About That Orson Scott Card Blockbuster

Meh. It did OK, on a weekend with no competition, but not enough to warrant a sequel.

Industry analysts say decent but not dominant start means momentum for Harrison Ford space thriller is not sufficient for second film

A relatively weak $28m box office opening in the US this weekend means controversial science fiction adaptation Ender’s Game is unlikely to get a sequel, according to industry experts.

The Hollywood Reporter compiled the views of a number of analysts whose job it is to review the franchise potential of blockbuster wannabes. Most felt Gavin Hood’s film, which has been targeted by gay rights activists, would struggle to make back its $110m budget after debuting with a solid but unspectacular $28m in North America.

That figure was enough to put the movie, which stars Asa Butterfield, Harrison Ford, Ben Kingsley, Viola Davis, Hailee Steinfeld and Abigail Breslin, in first place in the US. But with Marvel studios’ latest superhero sequel, Thor: The Dark World, arriving at the weekend, it has not built the sort of momentum likely to lead to a long box office run.

Looks like the damage control didn't help.

It is not known whether the campaign by Geeks Out, which called for a boycott of the film due to source novel author Orson Scott Card’s highly publicised homophobic views, ultimately effected [sic] the film’s box office. But Hood and his stars – Ford, who plays a gruff military leader, in particular – were often forced to point out that the movie did not come from the same mean-spirited place. And that cannot have been helpful.

Ya think?