"Babylon A.D.," a post-apocalyptic adventure starring Vin Diesel, shows tracking strength with males under 25. Twentieth Century Fox, which financed the film with European partners, says the production cost $45 million, though reports speculate it was higher.
As of Thursday, all 10 reviews compiled by RottenTomatoes.com were negative. In an interview with a blog at AMCTV.com, director Mathieu Kassovitz slammed Fox and the film's producers, calling the movie "pure violence and stupidity" and blaming editing-room interference. The French auteur, whose world view appears to be shaped by pop songs, said the film was "supposed to teach us that the education of our children will mean the future of our planet."
Kassovitz could not be reached. Fox declined to comment on the kerfuffle.
Among this weekend's other releases is the spy thriller "Traitor," starring Don Cheadle as a mysterious terrorism suspect and Guy Pearce as a straight-laced FBI agent.
The PG-13 "Traitor," made for about $22 million, is Overture Films' first in-house production to hit screens. Overture, a Liberty Media Corp. subsidiary, opened the film Wednesday to encourage word-of-mouth for a picture it sees as appealing to serious-minded and popcorn crowds alike.
"We have a shot at establishing ourselves as the quality alternative for a more discerning, older audience," said Chris McGurk, the mini-studio's chief executive.
Overture's first four releases were acquisitions. Up next are a high-profile acquisition, the Robert De Niro-Al Pacino crime thriller "Righteous Kill," followed by two more original productions, "Nothing Like the Holidays" and "Last Chance Harvey."
"We're getting into the meat of our batting order," McGurk said. After opening Wednesday to $800,000, however, "Traitor" appears unlikely to start out with a home run.
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josh.friedman@latimes.com
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(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX)
Weekend Forecast
The holdover action comedy "Tropic Thunder" could battle the new spoof "Disaster Movie" and the science-fiction thriller "Babylon A.D." for No. 1 at the box office. Along with the films listed below, contenders to make the top 10 include "Hamlet 2" and "Star Wars: The Clone Wars." These figures are The Times' predictions. Studios will release four-day estimates Monday and actual results Tuesday.
*--* Movie 4-day Through the Weeks prediction (studio) (millions) weekend
1 Tropic Thunder $14.1 $87.4 3 (DreamWorks/Paramount)
2 Disaster Movie (Lionsgate) 12.8 12.8 1
3 Babylon A.D. (20th Century Fox) 11.5 11.5 1
4 The House Bunny (Sony) 11.1 31.3 2
5 The Dark Knight (Warner Bros.) 9.8 503.7 7
6 Death Race (Universal) 7.4 24.9 2
7 Traitor (Overture) 5.9 7.3 1
8 Mamma Mia! (Universal) 5.5 132.4 7
9 Pineapple Express (Sony) 4.4 81.1 4
10 College (MGM) 4.4 4.4 1 *--*
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Source: Times research
Los Angeles Times
