“Need for Speed” grossed $1.1 million Thursday night, a solid start for Disney and DreamWorks’ video game adaptation starring Aaron Paul. There are a lot of male-skewed action movies in theaters at the moment, a group led by the sequel to “300” and “Non-Stop.”
DreamWorks hopes its movie’s realistic feel will prevail over the CG-laden “300,” and box office prognosticators forecast “Need for Speed” will gross up to $25 million over its opening weekend.
Also read: ‘Need for Speed’ Puts DreamWorks’ Disney Deal in the Hot Seat
The movie’s Thursday tally compares favorably to other recent movies, grossing a similar figure as “Ride Along,” which opened to $41.5 million over a long weekend, and “Oblivion,” which opened to $37 million.
Reviews have not been kind to the movie, which scored a 22 percent on aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, but both the game and Paul have loyal fan bases.