Final weekend totals have yet to be calculated, but Entertainment Weekly reports that Punisher: War Zone did a dismal $1.7 million on Friday. The previous offering in the “series”, The Punisher (with Thomas Jane and John Travolta) did over $13 million in its opening weekend.
My guess is that two things hurt the film: 1) No bankable star with any corresponding buzz, and 2) I don’t think general audiences care that much about The Punisher. Sure, The Punisher as a comic icon had his day in the ’80s and early ’90s, but that’s when cineplexes were dominated by guys with guns. Today, Punisher’s comic book cousins, actual super-heroes, rule the screen, and the stone-faced shootist seems almost like a retro picture. With regular action offerings now featuring the more cerebral Bourne series, the kinetic work of Statham, and the occasional top-flight import, a movie like the Punisher has a big hill to climb. On Friday, it only climbed into 6th place.
Too bad that the whiff of failure is so strong about the character now. With a little thought, The Punisher could have been a top-notch offering on FX to replace the slot formerly held down by the terrific The Shield. Now, it should probably just rest.
Update: Yikes. Full weekend numbers show that Punisher: War Zone ended the weekend with only $4 million raked in from over 2,000 theatres, which gave it an eigth place opening.
December 7th, 2008 at 3:48 pm
Not that I care either way, but I’m curious: how exactly do we get “full weekend numbers” on Sunday afternoon? Doesn’t anyone actually go the theatre Sunday nights, or is that not considered part of the weekend anymore?
December 7th, 2008 at 4:02 pm
Kimota94,
That’s a good question. Typically, the “full numbers” that appear on Sunday are projections based on reports from each theatre. They are usually accurate within a few grand, and are finalized on Monday. So, theoretically, it’s possible that Punisher could get a slight bump . . . or be even lower.
December 7th, 2008 at 4:44 pm
That movie was aweful in almost everyway, there is only about 5 minutes of film that is entertaining. HORRIBLE
December 7th, 2008 at 5:52 pm
I wonder if it does less then $9 million overall, that would be a blow.
December 7th, 2008 at 9:23 pm
They should relaunch Daredevil with Punisher as the villain.