In this week’s roundup of the global box-office scene:
• Universal’s focused approach shows up scattergun Warner confusion
• UK and German openings suggest Compton off the pace external of its hood
• ‘Flop’ Pixels delivers Adam Sandler’s highest abroad acquire
AKA the winner v the loser of summer 2015. This week’s box office speaks volumes: Minions coasts past the $1bn note for Universal,the studio’s third 10-digiter this year after Furious 7 and Jurassic World; Warner Bros’ Zac Efron-starring EDM drama We Are Your Friends tanks, managing just $1.8m, or a calamity for a wide release. There’s nothing inherently inaccurate with closing summer with a niche,quasi-indie drama, but not if the rest of your summer slate has consisted of indifferent franchise revisitations (The Man From U.
N.
C.
L.
E., and Vacation,Entourage, Magic Mike XXL), and plodding genre efforts (The Gallows,Hot Pursuit) and one trumped-up B-movie (San Andreas). Only crazy Max: Fury Road had that must-see sparkle – and it under-performed financially. It’s not obligatory to have a massive tentpole hit Universal has its most profitable year ever without one in 2014 – but in that case you have to arrange and advertise your stall more shrewdly than Warner have this year. Perhaps the studio is still on a post-Harry Potter comedown.
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Source: theguardian.com