Almost a year ago, Relativity Media was in the throes of complicated bankruptcy proceedings, which caused a delay in the release of several films already completed by the studio. One of those films, The Disappointments Room, is finally making its way to theaters this Friday, in hopes of putting its studio on the road to profitability. Though from the looks of the opening weekend estimates, it looks like the champagne will have to stay on ice, as the embattled film is presumed to have one of the worst openings of all time.
Opening estimates for the D.J. Caruso directed horror thriller peg the film at $2 million, which assures it a third place slot among the worst openings of 2016. However, The Wrap did some digging, and a case could be made for The Disappointments Room to join the ranks of Jem and The Holograms, and even recent dud Morgan, as examples of the worst opening weekends ever. Though this latest Kate Beckinsale vehicle is only being released in about 1500 venues, which not only hurts the film's chances out of the gate, but also makes it harder to qualify where exactly the film lands in the pantheon of failure.
Supposedly based on true events, The Disappointments Room looks like a horror flick in the same vein as both The Conjuring and The Amityville Horror. Beckinsale plays a mother whose move into a creepy manor in the countryside could be driving her mad. However, the deeper she digs into the secrets her new home conceals, the more it looks like something, or someone, has it out for her. With a screenplay by Prison Break star Wentworth Miller, The Disappointments Room has to be one of the most unknown quantities on the market to date. Thankfully, a trailer was released recently, which you can watch to bring yourself somewhat up to speed.
It may surprise you to hear this, but The Disappointments Room actually looks halfway decent. Sure, it looks like its cribbing from previously successful horror flicks, but the content on display in this trailer actually looks solid. Considering D.J. Caruso was making a name for himself with films like Disturbia and Eagle Eye, before making a career diverting misstep with I Am Number Four, his directorial skills have lead to some surprisingly entertaining hits. In fact, if a major studio had purchased the rights to The Disappointments Room and thrown it a decent marketing campaign its way, it could have made a mild to moderate showing at the box office.
Alas, the die is cast, and The Disappointments Room will try its hardest to stay visible, in the same weekend that sees Sully and When The Bough Breaks fighting for this weekend's top spot.
