The video game movie Gran Turismo from director Neill Blomkamp is now in theaters, and it’s expected to have a chance at becoming the No. 1 film in the US. The movie earned $1.4 million in Thursday previews and is projected to earn between $12 million-$15 million this weekend in the US, according to Deadline.
The Gran Turismo movie was originally set for release on August 11 before Sony shifted it to August 25 to help avoid a clash with Barbie and Oppenheimer, which have proven to be very successful weeks after release. Sony already released Gran Turismo in major markets around the country for the past couple weekends and allowed press to post reviews to help generate buzz for the movie. Generating word of mouth for the film was important because actors are not allowed to do promotion during the ongoing Hollywood strikes.
Barbie was the No. 1 movie at the box office every weekend since it released on July 21, but the film was finally beaten by Blue Beetle this past weekend. Gran Turismo is competing with the Liam Neeson movie Retribution, which also releases today, August 25.
Something that could potentially limit Gran Turismo’s first-weekend success at the box office is the fact that Sunday, August 27, is National Cinema Day–all movie tickets are $4, including for new releases like Gran Turismo.
The Gran Turismo movie is not based on the Gran Turismo game itself but instead the real-life story of a young man who enjoyed the Gran Turismo series so much that he helped use his fandom to become a real-life racecar driver. Archie Madekwe plays the “working class gamer” who teams up with a former driver played by David Harbour to learn the ropes.
Orlando Bloom is playing the villain, an “idealistic” motorsport executive. Oscar-nominated actor Djimon Hounsou (Gladiator, Blood Diamond) plays a character who believes the teen is wasting his time. “You think you can play a stupid video game about cars and you’re gonna become a race car driver?!” he says in a trailer.
For more, check out what critics are saying about Gran Turismo.
Kazunori Yamauchi, the director of the Gran Turismo series and boss of developer Polyphony Digital, is an executive producer on the film, alongside Hermen Hulst from PlayStation Studios.
The Gran Turismo movie is produced in part by PlayStation Productions, the film and TV division of the gaming giant. In addition to Gran Turismo, PlayStation Productions is behind the upcoming Days Gone and Ghost of Tsushima movies, as well as the upcoming Twisted Metal, God of War, and Horizon TV series, as well as Season 2 of The Last of Us.
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