An uneven, roller coaster year at the box office is slowly coming to an end. Things couldn't have started worse for movie theaters in 2024, following last year's two Hollywood strikes. The release slate through May was downright terrible and things looked bad. Fortunately, monster hits like “Wicked” and “Moana 2” allowed us to end the year strong. So can a new Marvel movie and a new Middle-earth adventure also help the cause? It's a complicated question but, still, “Kraven the Hunter” and “The Lord of the Rings: War of the Rohirrim” will both hit screens on the same day next weekend.
Sony's latest “Spider-Man” spinoff, “Kraven the Hunter,” is currently eyeing a launch in the $16 million to $24 million range. Likewise, Warner Bros. 'Lord of the Rings' animated prequel expected to gross $15 million to $24 million opening weekend, says Box office theory. Above all, this means that we expect a very close race. Second, none of these numbers are particularly large, especially when considering the franchises the respective films are associated with. Unfortunately, we're not watching “Spider-Man: No Way Home” or “Return of the King” here. Quite the contrary, it seems.
In the case of “Kraven,” the film stars Aaron Taylor-Johnson as the Spidey villain of the same name. Sure, die-hard Marvel fans know who Kraven is, but do casual movie fans care? Perhaps more importantly, “Madame Web” is one of the biggest flops of the year and, coupled with 2022's “Morbius,” these Sony Marvel films have started to leave a bad taste in everyone's mouths, the “Venom” trilogy aside.
In the meantime, “The Rohirrim War” is deep in the story of JRR Tolkienand it's also an animated film rather than a live-action return to Middle-earth. It doesn't feature any key characters like Frodo that the audience knows. Additionally, Amazon's “The Rings of Power” aired for two seasons, bringing audiences “The Lord of the Rings” at home. The prospects for this film have always seemed relatively limited.
No matter which movie wins, it will probably be a loss
“Kraven the Hunter” centers on Kraven, whose complicated relationship with his gangster father, Nikolai Kravinoff (Russell Crowe), sets him on a path of revenge. JC Chandor (“Triple Frontier”) directed the film, which promises R-rated Marvel action. Sony even recently released the first eight minutes of the film to try to engage potential viewers.
As for “The Rohirrim War,” Kenji Kamiyama (“Blade Runner: Black Lotus”) directed the anime, which takes place nearly 200 years before the events of Peter Jackson’s “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy and reveals the fate of the House of Helm Hammerhand, the legendary king of Rohan. Again, this is deeply rooted in lore and may not be for casual fans.
We look at studios that are trying to make the most of intellectual property with somewhat limited boundaries. Sony only owns the “Spider-Man” franchise rights and after the success of “Venom” it tried to emulate that with other villain spin-offs. It didn't work out well, to say the least. In all likelihood, “Kraven” will be the straw that breaks the camel's back and Sony will have to figure out what happens next. In the case of “Rohirrim,” Warner Bros. wants to capitalize on the success of the “Lord of the Rings” franchise, which generated nearly $6 billion worldwide. But it's limited by Tolkien's texts, and they have to try to find more stories to tell that haven't yet been told on screen.
Sony's only advantage is that they have kept the budgets for these “Spider-Man” spin-offs very reasonable. “Madame Web” cost just $80 million, a bargain by superhero movie standards. “Rohirrim” features impressive animation, which generally doesn’t come cheap. Given that “LOTR” is playing well overseas, if WB kept the price reasonable, it could still be a modest success. The studio is deeply invested in this franchise, with a new live-action film “The Hunt for Gollum” is also in the works.
In both cases, we're looking at IP games that will be on the lower end of expectations. At best, they are poised for modest success. At worst? This could be a return to the drawing board for Sony and Warner Bros. in these sandboxes.
“Kraven the Hunter” and “The Lord of the Rings: War of the Rohirrim” will both hit theaters on December 13, 2024.
#Kraven #Hunter #beat #Lord #Rings #box #office
Action & Adventure Movies,Animation Movies,Fantasy Movies,Superhero Movies ,