The mystical action film «The Crow», which attempted to relaunch the cult franchise, debuted with mediocre box office receipts and low reviews.
In North America, the film grossed a modest $4.6 million against a budget of $50 million (international box office is not included in the report). «The Crow» became the second consecutive failure for Lionsgate after controversial adaptation of Borderlands.
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film received a modest 20% from critics and a somewhat more pleasing 64% from viewers, but the reviews were mostly negative:
Dennis Harvey, Variety: «The contrastingly elegant but off-kilter story of slash revenge in this reimagining is no slam dunk. And that’s something you shouldn’t watch».
Sean Burns, North Shore Movies: «One of those exhausting attempts to reincarnate IP that exists only because someone owned the rights and wanted to get paid».
Jeffrey Harris, 411mania: «The Crow’s relaunch fails to justify its existence, instead creating a silly and sloppy imitation of the 1990s classic. Weak supporting cast, banal dialogues, boring storytelling and terrible direction do not enhance the experience».
«The Crow» is an adaptation of James O’Barr’s iconic comic book and relaunches the legendary franchise that spans four films and began with an adaptation from director Alex Proyas starring Brandon Lee. This time around, Rupert Sanders («Snow White and the Huntsman») is on board to direct, and the film stars Bill Skashgord («It»), singer FKA Twigs and Danny Huston («X-Men: Wolverine») as the lead antagonist.
According to Screen Rant, even without adjusting for inflation, this year’s remake marked the lowest debut in the franchise’s history: the 1994 film started with $11.8 million, while its sequel, 1996’s «City of Angels», earned $9.8 million. The next two installments, «Salvation» 2000 and «Cruel Communion» 2005, had a limited theatrical release.
The main character of the remake is musician Eric Draven, who, together with his girlfriend Shelley Webster, dies at the hands of cruel thieves who control the entire city. However, the thirst for revenge for his beloved is stronger than death, so Eric is reborn from the dead and sets out on the path of retribution. He is accompanied everywhere by the Raven, a mystical bird that takes souls to the land of the dead but can help in the fight for justice.
The film is being screened in Ukrainian cinemas since August 22. Our review is available below the link:
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