July 20, 2013–Universal’s sci-fi thriller “R.I.P.D.” appears to be dead on arrival.
The $130 million-plus movie, starring Ryan Reynolds and Jeff Bridges, may only draw $11 million this weekend at the box office, according to early estimates, making it the latest in a string of recent Hollywood flame-outs.
The film was dismissed by most critics: According to Rotten Tomatoes, 88 percent of the reviews were negative and only 12 percent favorable. R.I.P.D. is one of the worst-reviewed pictures of the year.
“It’s a complete disaster,” one insider says of the costly feature. As of Friday afternoon, “R.I.P.D.” is 10% behind “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World,” which only earned $10.5 million its opening weekend.
The lightly-marketed supernatural pic, about a dead cop who joins a police force in the afterlife, had been tracking in the weeds all year. Universal recently pointed out that the crowded weekend, not to mention strong summer holdovers, would make competition “fierce” for the picture.
The reception is a wake-up call for Hollywood. “R.I.P.D.” follows recent fiascoes “The Lone Ranger,” starring Johnny Depp, “Pacific Rim” and Will Smith’s “After Earth,” all of which were non-sequels.
As for Universal, the studio was having a very strong 2013 until “R.I.P.D.”: “Fast & Furious 6″ earned a massive $700 million worldwide and most recently, “Despicable Me 2″ dominated worldwide markets.
Opening in 10 international locations Friday, “R.I.P.D.” was co-produced by Original Film and Dark Horse Entertainment.
