Spike Lee decided to take a risk perhaps too high to carry out the adaptation of Oldboy (2003), the south Korean film directed by Park Chan-wook who later became one of the most well-known and estimated for the Western public, after his presentation at the Cannes Film Festival in 2004 and receiving great praise of the president of the jury of that year, Quentin Tarantino.
But along with the risks purely cinematic (what could bring back to a movie so extreme and particular as Oldboy?), that after the premiere this weekend seem to have confirmed the worst suspicions (it has been said that, while it is quite dark and bloody as the original, is rather more cautious and superficial lines in general), there were others who perhaps were not as expected and that now are more astonishing.
The remake of Oldboy has become one of the worst releases of the Day of Thanksgiving and not rising over a million-dollar (grossed an estimated $850,000 in 5 days, while the budget for the film was $30 million).
If we compare with other similar tone film released the same day, Homefront, which also account with protagonists of weight as Jason Statham and James Franco, his collection was of almost 7 million (and its budget was lower: 22 million).
The failure of Oldboy at the box office was surprised because the movie was associated with big names like Spike Lee, Josh Brolin, Elizabeth Olsen, Sharlto Copley and Samuel L. Jackson, and also promised a great history of violence and revenge (at least for those who have not seen the original movie).
Another of the films released in the holidays around the Day of Thanksgiving that exceeded surprisingly to Oldboy in the box office was Black Nativity, a musical with a large cast (completely African American) headed by Forest Whitaker and Angela Bassett.
Black Nativity grossed nearly $4 million with a budget of 17.5 million.
Related posts:
- Argo is surprising in the first place, Cloud Atlas sinks at the box office
- Successful project of Spike Lee in Kickstarter
- Andres Muschietti could direct a remake of The Mummy
- Box Office Mojo named the four less blockbuster movies of 2012
- Die Hard 5 gets rid of its competence in box office
- Wreck-It Ralph breaks the box office
- Killing Them Softly and The Collection are sinking at the box office this week
- GI Joe 3 receives green light from Paramount
Source:
http://www.eulogythemovie.com/the-failure-of-the-remake-of-oldboy.html