'Rampage' Stomps Into Theaters in Need of Big Overseas Launch

After a weekend defined by genre pieces, the new release list has returned to CGI-heavy blockbusters looking for big bucks in Asia. Warner Bros., which is still hauling in studio record returns from China with "Ready Player One," will now send in New Line's "Rampage," the next film from Dwayne Johnson after "Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle" grossed $950 million worldwide this winter.

At a time when fewer and fewer actors and directors are drawing in moviegoers while the emphasis gets put on franchises and brands, Johnson has defiantly stood against the trend. Even when he's had a few disappointments like "Baywatch," he's rebounded quickly with films like "Jumanji," which became Sony's highest grossing film in studio history outside of the "Spider-Man" franchise.

Also Read: Dwayne Johnson Lays the Smack Down in 'Fighting With My Family' First Look (Video)

But even with The Rock, "Rampage" is going to need help from overseas as it is expected to gross $35-40 million domestically this weekend against a reported $115 million budget. The film stars Johnson as a biologist who must calm his companion albino gorilla when a strange contagion turns it, a wolf, and a crocodile into giant beasts who destroy the city. In other words, this is a kaiju film, a genre that is popular in Asia. It's especially popular in Japan, where the film has some rather boisterous marketing.

But to achieve that success, "Rampage" will have to do better than "Pacific Rim: Uprising," another kaiju film that was released nearly three weekends ago to a global opening of $150 million, but after which has seen a sharp drop in receipts. Currently holding a global total of $262 million, it's becoming more and more likely that the sequel to Guillermo Del Toro's film will wind up in the red.

Also Read: 'Truth or Dare' Trailer: Watch Lucy Hale and Tyler Posey Play Deadly Game (Video)

On the other hand, a more successful result for "Rampage" would be if it could reach $400 million overseas, something the studio came just a couple million close to reaching last year with their previous giant ape film, "Kong: Skull Island." That film made $168 million in China, $398 million total overseas, and $566.6 million worldwide. "Kong: Skull Island" had a domestic opening of $61 million, so "Rampage" won't likely reach that global mark. But if Asia responds to "Rampage" the way it did to Kong, it could find profit.

Based on the classic 80s video game, "Rampage" is directed by Brad Peyton ("San Andreas") and also stars Naomie Harris, Malin ?...kerman, Joe Manganiello, and Jeffrey Dean Morgan. New Line Cinema produced the film.

The other new release this week is "Truth Or Dare," the latest film from Universal and Blumhouse. The film is expected to open to $12-15 million, meaning it will most likely fall on the charts below last weekend's big horror hit, "A Quiet Place."

Also Read: 5 Reasons 'A Quiet Place' Became Horror's Latest Box Office Sensation

Still, "Truth Or Dare" has two big things going for it. First, Blumhouse has built a very strong audience of young, female moviegoers, which helped boost the numbers of several of their past horror titles like "Split" and "Happy Death Day."

The other big advantage is Blumhouse's now-industry-famous microbudget approach to filmmaking, never spending more than $5 million on a film unless its a sequel to a proven franchise launcher. With a production budget of $3.5 million, "Truth Or Dare" won't need to make much to get into the black.

"Truth Or Dare" stars Lucy Hale as a teenager who, along with her friends, is haunted by a malevolent spirit who forces them to play the titular game with deadly consequences. Jeff Wadlow ("Kick-Ass 2") directed the film from a script by Michael Reisz, with Jason Blum producing.

Finally, Fox Searchlight will expand Wes Anderson's "Isle of Dogs" to 1930 screens nationwide after three weekends in limited release. Last weekend, the film made $4.6 million from 554 screens bringing its total to $12.3 million. Searchlight projects the film will make an additional $5 million this weekend, bringing it closer to the $20 million mark.

21 Busiest Actors of 2017, From Nicole Kidman to Idris Elba (Photos)

Nicole Kidman, Dwayne Johnson, Michael Stuhlbarg and Jenny Slate had a busy year, both on the big screen and on TV.
John Goodman

John Goodman starred in five projects this year: "Kong: Skull Island," "Atomic Blonde," "Once Upon a Time in Venice," "Transformers: The Last Knight" and "Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets."
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Nicole Kidman

The Australian actress has been working like mad as well -- while starring as Celeste in "Big Little Lies," she also appeared in "The Killing of a Sacred Deer," "The Beguiled," "The Upside" and the series "Top of the Lake."
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Idris Elba

The English actor starred in a variety of TV mini-series this year, such as "Five by Five" and "Guerrilla," but also appeared on the big screen in films like "The Dark Tower," "Molly's Game," "The Mountain Between Us" and "Thor: Ragnarok."
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Octavia Spencer

After her stellar "Hidden Figures" run, the actress starred in faith-based film "The Shack," as well as "Small Town Crime," "Gifted" and awards frontrunner "The Shape of Water."

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Domhnall Gleeson

Domhnall Gleeson had starring roles in "American Made," "Goodbye Christopher Robin" and "Star Wars: The Last Jedi," and also appeared in "mother!" "Crash Pad" and the TV series "Catastrophe."

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Alison Brie

Apart from starring in her own TV series, "GLOW," she also had a cameo in "Dr. Ken" and "BoJack Horseman," and starred in "The Little Hours," "The Disaster Artist" and "The Post."
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Lakeith Stanfield

The actor has starred in a whopping seven projects this year, not including two shorts. "Get Out," "Crown Heights," "The Incredible Jessica James," "War Machine," "Izzy Gets the F-ck Across Town," "Death Note" and "Quest" are on his credits list.
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Allison Janney

Janney is an awards frontrunner for her role in "I, Tonya," but has also continued starring in her TV series "Mom." Other projects include "A Happening of Monumental Proportions," "F Is for Family," "Nobodies," "American Dad!" and "Sun Dogs."
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Dwayne Johnson

Of course, Johnson has his HBO series "Ballers" on the air, but he also starred in "The Fate of the Furious," "Baywatch" and "Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle."
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Sarah Paulson

Along with reprising her role in Ryan Murphy's anthology series "American Horror Story," Sarah Paulson has also starred in "Rebel in the Rye," "Feud" and most recently, "The Post," which is an awards contender.
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Michael Stuhlbarg

Not only did Stuhlbarg deliver the best monologue, like, ever, in "Call Me by Your Name," but he also starred in other awards contenders "The Shape of Water," "The Post" and the TV series "Fargo."
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Kristen Wiig

Wiig also had a great 2017 -- She voiced Lucy in "Despicable Me 3," starred in "Downsizing," "mother!" and "The Last Man on Earth," and had cameos in "Wet Hot American Summer: Ten Years Later," "Big Mouth" and "Nobodies."
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Samuel L. Jackson

It feels like Samuel L. Jackson is always in every single movie, and this year was no different -- he had starring roles in "xXx: Return of Xander Cage," "Kong: Skull Island," "The Hitman's Bodyguard," and voiced a character in "Blazing Samurai."
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Jessica Chastain

Chastain has taken her films to a lot of festivals this year. Her credits include "Molly's Game," "Woman Walks Ahead" and "The Zookeeper's Wife."
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Josh Gad

If you thought you saw Josh Gad everywhere this year, you're right: The actor starred in "A Dog's Purpose," "Beauty and the Beast," "Marshall," "Murder on the Orient Express" and the short, "Olaf's Frozen Adventure."
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Jenny Slate

Slate has tons of feature and TV projects to her name this year: "Landline," "The Polka King," "The LEGO Batman Movie," "Gifted," "Aardvark," "Despicable Me 3," "Comrade Detective," "Big Mouth," "Bob's Burgers," "Lady Dynamite," "Star vs. the Forces of Evil" and "Adventure Time."

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Dan Stevens

Dan Steven starred in two projects with Josh Gad ("Beauty and the Beast" and "Marshall") but also acted in "Permission," "Kill Switch" and "The Man Who Invented Christmas," along with "X-Men" spin-off TV series "Legion."
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Judy Greer

Greer has what it seems endless credits to her 2017 list, including TV series like "Archer," "American Dad!" "Portlandia" and "Easy," as well as movies such as "Wilson," "Lemon," "War for the Planet of the Apes" and our "Souls at Night."
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Caleb Landry Jones

Jones starred in "Get Out," "The Florida Project," "American Made," and awards frontrunner "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri." He also has a recurring role in "Twin Peaks."
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Michelle Williams

Michelle Williams is once again in the awards race with Ridley Scott's "All the Money in the World," Todd Haynes' "Wonderstruck" and Michael Gracey's "The Greatest Showman." Also, she stars in "Suite Francaise," which wrapped in 2015 and had its AFM premiere that year but screened on TV this past May.

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Michael Fassbender

Fassbender did a variety of different projects this year, including "Alien: Covenant," "Song to Song" and "The Snowman."

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