It’s gonna take more than a bolt of lightning to save this one. The first numbers for the opening weekend of Victor Frankenstein are out, and they’re about as unattractive as the monster itself.
Facing tough competition in the wake of a few big Thanksgiving releases, Victor Frankenstein is falling victim to its peers. According to The Hollywood Reporter, in its first two days in theaters, Victor Frankenstein has made a ghastly $1 million nationwide. At this rate, the new flick is likely to recoup a mere $4-$5 million dollars in its opening weekend. The horror. These opening numbers, when compared to the rather large budget ($40 Million), make the results even more tragic.
Released this past Wednesday, Victor Frankenstein is a retelling of the famed Mary Shelly novel, as well as the story of Dr. Frankenstein's monster we all know. This new film attempts to set itself apart by focusing on the perspective of Igor, Frankenstein’s well-known assistant (although Igor was not present in the original novel). Ditching the hump, and giving the two characters a close friendship, this movie gives additional backstory to Igor -- a point of view we have yet to see in past incarnations of the Frankenstein story.
There was a considerable amount of hype around Victor Frankenstein during its post-production and through the release of trailers and promotional materials. The casting of A-List actors James McAvoy and Daniel Radcliffe to play Victor Frankenstein and Igor, respectively, successfully excited filmgoers, and X-Men and Harry Potter fans alike. The sci-fi world was then given further reason for cheers as Tywin Lannister himself, Game of Thrones' Charles Dance signed on as well.
Unfortunately, the film did suffer from issues regarding its release date -- surely hurting the hype and press surrounding it. Victor was originally scheduled to release in October 2014, which certainly would have made sense with so many people dressing up as the monster for Halloween. The date continued to be pushed back, and pushed again, until it ended up November 2015 -- more than a year after it was originally scheduled to open.
Personally, I would have been more excited to a Frankenstein movie it were closer to Halloween. For some reason, grave digging and reanimation doesn’t necessarily scream Thanksgiving to me, even if it does star my favorite wizard.
Adding to the issue of competition and release date, reviews for Victor Frankenstein have not been favorable thus far. In addition most publications giving the film a moderate reviews, review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes has Victor Frankenstein sitting at a thoroughly rotten score of 24%.
While the trailer did boast some exciting visuals, and a story that we all know and love, it turns out that most people will not be seeing Victor Frankenstein in theaters, and those who do may not be particularly happy they did.
