Thursday, June 22, 2023

Jennifer Lawrence’s ‘No Hard Feelings’ Aims for $12 Million Debut, ‘The Flash’ Braces for 60% Drop at Box Office

Can a comedy with an R rating that gets a lot of laughs still sell a lot of tickets at the box office?

This question will be answered by Jennifer Lawrence's "No Hard Feelings," which opens this weekend in 3,000 North American theaters and is expected to make only $12 million in its debut.

In a time when theatrical comedies, particularly those rated R or higher, are in danger of extinction, that is not a bad result. However, given its star power, $45 million budget, and prime June release date, it would also not be a good place to start. With all due respect to the drugged-up grizzly, Universal's wild R-rated "Cocaine Bear" did not feature one of Hollywood's biggest stars when it opened to $23.2 million earlier this year.

important for "No Hard Feelings" because broad comedies typically lack international appeal. Reviews might not make a difference. According to Owen Gleiberman of Variety, "the film's promise of risky business is little more than a big tease." It currently has a score of 60% on Rotten Tomatoes. Lawrence was hailed by other critics as an actor "who's never anything but watchable."

A positive for Sony: When Universal's R-rated "Strays," about a dog who is abandoned by his erratic owner, opens in August, "No Hard Feelings" won't face competition until later in the summer.

Advertisement by HBOSee More Studios, "Tina Satter Humanizes Reality Winner's Interrogation With Sydney Sweeney Starrer," has had mixed results. Sony and Legendary's "The Machine," based on Bert Kreischer's stand-up routine of the same name, failed worldwide with $10 million earlier this summer. Last year, Billy Eichner's raunchy "Bros" failed worldwide with just $14 million, while "Cocaine Bear" won modestly with $87 million. Those films had budgets of $22 million or less, making them less expensive than "No Hard Feelings."

Star-driven films like "Ticket to Paradise" starring Julia Roberts and George Clooney and "The Lost City" starring Sandra Bullock both grossed more than $150 million worldwide and were rated PG-13. Meanwhile, stand-up Jo Koy's dysfunctional family story "Easter Sunday" and comedian Sebastian Maniscalco's meet-the-parents style "About My Father" received little attention at the box office.

One of the creators of Amazon's surreal comedy "Jury Duty," Gene Stupnitsky, co-wrote and directed "No Hard Feelings." Lawrence plays an Uber driver who accepts a Craigslist ad to "date" an introverted 19-year-old boy before he goes to college, played by newcomer Andrew Barth Feldman. Prior to the pandemic, Stupnitsky's 2019 R-rated comedy "Good Boys," starring Jacob Tremblay, made $21 million at the box office. The charming coming-of-age film made $111 million worldwide at the end of its theatrical run.

 Wes Anderson's "Asteroid City" is expected to generate $7 million to $8 million when it expands into 1,500 venues. "Reservation Dogs" showcases masterful storytelling with a deep bench of creative talent. Scarlett Johansson, Bryan Cranston, Jason Schwartzman, Maya Hawke, and dozens of other Anderson regulars and newcomers star in the comedic drama, which opened in limited release with $790,000, or a staggering $132,211 per theater.

Somewhere else in the cinematic world, remainders of the DC comic book experience "The Blaze," Pixar's "Natural" and Sony's enlivened "Bug Man: In North America, "Across the Spider-Verse" will compete for first place.

The winner of last weekend's event, "The Flash," is expected to retain the No. 1 spot. The standalone superhero story starring Ezra Miller hopes to make $22 million to $25 million in its second outing, down roughly 60% from its $55 million opening.

The opening weekend of "Elemental," which set a new Pixar record with $29 million, is expected to bring in $14 million to $16 million, a 45-50% drop. In addition, it is anticipated that "Spider-Verse" will earn between $13.5 million and $15 million in its fourth weekend of release based on its current trajectory. The animated sequel has so far made $506 million worldwide and $290 million in North America.

No comments:

Post a Comment