Tom Cruise, Your Career Is Calling!
Tom Cruise is having a tough time at the box office these days – and he’s not alone!
Yes, we will always love Cruise as the goofy kid about to go to college who puts it all at risk by getting involved with Rebecca DeMornay…and of course, he will live forever in cinema history thanks to that one iconic scene…
But Hollywood is indeed a “Risky Business”! After decades of box office success with such films as “A Few Good Men”, “The Firm”, “Top Gun” and three “Mission: Impossible” films, it’s now possible to imagine that Tom Cruise is no longer a movie super star!
“Edge Of Tomorrow” Tanks!
Cruise has a new film out called “Edge Of Tomorrow”, but with the first weekend of US box office in, Cruise’s new sci-fi movie has been hammered – not even topping the box office charts! The Cruise film actually came in third on the box office charts, an unthinkable result for one of the world’s biggest stars!
The Changing Face Of Cinema!
First, this isn’t about the quality of the film – it’s about the rapidly changing world of movies. Today’s superstars are Superheroes such as “Iron Man”, “Thor” and “X-Men.” The mega hits are full of special effects, or in the case of films such as “Transformers”, the entire film IS a special effect! As a result, the market for aging action super stars is gone!
“Edge Of Tomorrow” will struggle to get to $30 million on it’s opening weekend, and will end up behind surprise #1 hit “The Fault In Our Stars” and the second weekend of “Maleficent.”
Tom Cruise has been expected to bring in huge crowds for any film he stars in – but those days are now over. “Edge of Tomorrow” is just the latest in a string of under-performers for the mega star, who no longer rules the box office heavens…remember this sour note?
Rock Of Ages!
This musical, based on a successful Broadway hit about a reclusive 80′s Rock God, bombed horribly when it was released two years ago…
Oblivion!
“Oblivion” indeed! This Tom Cruise sic-fi film barely made $75-million in the US, and it was released in the spring, when competition was low! It was a sign that Cruise was no longer able to bring audiences out for his films…
“Jack Reacher!”
Just months before “Oblivion”, Cruise starred in what was supposed to be a new action hero series – as the “Jack Reacher” books were huge hits…but again, barely $75-million at the box office over the Christmas holiday period…
No reason to hide your face in shame, Tom, for these films do much better overseas, where massive audiences help movies reach profitability. But in the US, the era of the action hero is over. This is a trend that has been underway for years now…and Hollywood’s older super stars are now struggling to find any box office love at all…
Escape Plan” has a great new movie tagline, doesn’t it?
The question is: will you be able to “break out” of your movie theater when you see this film? Will ANYONE else be there to stop you? Even with Stallone and Schwarzenegger headlining this movie, its opening weekend didn’t top $10-million!
It Looks Like “The Last Stand” Indeed!
If you follow movies, you know that Arnold Schwarzeneger’s return to movie theaters last year was greeted with a big “huh?”
I wrote all about Stallone and Schwarzenegger’s bomb “Escape Plan”, and compared it to other former action stars…Will Smith’s huge bomb “After Earth”, even Bruce Willis and his “Die Hard” series is out of gas…here is my whole story about the waning days of box office stars:
http://johnrieber.com/2013/10/18/escape-plan-stallone-and-schwarzenegger-fighting-for-box-office-survival/
As I said before, many of these films make their $$$ overseas, so you can expect to see many more films in the future from these guys, but here in the US, they’ve been replaced by a new lineup of polished, masked and caped superstars…
Let me know if you had any interest in seeing the latest Tom Cruise movie, and your thoughts about this new world of box office clout! Also, for great insight into the box office and links to all things movies, check out “MovieCityNews.com” thanks to David Poland!