I always had ‘Hercules’ in the back of my mind. My onscreen heroes are Arnold Schwarzenegger as Conan, Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones and Hercules. Hercules is essentially the world’s first superhero.”
Dwayne Johnson’s Hercules and Scarlett Johnasson’s Lucy arrive on July 25. Who do you think will emerge victorious at the box office?
