Box-Office Bomb: 'King Arthur' Limps Toward $14M Debut Behind 'Snatched'
Box-Office Bomb: 'King Arthur' Limps Toward $14M Debut Behind 'Snatched', The second weekend of summer at the North American box office is taking no prisoners.
Warner Bros. and Village Roadshow's King Arthur: Legend of the Sword is a flop of epic proportions. The movie opened to an estimated $5.3 million Friday from 3,702 locations for a projected $14.2 million weekend after costing $175 million to make before a major marketing spend.
Piling on more bad news, King Arthur looks to be beat by Amy Schumer and Goldie Hawn's Snatched in a surprise upset. The Mother's Day action-comedy earned an estimated $5 million Friday from 3,501 theaters for a $16 million-plus opening. Fox spent a relatively modest $42 million to make the R-rated movie, but was certainly hoping for more, considering Schumer's Trainwreck debuted to $30 million in summer 2015.
Overall, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 will easily stay atop the chart in its second weekend with $60 million or more from 4,347 theaters. The Disney and Marvel sequel grossed $16.4 million on Friday, more than King Arthur will in its entire weekend unless the movie finds Excalibur. Globally, Guardians Vol. 2 will finish Sunday with well north of $500 million globally.
King Arthur, helmed by Guy Ritchie and starring Charlie Hunnam in the titular role, is a dark origins story about the future king's tough upbringing in the back alleys of the city. But once Arthur pulls the sword from the stone, he is forced to acknowledge his true legacy. Jude Law, Astrid Berges-Frisbey, Djimon Hounsou, Aidan Gillen and Eric Bana also star.
The male-fueled film - whose release was delayed numerous times - was skewered by critics, but received a B+ from critics. All eyes are now on the film's international performance.
The R-rated Snatched, produced by Chernin Entertainment, follows a mother and daughter who find themselves trying to escape after being abducted on vacation in Ecuador. The R-rated comedy marks Hawn's first turn on the big screen in 15 years.
