What was supposed to be a holiday weekend box office battle between two big-budget tentpoles quickly flamed out as two studio films flopped.
And flops have been the dominant theme of the 2016 summer box office, the most recent casualties even include Steven Spielberg‘s “BFG”, which debuted with an underwhelming performance in ticket sales…one that industry observers thinks spells doom for the $140 million dollar production.
But it wasn’t alone in failing to stick a landing this July 4th weekend, “Tarzan” flat out missed his proverbial vine and fell out of the box office tree.
And the loin-clothed ape man’s $180 million dollar budget looks to be trouble for a film that scarcely pulled in $38 million over a holiday weekend…
By failing to sizzle at the box office, Spielberg has revealed he’s on an unprecedented losing streak, his last three movies have bombed, something unique to his storied career.
But he isn’t alone in this desperate Tinseltown summer, as studios have scrambled to figure out why the box office has been so dismal for tentpole movies.
Among the casualties of the summer so far are: X-Men, Alice In Wonderland 2, and Independence Day 2.
All of which were supposed to be flop proof moneymakers and franchise builders.
Only Pixar’s “Finding Dory” and Marvel’s “Captain America: Civil War” have thus far emerged victorious at the box office…and the summer is running out of time to get back on track.
Already expectations are cynically low for the pending release of the “Ghostbusters” reboot.
As of right now Hollywood is going to limp into the fall and hopes it can regroup to rebound another day at the box office…and maybe, just maybe, it will decide to embrace some originality over reboots and sequels going forward.
