| Box Office: David Cronenberg / Robert Pattinson COSMOPOLIS Robert Pattinson Cosmopolis movie off to solid start
Directed by David Cronenberg and starring Robert Pattinson, Cosmopolis opened to solid box-office numbers in the United States. Whether because of the recent Kristen Stewart / Rupert Sanders "cheating scandal" — Pattinson, as Stewart’s reported boyfriend, became enmeshed in the media sewer — or because of several key positive reviews, or a combination of both, Cosmopolis took in a respectable $72,300 at three locations this weekend, Aug. 17-19, according to studio estimates found at Box Office Mojo.
As a result, Cosmopolis‘ per-theater average was the highest on Box Office Mojo’s (incomplete) weekend chart: $24,100. That’s quite remarkable for a film that panders neither to its audience nor to its critics. The distributor is eOne Films, a subsidiary of the Canadian-based conglomerate Entertainment One.
Now, to compare Cosmopolis‘ per-theater average to those of fare such as The King’s Speech ($355,450 at four theaters), Moonrise Kingdom ($130,749 at four theaters), or The Kids Are All Right ($70,282 at seven theaters) would be ludicrous. Unlike David Cronenberg’s effort, those movies — distributed by well-established US-based companies (Focus Features, The Weinstein Company) — are highly accessible crowd pleasers. Cosmopolis, on the other hand, is anything but. Even Cronenberg’s own A Dangerous Method ($41,988 at four locations last year) was a much more accessible film.
Cosmopolis movie: ‘Uncommercial’ narrative
In Cosmopolis, Robert Pattinson plays a young New York City billionaire riding around town in a gigantic white limousine while on his way to getting what turns out to be a fateful haircut. The film, I should add, is set mostly inside the limo, where just about everything happens, from social protests to a revealing prostate exam.
Screened at the Cannes Film Festival last spring, Cosmopolis was greeted by mostly positive reviews while Robert Pattinson, best known as the Twilight movies’ vampire Edward Cullen, earned his best personal notices to date. Admittedly, some critics did complain that both Cosmopolis and Eric Packer came across as too cold and distant to elicit any sort of audience empathy.
As an audience-"unfriendly" effort, Cosmopolis needed all the box-office buzz it could get. After spending several weeks "in hiding" from the media in the aftermath of the Kristen Stewart / Rupert Sanders scandal, Pattinson returned to the spotlight in full force earlier this week, showing up at the Museum of Modern Art Cosmopolis premiere, and guesting on Jon Stewart’s The Daily Show and Good Morning America.
As part of the Cosmopolis promotional blitz, the film’s star and director even rang the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange last Tuesday. It remains to be seen whether the David Cronenberg / Robert Pattinson collaboration will also generate awards-season buzz in the coming weeks. Despite a mediocre 55% approval rating and 6/10 average among Rotten Tomatoes‘ top critics, that’s not an impossibility. [See full-size Robert Pattinson David Cronenberg NYSE photo.]
Cosmopolis‘ North American cume currently stands at $268,900. Last June, the film opened in Canada, where it bombed. Among the countries listed on the Box Office Mojo Cosmopolis movie chart, the Pattinson / Cronenberg movie was best received in France, where it grossed a respectable $2.27m (around the time of the Cannes festival), followed by Italy, with a passable $1m, and the United Kingdom with a disappointing $524k.
Cosmopolis movie cast
Besides Robert Pattinson, Cosmopolis also features Oscar winner Juliette Binoche (The English Patient), Oscar nominees Samantha Morton (Sweet and Lowdown, In America) and Paul Giamatti (Cinderella Man), and Cannes Film Festival Best Director winner Mathieu Amalric (On Tour). In addition to Sarah Gadon, Jay Baruchel, Kevin Durand, Emily Hampshire, and K’Naan. David Cronenberg wrote the screenplay (reportedly in six days), based on Don DeLillo’s novel.
Robert Pattinson Cosmopolis movie pics: Alfama Films
Zac Gille | Aug 19, 2012 | 5 Comments
If you liked this post, please consider sharing it with your friends/followers
Continue Reading: THE EXPENDABLES 2 Box Office: Less Firepower Than THE EXPENDABLES
Previous Post: THE EXPENDABLES 2 Weekend Box Office: 25% Behind Original Movie? http://www.altfg.com/blog/movie/robert-pat...vie-box-office/ |
