By the time this weekend’s box office numbers come in, Vin Diesel may come to regret his decision to release Bloodshot in the middle of the Coronoavirus pandemic. While the comic book flick wasn’t expected to do particularly big business anyway, the uncertainty surrounding virtually all aspects of life at the moment seems to be keeping people away from theaters, and the chrome-domed action star looks set to endure yet another box office bomb.
Bloodshot hasn’t exactly been greeted warmly by reviewers, but the movie’s 79% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes is much higher than the critical consensus that puts it at a worrying 33%, although Diesel has always been vocal in admitting that he makes movies for his fans and nobody else. However, early projections indicate that his latest star vehicle won’t even manage to crack $10 million domestically.
Preview screenings on Thursday night brought in $1.2 million, which has already caused analysts to revise their predictions, with Bloodshot now tracking for a weak debut of $8.5 million or less. This would mark one of the worst debuts of any project in which the 52 year-old has played the lead role, and the lowest since Babylon A.D. opened to $9.5 million back in 2008.
That being said, Diesel still has huge appeal with international audiences, and with Bloodshot reportedly costing just $42 million to produce, it could yet end up turning a profit once it eventually rolls out into overseas markets, which is a huge question mark surrounding virtually every movie at the moment. No doubt the actor isn’t best pleased that guaranteed smash-hit Fast & Furious 9 has been pushed back by a year, especially with his latest effort set to fade from the history books in a matter of weeks.