Box Office: Clint Eastwood Suffers Worst Opening in Four Decades With ‘Richard Jewell’

Clint Eastwood might end up with a lump of box office coal after “Richard Jewell” sputtered in its domestic debut.

Despite critical acclaim, the drama about the security guard falsely accused by the media for playing a part in the 1996 Olympics bombing ignited with a dismal $5 million from 2,502 theaters.It’s a disappointing result for Eastwood, marking one of the worst nationwide openings of the 89-year-old’s directorial career.

His only movie to endure a worse fate was 1980’s “Billy Bronco” with $3.7 million.

Should “Richard Jewell” come in ahead of expectations by even $200,000, that would propel it just barely above 1997’s “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil” ($5.2 million) and 1999’s “True Crime” ($5.2 million) in terms of Eastwood’s inaugural outings.“It started out with so much promise in terms of awards season buzz,” said Paul Dergarabedian, a senior media analyst at Comscore.

“You’ve got a really high-profile

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