Box office surprise: "Beetlejuice Beetlejuice" soars, "The Killer's Game" flops

For some, it's joy; for others, it's sadness. "Beetlejuice Beetlejuice" is breaking popularity records in the US. Meanwhile, the premiere title, "The Killer's Game," suffered a devastating defeat. An American critic noted that as Bautista's weight visibly decreases, so does the audience's interest in his films.

"The Killer's Game" was marketed as "John Wick" with Dave Bautista in the lead role. The actor, known from "Guardians of the Galaxy" and "Dune," plays Joe Flood, a professional assassin who only eliminates those who deserve it. One day, Flood learns that he is terminally ill and has only a few months to live. Faced with this diagnosis, he decides to shorten his dying process and opens a contract on himself. From that moment on, assassins from around the world begin hunting him.

However, "The Killer's Game" was conceived as a comedic version of "John Wick," so a plot twist soon occurs. There was a mistake in the lab—the protagonist is perfectly healthy, and now he will try to undo the situation. "This movie should never have been released in theatres. In the old days, such productions would have gone straight to the video market or the DVD bins at supermarkets," one viewer briefly summed up.

Weak reviews are not the film's biggest problem, though. The production, which cost around $30 million, earned only $2.6 million in American theatres during its opening weekend. The average revenue per theatre was $990 (a dozen or so people per screening), the lowest this year among titles that went into wide distribution.

Dave Bautista, who has not yet experienced such a significant failure in his acting career, recently surprised viewers with his new look. However, he will have to rebuild his popularity after losing over 70 pounds (it appears he was doing so during filming "The Killer's Game"). The critic from "Decider" suggests that while Bautista is noticeably shedding pounds, audiences are also losing interest in his movie roles. Many fans would prefer to see him reprise his role as Drax in "Guardians of the Galaxy."

"Beetlejuice Beetlejuice" remains the leader of the American box office, earning $51 million during its second weekend and enjoying enormous popularity in theatres across the ocean. The film's first part in 1988 grossed $73.7 million in theatres (10th place for the season), which, after adjusting for inflation, amounts to around $200 million. The sequel is set to become an even bigger hit in the US. It currently has $188 million to its name. "Dune: Part Two" grossed $157.2 million during the same period.