Considering it’s a pretty decent movie and not an absolute pile of ass, like Clash Of The Titans, I’m quite surprised to see Kick-Ass garnering only tepid box office receipts. The movie made approximately $19 million in the US over the weekend, lower than its estimates of $25-30 million, while its total international take rests at only a reasonable $17 million. Not such a big deal, or anywhere near approaching a failure, it just seems slightly out-of-sync with the hype and critical support the movie has received worldwide.
I have a suspicion that the movie is too non-traditional as a superhero flick to really attract a mainstream audience. Also, in the US, the movie is R-rated, which precludes teen audiences from watching it, when traditionally that sector of filmgoers would’ve inflated the box office takes of franchises like Iron Man and Spider-Man.
It’s a bit of a shame, because Kick-Ass is the kind of movie that would’ve enthralled me as a teenager (when I had the vague belief that I, too, could become a superhero, in spite of my inability to run). Indeed, the movie is only rated 15 in the UK – such a rating in the US would’ve helped it along mightily.
It’s hard to argue that Kick-Ass’s muted box office reception represents a lack of faith in the superhero sub-genre – instead, we should just be able to agree that the picture deserved a lot better.
