Deadline Hollywood has an extensive piece about how Knight and Day, which has its wide release today, may be the final nail in Tom Cruise’s career-coffin. While the film is getting some good or respectable reviews, media and film analytics sources are saying that audiences are just not interested. Knight and Day cost roughly $115 million to make, plus “tens of millions more” to promote it with a “vigorous marketing campaign.” In its limited release, the film has only made $3.8 million when most analysts were hoping for $5 million. And now they’re saying it will be lucky to break $25 million this weekend, and will probably not make any money for the studio in the long haul. So studio executives are beginning to ask “Why would we want to greenlight another 100-million-plus action adventure film with Cruise ever again?”
While 20th Century Fox is the studio sweating it out hoping Knight and Day overcomes lackluster tracking to turn in respectable 5-day opening numbers, Paramount brass is paying close attention. That’s because the studio just received the screenplay for the new Mission: Impossible 4 penned by Josh Applebaum and Andre Nemec. I’ve learned that Brad Grey and Rob Moore are reading the script over the next few days and figuring out the preliminary budget next week on the Brad Bird-directed fourquel. Cruise reprises his Ethan Hunt role and produces with MI3 director JJ Abrams.
But what effect if any will Knight and Day’s box office have on the new pic? Paramount insiders tell me no decisions have been made yet. But Hollywood has been buzzing that the studio might kill MI4 if Knight doesn’t connect with audiences despite Cruise’s action hero character.
What are Paramount’s choices? The studio could choose not to accept the mission, but that seems next to impossible after all the development that’s already gone into this still viable franchise. Especially after Paramount repaired its fractured relationship with Tom around this film and just committed to a film with his Les Grossman character.
Plus, Cruise made what I hear is a reasonable deal to get the film off the ground, and there is a risk-sharing partner in exec producer David Ellison and his Skydance banner. More importantly, MI4 is a big film for Abrams’ Bad Robot, one of the most important producers on the Paramount lot right now. Paramount could downsize the budget, but how much can you cut back from the $150 million mark that seems to be the going rate for action franchises, and still make MI4 look like past installments?
I’m hearing the most likely course of action is for the studio to beef up the subplot that introduces a new and younger agent who becomes Hunt’s protege. The studio could then turn the franchise into more of a two-hander than the Mission: Impossible films traditionally have been. Mission: Impossible 3 grossed $398 million worldwide, while MI2 grossed $546.4 million. MI4 is schedule for release December 16, 2011, so those decisions will be made shortly.
UPDATE: This is a failing grade for the 20th Century Fox film starring Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz on the first day of what will be its 5-day opening weekend. According to rival studios, a figure of $5+M would have been hopeful. But Fox announced just now that Knight and Day did only a nervous $3.8M. (Rival studios had it at $3.6M this morning “apparently not knowing that there was a data feed problem with one of the big circuits”, Fox tells me.) “It’s normally 5-times Wednesday for 5 days, but that’s a number below even the most evil estimates,” one rival studio exec emails me.
So, basically, Tom Cruise is never going to be the movie star he once was. If Knight and Day fails, which it looks like it might. We’ll see on Monday when all the numbers come out, but if I was a studio head (I wish), I wouldn’t want to get near a Tom Cruise film. Of course, if I was a studio head, I would cast every movie with Clive Owen, Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Idris Elba. And there would be mandatory nude scenes for two out of those three – sorry PSH, I love you, but I don’t need to see you naked.
Oh, and Tom was on Leno last night. He did a little of his Donald Duck impression, but Leno’s set-up was just… strange. Tom used to go over to Jay’s house and Jay would pretend to be asleep while Tom did the Donald Duck voice? … the f-ck? What kind of crazy sex fetish is this?
this is just sad and pathetic, tom, stop.trying.so.hard. the desperation shows
Idris Alba? Was that the terrible actor opposite the equally terrible Beyonce in Obsessed?
ok so i never saw obsessed but i’m sure it was TRASH with a capital T! BUT- don’t talk about my idris!! he is stringer bell & he is THE MAN!
tom’s been on the slide ever since katie came on the scene. that idiotic couch jumping started it all.
too bad cause up ’til then his movies were all kinds of fab.
desperation does show, indeed, believe it or not I think his crafted marriage backfired with whomever his loyal fanbase might be.
I am cracking up at the promo’s
“tom cruise in his best top gun form” lol Top Gun is incidentally the last tiny tom film I watched. I watched that however, for ICEMAN, too cool Tom was just an unpleasant side effect
It looks like a cute movie. I plan to see it.
FYI: the video won’t stop playing
I saw another ad for this movie last night and commented to my husband that they were really doing a hard sell on this movie. Now I understand why. Honestly, it looks funny. I don’t like Tom Cruise and I can’t stand Cameron Diaz but Cruise does funny well so if this flick can’t make it for him, I don’t see one that would.
I wish he’d crawl under a rock!!!! Women think he’s so hot but really he’s so ugly. And you can’t blame his career going down hill on Katie cuz he’s been going down for years and years…atleast in my opinion
Anybody ever consider that Cameron Diaz might be the reason no one wants to see the movie. I enjoy Tom, but can’t stand Cameron. She is a terrible actress, playing the same role over and over again. She is just so boring to watch.
I’m not surprised it’s weak – these days only comic book based action films have a shot, with their built in audiences.
Add that to a cheesy title, 2 stars who have passed their likability prime and don’t seem to be bringing anything new, and major box office competition, I think they’ll be lucky if they make back their bloated budget.
Idris Alba wouldn’t need to act or even say anything, he could just stand there. I’d watch that movie over and over again.
I actually think the movie will pick up by the weekend. That Wednesday opening was DUMB> most people didn’t even know it had opened. A few people I know who saw it liked it ok. ONLY complaint was it was too contrived; too many unexplained plots turns. I think Tom is in a rut. doing the same movies he was famous for years ago. He really needs to mix it up a bit more. But I really doubt this film wile end a career. MI4 is a Brand and the fans of the series will go see it. But I think people should not count him out. The movie will make loads of money overseas. Thus all the overseas PROMO.. Domestic money is not the only money. US audiences hold actors to some weird standard. They equate their personal lives too much with the on screen performance. Overseas audiences enjoy the movie and are more loyal to the performer. Tom has a huge overseas audience.
The movie will make money..
I will say it is sad to see him working this hard to sell this film..which he oversold to begin with..Could you see Depp, Pitt, Leo, or any of these men doing this.. NOPE
1st pic: There’s no denying Tom Cruise is still an good-looking man.
As for this film, even the trailers turned me off. It’s Mission Impossible 5, possibly with a sense of humor. And Cameron Diaz is annoying. Her only talents are in her sexy legs.
Hey, I didn’t say she wasn’t hawt! 🙂
Saw the movie. I honestly wanted to like it more but just didn’t. Tom was ok, the script was just ok, but I really couldn’t get past Cameron Diaz. She’s by no means one of my favorites, but I don’t dislike her (Something About Mary — great stuff) In the movie though she has a Boston accent and it is HORRIBLE. It fades in and out throughout the movie and it is totally distracting. I couldn’t get past it.
Ade, ITA with you. I can’t stand Cameron Diaz and totally feel she is the main reason for the hit not Tom. Tom’s movie Valkeryie did pretty good in 2008 so you can’t say every movie with him bombed since his couch jumping days. I honestly think Tom’s come a long way since then and if he had a different costar then I think this movie would have been and performed so much better.
I think the reason people are staying away from the movie is because it looks terrible. Cameron Diaz seems like a cool person, but she hardly ever steps out of her comfort zone. Tom Cruise needs to do more bits like the one from Tropic Thunder. That made me forget for a while that he was so kooky haha
Idris Elba was fabulous in The Wire! He’s a good actor – I’d like to see him in more challenging roles, his “Hollywood” roles have left much to be desired….
But the man is very sexy – something I don’t really think TC ever really was.
Knight and Day could have been good, but they made a number of mistakes with it – first of which was Cruise’s insistence on being the “Top Gun” hero. When he makes fun of himself he is more interesting, but I don’t think he has the ego to do it.
Secondly, too many cheap CGI effects
Third – Cameron Diaz is not bringing it.
well no doubt tom’s brand is less valuable now, but i think this movie has other reasons to tank, like it just looks dumb, both the story and the actors are played out. we’ve seen both tom and cam in these roles and similar movies a billion times. and the title is really stupid, like a 70s cop show.
I thought I was looking at Dennis Quaid.
i would not see it because i can’t stand diaz. she’s been in some nice films (that i’ve rented)… being malcovich/gangs of NY but thought she was stale and annoying. wouldn’t pay theater price for a diaz flick.
If I were a studio executive, I would totally co-sign Kaiser’s casting! Idris was great in the Wire and he was also very, very good in RocknRolla. He can do heavy drama and lighter stuff and he looks awesome.
@13, Lisa, I think actors need to be careful not to make their celebrity so big that it distracts from their ability to disappear into a character. That’s another reason Madonna never made it as an actress (along with not being very talented in that area). But once an actor has such a huge persona outside of their films that’s all I can see unless they are very, very good on the screen. I just see crazy TOM CRUISE or bitchy MADONNA. I can’t see the character they are trying to create..
I hope the movie will be successful. I’m sorry for Tom, he’s a great actor and now he has no chance at all.
Maybe Tom should question Scientologys direction of his career. Not working any more.
My newspaper said the movie makes no sense, how did they get to this place, why did she fall in love after he kills an airliner full of people. Jumps from one situation to another with no explanation or sense. Lots of violence/killing but they seem to think it must be OK if you don’t give the victims names. Sounds like Tom, if he says it’s OK it’s OK.
Ade and Bonnie, count me in! Cameron Diaz is a deterrent, not Cruise.
I think Scientology is a creepy mind control cult too, but Tom cruise is, and will always be, one of the biggest movie stars in the world. He is extremely talented. He is a rare talent who can do comedy, drama, AND action. He’s grown so much as an actor. Compare his early work to something like The Last Samuri or Magnolia. He’s got something.
Tom’s movie Valkeryie did pretty good in 2008
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HUH? What? It most certainly DID NOT do pretty good. Valkeyrie cost $75M to make and earned a total of $83M. I don’t know how much the promotion budget was but it had to be a few millions. So, that’s a bomb, honey!! The movie needs to earn twice its cost in order to be considered even a modest hit.
I think having Cam Diaz in this movie was a bad idea. Her last couple of movies (minus Shrek) were lousy and didn’t make any money. (Anybody remember The Box? Didn’t think so.) She’s not exactly box office gold and Tom Cruise needs someone opposite him who can bring their own fans to the movie house. So, this thing will be a bomb but I don’t think it will be totally put on Tom’s shoulders. I’m not a Cruise fan but I do think the next Mission Impossible will be made and it will earn somewhere around the $200M mark domestic and about that overseas. So it will make money.
I think my husband summed it up best: “I have no desire to see this movie, and I hope it fails.”
Over the years, TC has lost a lot of his appeal to me. The cute guy from “Risky Business” he’s not. And CD is far more appealing to me than TC, which is saying a lot.
Why does he always wear his “uniform”: blue jeans and a button-down shirt? It makes his stubby legs look even stubbier. I detest him..
Miranda:
Valkrie made 200 million worldwide. The 83 million you are quoting is only domestic movie ticket sales.
So yes it turned a profit….although not huge..but the studio’s made their money back with a small profit to boot.
I agree with the miscasting of Cameron Diaz in this film. She is a goof and adds nothing.
While I think Tom’s loony and Katie should leave him, he’s still a good actor, and I hope to catch MI4 with him in it.
Miranda, I was going to post the same thing about Valkeyrie. It did OK overseas and probably made money overall, but, fair or not, the majority of a star’s bankability is how they do in US theaters, which influences the media buzz around a film and an actor. Lots of actors do very well overseas, but I think perception in Hollywood itself is still really important.
Totally agree that Cameron is a deterrent as well. Had they paired Tom with someone more interesting, maybe a newer face, it might have had a bigger draw, but I don’t know. There’s more working against the film than working for it.
I wish he would do more bad guy rolls like Collateral. He probably made that one before he jumped the shark, err couch.
tom cruise is INTERNATIONAL movie star, i think he needs to lay of fthe action roles for a while and do more dark comdies and dramas, i know that little man wants an oscar
Tom is still a very handsome man. The movie looks interesting and the combination of Cameron and Tom make it even better, I like them both.
When he laughs, I just feel unsettled.
It is not human, somehow.
I truly believe Tom Cruise is a sort of sociopath.
There are a lot of parallels here to Burt Reynold’s career (the perfect bell curve).
What career?
Does Tom Cruise’s P.R. firm hire people to come on sites like this and say that they like him?? I’ve not heard an actual person say they “like” Tom Cruise in years!
Zelda, agree with you. He is creepy.
I think Tom was an international star but like Tiger & Mel he let his true colors show.
Maybe some folks think he is still the shit, but I think he can’t keep coasting on his Glory Days.
I believe Tom Cruise will one day win an Oscar. He has the political ability to get in on the right project.
Some of his best roles have been where he’s not the “star.” Color of Money got Newman(rest his sweet soul) an Oscar. Rainman got Hoffman one. He makes other actors look good too.
I think Charlize Theron wouldve been a great Cameron Diaz replacement. They can’t use Katie Holmes. No chemistry.
Jerry Maguire, what happened to you….le sigh!
When will his contract with Katie end?
I’m gonna pass on this movie. Like others have said, Diaz just plays the same person over & over. Which is herself, which is not acting. And honestly Cruise creeps me out. I just can feel his spastic energy & it makes me nervous. Plus I feel like they’ve put everything into this movie including the kitchen sink (from seeing the trailers). But oversees this might make a bundle.
Marjalane, maybe you don’t see anyone saying they like Cruise because 1) you are on a gossip site that is 99% negative and loves to bash celebrities and 2) because people like you assume when someone likes a celebrity on gossip bashing blog site that it must be the celebs PR people that are saying it.
Based on the trailers, it looks good but I just can’t get past Tom Cruise’s craziness.
I’ll be one of the few to support Cameron Diaz, I like her. However, after reading someone’s comment about her accent coming and going, that’s upsetting (think Vampire Bill).
And yeah, he is handsome but he skeeves me. I guess on the international level, this ought to do well. Like Michael Jackson, people in Canada and the US couldn’t get past the crazy but the rest of the world LOVE these guys.
I’d gladly take money to say I like TC! Hey, call me!
Melanie, I really liked him in Collateral too. That was made pre-couch jumping, though I think that’s when he started to woo Will & Jada with Scientology.
When he’s not playing Tom Cruise Movie Star Hero! and lets himself be a character that’s a jerk or flawed or just evil, he is a very good actor. But it seems like he prefers being the hero who saves the day.
lucy2, Yes, he makes an excellent baddie. When he smiles and it doesn’t reach his eyes (like normal) it is scary. I wonder if the CO$ doesn’t let him take rolls like that anymore.
OMG that interview was the worst set up I’ve seen in a while. Jay’s a bad interviewer and Tom’s so fake it’s unbelieveable that he’s actually an actor for a living.
I’ve never wanted a movie to crash and burn as much as I want this one to.
If they had done a MI 4 with a better plot than 3 *first,* Tom would possibly have revamped his action hero career. Unfortunately, he picked what looks like a lukewarm almost parody and teamed with Cameron Diaz. I like Tom’s movies more when he’s the lead and there isn’t a true love interest. Knight and Day just seems like it’s trying to be some weird reinvention of Mr. and Mrs. Smith, which isn’t going to work. Maybe if Tom had Lucy Liu (sp?) as the female lead, it would work better, but that’s just imo cos I think she’s a stronger female lead than Cameron because she’s sexier and kicks azz better. I haven’t seen enough of the previews to see if the female is supposed to be strong or ditzy, so my opinion might be off.
Saw Knight and Day yesterday and I loed it. Very funny stuff, the whole theater was laughing. I am surprised it didn’t do better so far. It was very funny.
I used to adore Tom, but the Scientology and fake marriage to Katie leaves such a bad taste in my mouth, I can’t stomach him. It’s too bad, he’s a huge talent. Even Len Grossman can’t save him.
I will never see a film with Tiny Tom in it again. I can never forget what an ass he made of himself in the Katie saga. He just totally grosses me out. I hope his career is an epic fail from now on. Nobody deserves it more.
What really annoys me is that Tom gets such a bad rap. I know that the Angie/Brad fans complain that the press is down on those two. But think of Tom. The press is horrible to him. There is consant tabloid chatter about his children, the idea that him and Katie are splitting and still together after what 5-6 years. And what was with that comment about a “fake marriage”? How stupid is that comment.
This post is another example. When was the last time that a Matt Damon movie made money. Movie theaters spend millions on Matt Damon and almost always lately they are flops. Studios have lost millions on this guy. BUt not one article on this. Tom has one that doesn’t look like it is going to do well and before before the weekend is over blogs all over are trying to make it look like a flop. Give the guy a break! I am not a huge fan but really dislike the crazy hate for him.
I love Tom Cruise movies. He’s made very very very very very many many many good movies, even lately. Valkyrie was a great movie, and even that he’s made other solid actioners like Collateral, MI3, Vanilla Sky, Minority Report, etc. The problem isn’t that his movies have gotten worse, heck Valkyrie is 1000 times better than Top Gun or Risky Business. No, it’s just people can no longer separate his craziness from his screen persona.
It’s really sad, because Tom Cruise is extremely savvy in his ability to pick just the right material for him. Too bad it didn’t carry into his PR as well.
Ever since his PR disaster, I doubt any movie of his will ever be a hit anymore. Heck, if he were to star in the Lord of the Ring, the trilogy would bomb. In other words, no matter how good his movie is, it would still bomb because he has become a box office poison.
P.S. I wish people were this discerning with Roman Polansky. Thanks to people who didn’t care he was a kiddie rapist, the “Ninth Gate” was a solid success.
When he did the Oprah couch jumping and the crazy Matt Lauer interview I swore never to watch any of his movies again because apparently he decided not to take his medication anymore. However, I have not stopped watching his movies and although I can’t say I have paid to go see one, I would watch it if it’s on. If you get pass the crazy tactics, you can actually tell he is a good actor.
As far as Cameron Diaz, I like her and when people talk about playing the same role, I actually thought they were talking about Jennifer Aniston, can you picture R. Green with Cruise in an action movie?
Not sure what his image is outside the US, but most people I know here (and obviously it’s just the people I know — they could or could not be representative) are over Cruise due to the bizarre behavior (Oprah, Today Show, YouTube videos, etc.) and Scientology ties.
I watched the last part of Oprah today, with Diaz and Cruise, and he was just damn annoying — constantly repeating what Oprah said, never stopping talking long enough for anyone to finish a sentence, and it reminded me why I don’t watch his movies anymore. It’s too bad, because I really really really liked MI:1 and some of his other earlier work, but I just can’t with Cruise anymore. Plus, I don’t like to support the “church” he belongs to by seeing his movies and increasing his earnings.
I wouldn’t watch this movie in the movie theater but I am sure if I catch it on television I will enjoy it I found Tom Cruise the person grating and annoying since the 80’s and always had an ‘off’ feeling about him but he is a true movie star and I usually enjoy his performances.
@Tooey and Mike…I totally agree with both of you that his off screen hard to watch persona has taken over his on screen believability.
Maybe if he did more of an intimate or character driven movie he might have a chance because he could immerse the audience in a new persona that had some meat on it but an action movie is just the couch jumping, Scientology spouting Tom we all know riding around on a motorcycle doing stunts with Cameron Diaz.
He does look better lately, I’ll give him that.
MI3 was the st of the 3 MI movies, but his public persona made it almost impossible to get into it.
I’m sorry haters but Tom looks great! The movie is fun to!
I can’t believe in this time and age someone will judge the other based on his/her religion! This is pure ignorance and shows how small minded some of you really are. Oh… I forgot…. this is happening in America…
Muslim, Cristian, Hindu?! WTF! Shiva have ten hands but no one ever question it why!
I haven’t liked Tom Cruise since Eyes Wide Shut. I saw the ads for Knight and Day and it didn’t make me want to see the movie.
Another poster said that Matt Damon’s movies don’t make money but the media isn’t making a big deal of those movies. Matt Damon had some flops but many of his films have been hits. Matt Damon doesn’t try to convert the world to his religious beliefs or act like a famewhore like Tom Cruise. All stars have flops but I think the flops don’t get the same attention when the stars act like relatively normal people.
Well his movie is now considered a flop. In 3 days it only made $13 million, will not likely make over $25 million from Wednesday to Sunday. While Adam Sandler’s new movie “Grown Ups” has made over $14 million in just one day.
I think the problem was TOO MUCH PROMOTION. It made him look desperate and that there were concerns about the movie that he was over compensating for. Sandler did a few shows. NO stunts. Nothing big and fancy. Just talk the movie and move on. Tom just overplayed it. And the audience got tired of seeing him. Which is the last thing you want. Give them a taste so they want more. He really is too big a star for this kind of thing. Notice most real A-listers only do maybe 2 talk shows. Never overexpose themselves. They do a mag cover to go with the movie’s release. Cammy doing that Playboy interview was not helpful. Again we saw too much of them. Shame. Some people say the film is actually funny.
vanila sky was a really trippy movie.
The Matt Damon example – yes, Matt has had some recent flops, but with the exception of Green Zone, they’ve all been relatively low budget films.
Tom’s flop is probably a $150 million budget, counting ad $, of a summer movie in a genre Tom use to rule. That’s a much bigger risk for studios and investors, and is going to get him more bad press than a little $30 million dollar Matt Damon movie flopping.
For comparison – K&D had only a slightly better opening weekend than the recent, similarly themed movie Killers, starring Ashton Kutcher and Katherine Heigl – who are basically B-list budget Tom & Cam. For their kind of supposed star power, Tom & Cam should have blown that movie out of the water.
actually the green zone cost over $100 to make
“I’m hearing the most likely course of action is for the studio to beef up the subplot that introduces a new and younger agent who becomes Hunt’s protege.”
So then, Justin Bieber obviously.
LOL @67 CB Rawks!!
Remind me never to drink any liquid around the computer while reading your post, I almost f*cked up my new keyboard.
Pick the $cienobots in the comments 😀
Tom Cruise and these GIANT studio movies need to go away entirely—and they are. Audiences like real emotional art, and independent films are cheap and plentiful on Netflix. There are so many talented writers, producers and actors who work for well above average paychecks who do much higher quality art than what is coming out of Hollywood. It’s entertaining to see how self-important all the power players think they are; but audiences are made up of you and me—and we vote with our wallets. Not seeing this trash at the cinema.