It’s been a rough few months for Lionsgate, and unfortunately things haven’t improved this past weekend.
Beginning with Borderlands in July, Lionsgate have suffered a series of painful box-office disappointments, losing up to $30 million on Eli Roth’s video game adaption.
The bad luck continued through August, with Lionsgate’s highly contentious reboot of 1994’s The Crow grossing only $27 million worldwide. Against a production budget of $50 million, it was a grim outcome.
Consequently, Lionsgate moved up Never Let Go, in the hopes that star Halle Berry would draw in a sizeable crowd.
Unfortunately, Alexandre Aja’s post-apocalyptic tale of family strife only saw Lionsgate’s struggles continue. Initially projected to gross $5-9 million, Never Let Go disappointed by debuting to just $4.9 million.
Despite failing to strike a chord with the public, critics have been kind to Never Let Go, with Berry’s performance singled out for praise.
Whilst hope remains for Never Let Go, with its September 27th international release, it seems unlikely there will be a profit, given the $20 million budget.
Halle Berry recently confirmed Alexandre Aja’s plans to turn Never Let Go into a franchise, with a sequel and prequel allegedly in development. However, given the underperformance at the box-office, those plans may not come to fruition.
