Caffeinated Clint
Aggravatingly, since it’s not only a great film but going to likely affect the whole Schwarzenegger slate here on out, Arnold’s big comeback movie “The Last Stand” seems to have belly-flopped in the U.S.
The flick, Schwarzenegger’s first headliner movie since leaving office, received very good reviews across the board. Sadly, “Last Stand” failed to pull in audiences, opening at 6th position in the top ten, and chalking up only $6 million on it’s opening day. If I were a betting man, I would’ve laid down a few coin on this opening big; clearly, I’m not box-office forecaster, I think I will just stick to www.partycasino.com this year.
What I have to remember, I guess, is that these are very different times now than when Schwarzenegger was one of the biggest movie stars on the planet. He may have had the monopoly on blockbusters locked back in the late ’80s and early ’90s, but there’s so much more competition now from equally-appealing actors, super-marketed (marketing just wasn’t as prominent back in the days of “Red Heat” or “Predator”) films, and the resurgence of VOD and Blu-ray. There’s more people, product and mediums fighting for the audience’s attention these days. Had it been released in 1991, “Last Stand” likely would’ve snagged the top box -office spot, but we also didn’t have an iPhone to play on back in those days, nor did we have to contend with the appealing likes of horror-meister Guillermo del Toro (whose latest, “Mama” has opened at No.1).
Looking at Schwarzenegger’s upcoming slate, I wonder how the disappointing performance of “Last Stand” will affect the many, expensive, epic projects the big guy has planned? Will it derail “The Legend of Conan”? Set back “Terminator 5”? Kill “Twins 2 : Triplets”? Please don’t tell me it’s going to restrict Schwarzenegger back to “Expendables” films, where he’ll suffice with his 20 minutes of screen-time? As a big fan of the Oak, I only hope word-of-mouth kicks in and “Last Stand” begins showing stout legs as the week rolls on.
Give Schwarzenegger a shot, people! Check out “Last Stand” – not just because you’d be appeasing the writer here, but because it’s a very decent time.
