Maggie Q, Shailene Woodley, Miles Teller, Zoe Kravitz, Theo James and Ansel Elgort in "The Divergent Series: Allegiant." (Murray Close)
Why couldn’t “Allegiant” hit the box-office heights that the first two movies in “The Divergent Series” did?
The third of four teen sci-fi films in Lionsgate’s “The Divergent Series,” “Allegiant” managed just a
$29 million opening weekend, well under the debuts of 2014’s “Divergent” ($54.6 million) and “Insurgent” ($52.2 million last year).
“Zootopia,” the Disney Animation blockbuster that over-performed in winning its its third straight weekend with $38 million, was one big reason. But the futuristic young adult tale from Lionsgate was facing some problems all its own this weekend. Specifically:
Genre Fatigue The idea that the future is going to be messed up and courageous youths provide the only hope was being pounded into moviegoers by Lionsgate’s “The Hunger Games” and Fox’s “Maze Runner” franchises. Is it any surprise that “Allegiant,” yet another tale of a dystopian world of tomorrow, had some fans saying “Enough already!”
Franchise Fatigue
The “Divergent” series, which stars Shailene Woodley, felt derivative from the outset. Given the similar futuristic setting, evil totalitarian-rulers plot and female heroine as “The Hunger Games,” the films based on Veronica Roth‘s book were bound to drop off. And after four four movies with Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen and two with Woodley as Tris Pryor, even hardcore fans’ fascination with fearless femmes had to fade.
Nasty Notices
Reviewers didn’t just find “Allegiant” disappointing compared to the first two films, they buried it. Its Rotten Tomatoes score of 10 percent positive was way under that of “Divergent” (40 percent) and “Insurgent” (29 percent).
The same was true on Metacritic – the original and first sequel were at 48 and 42, this one was 34.
The Faux Finale Syndrome
When you split a finale into two parts, as “The Hunger Games,” the “Twilight” series and even “Harry Potter” did, you do make extra money, particularly if the films take off overseas. But it’s a real challenge for marketers to build momentum for the penultimate release when what you’re really offering fans is their second-to-last chance to bid their faves farewell. The finale “Ascendant” arrives next June.
12 Apocalyptic Movies to Watch Before the World Ends Friday
"NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD": Whether it's George A. Romero's original 1968 classic or the 1990 remake he wrote, zombies are among our culture's favorite Doomsday scenarios. Although armed men manage to quell the living-dead menace in the end, Romero's subsequent "Dead" installments prove the epidemic isn't going to leave much left of the human race.
"THE ROAD": The adaptation of Cormac McCarthy's post-apocalyptic novel of the same name follows a father tirelessly leading his young son through a dark and dangerous wasteland. It's so barren of animal life or vegetation that much of mankind has resorted to cannibalism. So here's the question: Why cling to life when there's not much left on Earth worth living for?
"NIGHT OF THE COMET": After humanity is turned to dust on New Year's Eve by a passing comet, this 1984 cult classic pits two Valley Girls against mutant zombies (yes, more zombies!) left scavenging for food and the selfish scientists trying to harvest their untainted blood to avoid becoming dust themselves. It's totally '80s and, therefore, totally awesome.
"DEEP IMPACT": "Armageddon" may have been a bigger hit in 1998, but at least a comet actually hit Earth in this one. The moment the megatsunami swallows up Téa Leoni and her father -- along with any other coastal area along the Atlantic -- is chilling, giving the rest of us courage to face the end with a little dignity.
"SEEKING A FRIEND FOR THE END OF THE WORLD": More terror from the skies. This romantic comedy set during Earth's impending doom from a 70-mile-wide asteroid named Matilda proves it's never too late to for a fresh start. Steve Carell's relationship with Keira Knightley doesn't last too long, but at least he finds the love of his life before she has time to realize he's way too old for her.
"DR. STRANGELOVE: OR HOW I LEARNED TO STOP WORRYING AND LOVE THE BOMB": The title alone is reason enough to include Stanley Kubrick's critically acclaimed comedy on the list. On top of depicting a nuclear holocaust, it's a dire warning of what awaits humanity if we allow the wrong person to come into power. And it's educational. We learn that you can't fight in the war room.
"IDIOCRACY": If flesh-eating zombies, giant space rocks or nuclear warfare don’t end the world as we know it, then Mike Judge hypothesizes in this 2006 comedy that our increasing stupidity will. Like "The Road," this may be one of the most realistic visions of the future.
"A BOY AND HIS DOG": Following a nuclear war, a young Don Johnson and his dog, Blood, communicate telepathically while scavenging an American wasteland for food and sex. He gets a big break when a beautiful stranger lures him into an underground society for one purpose -- to make babies. The downside is that he won't be making them the good ol' fashioned way and will be killed after a machine extracts his sperm.
"PLANET OF THE APES": This shouldn’t be a spoiler to anyone by now, but the end of this 1968 science fiction film reveals that the Planet of the Apes is actually a post-apocalyptic planet Earth. Bet the Mayans didn't see that twist coming.
"MELANCHOLIA": Lars von Trier directed this 2011 drama about two planets -- Earth and the aptly named Melancholia -- colliding. Instead of depicting global hysteria, however, the film focuses on the unique perspective of two sisters whose personal lives are in as much trouble as the planet.
"LEFT BEHIND": The rapture keeps coming and going, the only loss being funds in Christian fundamentalists’ bank accounts after spending their life savings on billboards warning the world to repent. But if the Biblical prophecies predicting the end of days do ever come true, we can only hope we have someone like Kirk Cameron to save us.
"2012": Roland Emmerich blew up the White House to perfection in "Independence Day," so he was the obvious choice to blow up the entire world in one of the biggest end-of-the-world movies of all time -- both in budget and box-office receipts. We'll find out shortly if this was a prophetic vision of the future or JUST a mediocre disaster movie.
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If the Mayans knew what they were talking about, Friday is it for all of us — here are the very best apocalyptic movies ever to keep you entertained until the giant balls of fire fall from the sky
"NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD": Whether it's George A. Romero's original 1968 classic or the 1990 remake he wrote, zombies are among our culture's favorite Doomsday scenarios. Although armed men manage to quell the living-dead menace in the end, Romero's subsequent "Dead" installments prove the epidemic isn't going to leave much left of the human race.
