SHOOT ‘EM UP

Shoot 'Em Up

• 
  Rate Movie

  [Total: 7 Average: 3.9]
  Genre(s): Action

• Directed By: Michael Davis
• Written By: Michael Davis
• Release Date: September 7, 2007
• Domestic Distributor: New Line
• Cast: Clive Owen, Paul Giamatti, Monica Bellucci
• 

Box Office Info:

The budget for Shoot ‘Em Up was $39 million and it would mark a fleeting moment in Hollywood, where flop magnet Clive Owen could command a mid seven figure pay or play deal.  New Line financed and mitigated their exposure to the budget, as per their usual financial model of selling off most overseas rights.

The studio greenlit the picture based off of extensive storyboards for the entire movie director Michael Davis presented and New Line executives were so impressed they took a second feature option on Davis — who had only previously helmed straight to video movies.  After the dismal box office of Shoot ‘Em Up, he has not helmed another feature.

New Line gave Shoot ‘Em Up a solid P&A spend, but positioned it for the usually sleepy post Labor Day weekend on September 7.  It bowed against 3:10 To Yuma and both movies would be competing for similar auds.  Reviews were mixed and tracking was pointing to a soft opening just over $10 million.

Shoot ‘Em Up tanked with $5,716,554 in 2,108 theaters — placing #4 for the weekend led by the remake 3:10 To Yuma.  It sank 54.5% in its second frame to $2,602,115 and collapsed 69.9% in its third session to $784,491.  The domestic run closed with a terrible $12,807,139 — performing inline with recent over the top New Line action flops Domino and Running Scared.  New Line would see returned about $7 million after theaters take their percentage of the gross, which would not even cover 1/3 of the P&A expenses.

Entertainment Film Distributors, who releases New Line films in the UK, opened the Clive Owen vehicle to a terrible $752,097 and it lasted only three weeks in theaters with just $1,890,450 which posted the strongest gross in its overseas release.  The offshore total was $14 million across numerous distributors and it went straight to video in Australia.

Clive Owen was just coming off the poorly performing, but fantastic Children of Men (2006) and after Shoot ‘Em Up flopped, he toplined the back to back bombs The International (2009) and Duplicity (2009), which was the last studio vehicle built around him.