Total Recall Reboot Gets Booted By The Dark Knight Rises at the Box Office
Nix August 6, 2012
One of these days I might end up writing a review for Len Wiseman’s “Total Recall” reboot. Right now, I don’t feel like it. The film was okay. It was slick and shiny and looked really good, but everything else about it was just … okay. Basically, there was no point to remake the Paul Verhoeven original, and I think most people realized that and stayed away as a result.
This weekend, the film opened second place with $26 million, soundly beaten out for the top spot by “The Dark knight Rises”, now in its third week. But $26 million. That’s not a bad haul, right? Well, not really. Consider that it cost Sony $125 million to make the film, and when you add in the promotional costs of marketing a blockbuster, you’re probably looking at around $200 million in costs before the film even sees a cent.
The thing is, I’m not even that big of a fan of the Verhoeven original. I mean, that movie was cheesy as hell, and could have stood to be remade. The problem with the reboot, unfortunately, is that it didn’t have enough going for it besides a big new coat of paint. The film had solid action and actors, but it just never really managed to wow you.
The good news for Sony is that sci-fi action movies usually go better overseas. Of course, given the weak domestic numbers, it better do really well overseas, or Sony might have a major flop on their hands here.
For those who are curious, the original “Total Recall” made $261 million worldwide back in 1990, a huge sum if you factor in inflation. It capped off at $119 million domestically, a sum that the 2012 reboot might not even come close to matching.
Via : Box Office Mojo
