‘Gods Of Egypt’ Box Office Results Unimpressive, Unable To Take Down ‘Deadpool’ As Potential Rivals Loom
The Gods of Egypt box office has proven to be as surprising as the film’s reviews. Critics everywhere have panned it as yet another Hollywood abomination, with the highest scores being a five out of ten. This is about what audiences expected after the trailers promised a CG spectacle and tons of action.
That’s basically what we got from Alex Proyas’ (Dark City, The Crow) latest cinematic venture. It used several cliches from other movies similar to it, including a mortal working with the gods to save the world, and a fight where super-powered warriors transform into more powerful forms. It even borrowed a plot element from a previous Egypt-based action film (The Mummy Returns).
RELATED STORIES ON INQUISITR:
‘Gods Of Egypt’ Review Roundup: Lots Of Action, Little Substance
Can ‘Batman V Superman’ Take Down ‘Deadpool’ At The Box Office?
Not all bad movies end up being commercial successes like Michael Bay’s Transformers and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Of course, those films had a premise based in successful cartoons and toy lines from a few decades ago that get updated every few years for a new audience. Gods of Egypt‘s box office reflects the common opinion of moviegoers who wonder why the film was even made.
Egypt‘s greatest box office opponent, Deadpool, was barely phased. Fans had been wanting a good Deadpool film ever since 20th Century Fox mishandled the character in X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Deadpool‘s revamp concept came from a trailer leaked on the Internet featuring Ryan Reynolds in the character’s true-to-the-comics outfit, and the hype grew from there until Fox decided to take a chance on what the fans wanted.
Nobody was expecting the CG spectacle of Gods of Egypt, and the box office reflected that fact. Opening Friday earnings were a mere $13 million, barely a fraction of what Deadpool made in pre-sales alone. In fact, Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice is the only film, so far, that appears poised to threaten Deadpool‘s reign. Even with a Super Bowl spot, it’s clear that few were interested in Proyas’ latest attempt at a fantasy film.
Deadline states that Gods of Egypt will still open in China on March 11, a move which may turn profits around. Deadpool was banned in China for its violence and sexual humor, elements which gave the film its R rating. Michael Bay’s Transformers: Age of Extinction made most of its revenue in China and earned it an unexpected fortune, securing three more sequels and possibly the collective groans of critics across the United States. The Gods of Egypt box office could easily get a significant boost just like the latest Transformers if Chinese audiences are interested enough.
The worst case scenario is that Gods of Egypt becomes a guilty pleasure cult classic. Of course, cinema historians might remember that Star Wars (Episode IV) was also a box office failure at first. It was word of mouth that turned George Lucas’ space opera into a mega-successful franchise. Unfortunately for Lionsgate’s latest, the Gerard Butler big budget spectacle does almost nothing original, making a word of mouth comeback highly unlikely.
‘Gods of Egypt’ Heading for Epic Box Office Flop https://t.co/VnaWW1ODzS
— Philon On Demand (@PhilonOnDemand) February 27, 2016
The Hateful Eight, Quentin Tarantino’s latest Western, could easily rival Gods of Egypt overseas and take its potential box office draw, which would keep Egypt scraping the bottom of the proverbial barrel.
It’s not looking good for the Gods of Egypt box office, as it seems to be up against stiff competition from all sides, says Hollywood Reporter. Sadly for Lionsgate, the big battle at the cinema will likely be between Deadpool, Batman V Superman, and The Hateful Eight.
[Image via Lionsgate]
