Projections expect The Magnificent Seven will earn between $32 and $34 million during its opening weekend to top the United States box office. The western action film, which debuted yesterday in the US, opened in 3,674 theaters.
The Magnificent Seven has already garnered $1.75 million in previews, and should have added a further $12 million on Friday. It will dethrone last weekend’s box office topper Sully. The biographical drama made $22 million.
The film is a remake of a remake. The 1960 western movie of the same name was a remake of the 1954 Japanese film Seven Samurai. Director Antoine Fuqua was initially hesitant about accepting the job because he thought Akira Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai was already fantastic.
Close friend Simon Franglen completed the music. It will be Horner’s third and final posthumous score.
Release, box office and reception
The Magnificent Seven initially had a January 2017 release date. However, in August 2015 Sony Pictures Entertainment changed it to September. The Magnificent Seven had its world premiere at the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival on September 8 and served as the closing night film at the Venice Film Festival the following day.
If the movie makes $34 million it will became the second-highest opening for the western genre. Space western-action Cowboys & Aliens earned $36.4 million in its opening weekend back in 2011. Some even estimate it could open to as high as $50 million. It would make it one of the biggest September debuts of all-time.
Fuqua’s remake has received mixed to positive reviews. Critics have praised the all-star cast and musical score but noted the film isn’t that original or innovative. They say it’s a good action thriller which doesn’t match the two previous efforts.
About The Magnificent Seven’s background
Directed by Fuqua, and written by True Detective’s creator Nic Pizzolatto and Richard Wenk, the film stars Denzel Washington, Chris Pratt, Ethan Hawke, Vincent D’Onofrio, Lee Byung-hun, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, and Martin Sensmeier as the Seven.
Haley Bennett portrays the woman who hires the Seven to avenge the murder of her husband, interpreted by Matt Bomer. Peter Sarsgaard, who plays the main antagonist of the film, kills Bomer’s character and sets up the plot.
Source: GameSpot