Critics loved Logan Lucky and gave a big collective shrug to The Hitman’s Bodyguard, but when it came to the test of the marketplace, audiences went their own way.
The two action flicks faced off this past weekend in the US, and The Hitman’s Bodyguard emerged the victor with a chart-topping $21.6 million (Dh79.3 million), according to studio estimates on Sunday, while Logan Lucky sputtered on arrival with $8.1 million.
Both had notable stars, Logan Lucky has Channing Tatum and Daniel Craig, while The Hitman’s Bodyguard boasts Ryan Reynolds and Samuel L. Jackson, both were opening in more than 3,000 theatres and both cost around $30 million to produce. Also, both were targeted toward adults, although one was R-rated (Hitman’s Bodyguard) and one PG-13 (Logan Lucky).
But when it came to reviews, critics vastly preferred Logan Lucky, which boasts a “fresh” 93 per cent Rotten Tomatoes score, while The Hitman’s Bodyguard rests at a “rotten” 39 per cent. And yet, when presented with the choice, audiences on the whole put their dollars toward The Hitman’s Bodyguard. Even the CinemaScore was flipped with The Hitman’s Bodyguard earning a B+ and Logan Lucky a B — neither of which, it should be noted, is particularly promising for future word of mouth.
“It was a battle of the action ensemble cast movies. Audiences looked at these two action movies in the marketplace and made a decision,” said Paul Dergarabedian, a senior media analyst for comScore. “I think for audiences they’re just looking for the fun of it... [The Hitman’s Bodyguard] was critic proof. It provided a perfect escape.”
Lionsgate, which distributed The Hitman’s Bodyguard, expects the film to play well into September.
While it’s not an all-out flop, the stakes were a little higher for Logan Lucky. The Nascar heist pic was not only director Steven Soderbergh’s big return to movies after a four-year retirement, but meant to also upend the traditional distribution model with crafty filmmaker-driven know how, independent financing, foreign and streaming service sales and a more concentrated and cheaper marketing push.
An $8.1 million debut from more than 3,000 screens, however, isn’t enough to make a game-changing splash. In fact, it’s Soderbergh’s lowest wide-opening since his Solaris remake, which opened to $6.8 million in 2002. Solaris did have a higher production budget than Logan Lucky’s though.
Prior to the film’s release, Soderbergh said that he was prepared for any scenario.
“At least we got to do it the way we wanted to do it,” he said.
Dergarabedian posited that the limited exposure for Soderbergh and the producers means that Logan Lucky could still be a winning endeavour, despite coming in behind the horror holdover Annabelle: Creation, which earned $15.5 million in its second weekend.
In fourth place was Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk, one of the summer’s bigger successes, with $6.7 million, which bumped its North American total to $165.5 million. And there were a few milestones too: The buddy comedy Girls Trip sailed past the $100 million mark, and Wonder Woman crossed $800 million worldwide.
But overall the box office is still losing. As of this weekend, comScore estimates that the summer season is down 13 per cent from last year, and the year as a whole is down 5 per cent.
“The deficit keeps going up. We’re limping towards the finish line with one leg dragging behind,” Dergarabedian said. “It’s not a great place to be.”
