LOS ANGELES, July 8 (UPI) —
The Johnny Depp western "The Lone Ranger" could end up costing Disney $150 million after a disappointing opening weekend, The Hollywood Reporter said.
Depp reunited with his "Pirates of the Caribbean" collaborators — producer Jerry Bruckheimer and director Gore Verbinski — for the project, which reportedly cost $250 million to make and another $175 million to market.
The Hollywood Reporter said the film made $48.9 million in North America during the five-day July 4 weekend. It is expected to earn about $125 million domestically and another $150 million in international markets.
"It’s very disappointing," Dave Hollis, Disney executive vice president of worldwide distribution, told the entertainment industry trade newspaper Sunday. "Everything was perfect on paper, so today was incredibly frustrating."
The poor performance of the "Lone Ranger" at the box office breaks Disney’s winning streak, which began with "Iron Man 3" this spring and continued with "Monsters University" during the summer.