In what is certain to go down as one of the biggest box office flops of the year, the $250-million-plus “John Carter” debuted with a disappointing $30.6 million this weekend.
Instead, last weekend’s No. 1 film, “Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax,” claimed the top spot yet again. The Universal Pictures film, an animated 3-D environmental tale for families, collected an additional $39.1 million. The movie has now grossed a robust $122 million in just 10 days of release.
Meanwhile, fanboys failed to gravitate toward Walt Disney Studios’ “John Carter,” a 3-D fantasy epic that has been eclipsed by bad buzz for months. But the movie starring Taylor Kitsch wasn’t the only bomb at the box office this weekend. “Silent House,” a thriller featuring Elizabeth Olsen, did not have an impressive debut, grossing $7 million — but at least the movie was made for under $1 million. “A Thousand Words,” an Eddie Murphy comedy that has been sitting on the shelf since 2008 and cost far more to make, brought in only a measly $6.4 million.
“John Carter,” about a Civil War veteran who is transported to Mars, will likely force Disney to take a write-down, according to media analysts. Heading into the weekend, one Wall Street analyst, Evercore’s Alan Gould, said the film could lose as much as $165 million.
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