The box office predictions for Terminator: Dark Fate are only getting worse and worse, as now the film is projected to sink below a $30 million opening. Dark Fate, the sixth film in the Terminator franchise, was primed to revitalize the iconic property and make up for the mistakes of past sequels. Featuring the returns of Linda Hamilton as Sarah Connor and James Cameron as a producer, fans and the film's studio, Paramount, expected a big win.
As the week has gone on, the box office projections have gotten grimmer. Initially expected to open between $35-$45 million, those numbers dropped to around $33 million by Thursday. Things got worse when, during its Thursday night previews, the film only grossed $2.3 million. That put it on par with the previews for the previous Terminator film, Terminator Genisys in 2015.
The Wrap has shared the revised projections for Dark Fate, suggesting the film might not even reach $30 million. It is now expected to end up between $26 million and $27 million. On Friday, it only grossed $10.6 million from 4,086 screens, which is a bleak number especially when remembering preview grosses are included in opening day numbers. A $27 million opening would put it right alongside Genisys, which received a $27 million Friday to Sunday gross after opening on the Tuesday ahead of the Fourth of July. Genisys went on to be a box office disappointment, grossing less than $100 million domestically, though it saved some face overseas. There is a chance Dark Fate could do the same.
Dark Fate's budget sits at $185 million, a hefty sum that needs big returns to be considered worthwhile. Critical reviews were mixed, with the film holding a 69% on Rotten Tomatoes. Audiences seem more receptive, giving it an 86%. However, so far it has only received a B+ CinemaScore, which is less than ideal for a franchise film. Dark Fate follows a human-cyborg hybrid from the future named Grace (Mackenzie Davis) who must protect a young woman (Natalia Reyes) from one of the deadliest Terminators of all time (Gabriel Luna) with the help of Sarah Connor and the original T-800 (Arnold Schwarzenegger).
Going into the fall movie season, everyone expected Dark Fate to be a hit. It's sad to see a beloved sci-fi property struggle to succeed, but also not terribly surprising. Audiences have shown they are not always willing to show up for something that's been rebooted several times, and after the performance of Genisys, it is possible fans are tired and do not have much faith in the franchise. Dark Fate was primed to kick off a new era of Terminator films, but it is now unclear if any of them will come to fruition after this.
Source: The Wrap
