“Bangkok Dangerous” kicks off fall movie season
The fall box-office season gets off to a rather sedate start this weekend, with just one film opening in wide release — Lionsgate’s “Bangkok Dangerous,” starring Nicolas Cage and going out without advance screenings for the press.
A spokeswoman for Lionsgate said that as an action release, “Bangkok” was never going to be a critical darling. But the studio representative stressed that Lionsgate has high opening-weekend expectations for the film.
Tracking data appears to indicate a bow somewhere north of $10 million, which means that “Bangkok” should top the weekend’s box-office rankings.
DreamWorks/Paramount’s R-rated comedy “Tropic Thunder” turned in a three-peat performance atop the domestic box office last weekend with $14.6 million during the four-day holiday frame. But even a 15 percent drop from the $11.5 million that “Tropic” fetched last Friday through Sunday would give the leggy comedy a gross slightly less than $10 million this session and finally yield the weekend crown.
Focus Features’ “Hamlet 2″ also bears watching this weekend, not because it has a chance of topping the box office but to see if the well-reviewed comedy can salvage a decent theatrical run despite its wobbly expansion into wide release last weekend.
- from Reuters