The Lionsgate film Divergent, the latest young adult yarn with a decidedly dystopian outlook, earned $4.9 million in late showings Thursday night.
A good haul, no doubt, but not enough to stop the studio’s stocks from sliding today.
Even before Lionsgate unveiled its initial box office numbers, the markets were skittish. Initial reviews for the film were poor, sending the studio’s share price southward. The stock opened the week trading above $32 and was selling for $28.06 as of Friday afternoon. That’s a painful reception.
TheWrap.com cautions that overly optimistic expectations led to the stock slump. Another factor could be the Lawrence vs. Woodley battle. The Hunger Games franchise showcases Jennifer Lawrence, an Oscar winner with an unaffected personality that shines through in media interviews.
Shailene Woodley of The Descendants fame is the Divergent centerpiece. The actress is far more complicated in her public views, extolling life choices like foraging for drinking water and eating clay.
The young adult literary express is not a one-way ticket to franchise fame. Just ask the folks behind The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones, the 2013 film which couldn’t live up to the expectations of its literary source material.
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