The early box office tracking is looking really good forRambo: Last Blood. This is the first time that Sylvester Stallone has revisited the character of John Rambo in more than a decade. Stallone has had luck getting back into Rocky Balboa’s shoes with theCreedfranchise. Some of that same magic seems to be rubbing off here, as the early indication is that this is going to be yet another much-needed hit for Lionsgate when the movie arrives in theaters next month.
According to a new report,Rambo: Last Bloodis on track for an opening weekendbox officetake between $21 and $24 million. That would be a franchise-best, which is great news for both Stallone and the studio. The prior best was set by Rambo: First Blood Part II, which opened to $20.1 million in 1985. Granted, accounting for inflation, that’s still a more impressive opening, but still. This bodes well either way. Last time out was 2008’s Rambo, which brought in $18.2 million opening weekend, on its way to $113 million worldwide.
It’s expected that Rambo 5 will manage to top any other newcomers at the box office on its opening weekend, despite a pretty hefty amount of competition. Brad Pitt’s pricey and ambitious sci-fi flickAd Astrais set to arrive that weekend as well, but it’s only tracking for between $17 and $19 million. That’s rough, considering the James Gray-directed movie has an estimated $87 million production budget. Meanwhile, theDownton Abbeymovie, which has done exceedingly well in pre-sales, is looking at $15 to $16 million.IT Chapter Twowill be entering its third weekend, and it’s quite possible the horror sequel could still be pulling down big bucks, depending on how audiences respond.
Rambo: Last Bloodseesour hero living the quiet life on his farm. Unfortunately, his peace is interrupted when he crosses paths with some cartel members. As we’ve seen in the trailers, it essentially devolves into abrutal R-rated version of Home Alone, with John defending his home and taking out those who got on his bad side. The cast also includes Paz Vega, Adriana Barraza, Yvette Monreal and Sergio Peris-Mencheta. Adrian Grunberg is in the director’s chair, working from a screenplay by Sylvester Stallone and Matthew Cirulnick.
For Lionsgate, this will provide another sorely needed hit. The studio has had several massive bombs in recent years, such asPower Rangersand last year’sRobin Hood. Luckily, this year they’ve already struck gold withJohn Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum, as well asAngel Has Fallen, which recently managed to best expectations and top the box office in its opening weekend. While these may not be $1 billion earners like Disney is releasing left and right, they’re doing enough business to keep the lights on.Rambo: Last Bloodis set to arrive in theaters on September 20. This news was previously reported byDeadline.
