Weak Box Office Result Awaits “47 Ronin”

Weak Box Office Result Awaits “47 Ronin”

The latest movie of Keanu Reeves, “47 Ronin,” appears to be on its way to a weak box office haul as pre-release surveys indicated that it may earn $20 million during its first five days on the screen. However, the cost of producing the movie reached $175 million, which may make it the biggest flop for 2013.

The distributor of the movie, Universal Pictures, appeared to have written down the cost of the movie, which will affect the income tax statement of the studio and make up for losses. Despite the hugely-successful movies that the studio released this year, the move shows it was resigned to the fact that “47 Ronin” will flop at the box office.

A statement from the studio indicated that it frequently evaluates its movie slate for possible adjustments. The studio adjusted expenses for the latest movie in previous quarters and showed indications that it will have a negative impact on the finances of the company. The difficulties of the movie started with supposed differences in the vision of director Carl Rinsch and Unversal.

The movie also had a disappointing box office result in Japan as it grossed $1.3 million during its opening weekend. The movie is loosely-based on an 18th-century legend. It follows the exploits of forty-seven samurai who wanted to avenge the death of their feudal master, who committed seppuku after he assaulted a feudal chieftain. The character played by Reeves is not found in the original text.

Rinsch was expected to by Universal to deliver a thriller filled with visual effects. However, Rinsch reportedly wanted to produce a dramatic movie with “47 Ronin.” As the budget went past the $175 million level, the studio and producers were disappointed with a number of battle sequences and told Rinsch to change some scenes to focus on the heroism of Reeves.

Phil Neilson was eventually brought in by Universal to film for five days to create the scenes they originally wanted Rinsch to shoot. Although Rinsch was not removed from the movie, he was not allowed to retain the final cut.

The release date of the movie was pushed by twice. It was initially set to be released prior to Thanksgiving in 2012 before it was moved to February 2013, and eventually ended up being released on Christmas 2013.

Although the movie itself was notable, reviews were not kind to “47 Ronin,” which may need a miracle to allow it to do well in the box office.

Posted by Kade Quinn on Saturday December 28 2013, 4:07 AM EST. Ref: LA Times. Link. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under Entertainment, Featured News. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0