Warner Bros. (TWX)
And the winner of most unnecessary sequel of the summer goes to..."Ocean's 13!"The first movie, a remake of the Rat Pack heist flick, grossed $183.4 million when it came out in December 2001. But "Ocean's 12" wound up generating only $125.5 million in 2004.
Sure, most of the cast from the first two movies...Clooney, Pitt, Damon, Cheadle...are back. And they've added Al Pacino in what probably will be another scene-chewing role. "Look at me scream! I'm ACTING!"
But this movie lacks a credible female lead. Sorry, Ellen Barkin can't compete with Julia Roberts and Catherine Zeta-Jones as a box office draw. Also, this is the first time a movie from this franchise is going head-to-head with summer movies as opposed to the far less competitive early December slot the first two movies opened in.
Some analysts think this movie might fare better than the second since the action returns to Las Vegas. But Exhibitor Relations' Bock thinks the movie could wind up in a tough battle with "Hostel 2", a sequel to the horror hit from last year that also opens on June 8.
"With sequels, you have to be bigger and better than the last one. What are they really adding in 'Ocean's 13?' Based on the trailer, it looks like we've seen this film before," Bock said.
