Disney/Pixar’s “Toy Story 4” can’t come soon enough to buoy the floundering summer box office.
This weekend’s openings are pathetic.
Franchise reboot “Men in Black: International” (Sony) and the second remake of “Shaft” (Warner Bros.) together grossed under $37 million.
Two summers ago, when “War for the Planet of the Apes” opened to “only” $56 million, it was considered low enough to threaten the future of that series.Both of this weekend’s sequels were directed by proven veterans with domestic totals approaching $1 billion: F.
Gary Gray (“The Fate of the Furious” and “Straight Outta Compton”) and Tim Story (“Fantastic Four” and “Ride Along”), who will doubtless return to making popular movies.As a sign of the times, “Men in Black” still managed to place #1, while “Shaft” crept into sixth place.
Studio greenlighters consider franchise entries to be the major reason theater doors stay open, but they keep failing to draw stateside moviegoers.
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