On the Big Board |
| Position |
Staff |
In Brief |
| 70/98 |
David Mumpower |
Most faithful remake of an Asian horror masterpiece to date is hurt by the lack of mystery and surprise...and Jessica Alba's acting. |
With the success of The Ring and The Grudge, Hollywood discovered there was millions to be made off remaking foreign horror movies. Next February, Lionsgate hopes to continue that trend when the studio releases the Tom Cruise/Paula Wagner-produced The Eye, a remake of the Hong Kong film, Gin Gwai, about a blind woman whreceives a cornea transplant and finds she can now see ghosts. The picture will star Jessica Alba as the disturbed heroine who seeks out the truth about the eye’s original owner.
Lionsgate won’t need Ring or Grudge-like numbers to show a profit. Like the studio’s hugely successful Saw franchise, Eye reportedly cost only $12 million to produce, and with a moderately high-profile star like Alba as its chief box office draw, it’ll have little trouble earning back its investment. Plus, February has been inexplicably kind to horror movies. Back in 2000, Scream 3 set a then-record for a first-run release with s $35 million opening, only to be eclipsed the following year by another horror sequel, Hannibal, which ran off with $58 million. Recent years have also seen the low-budget remake When a Stranger Calls and The Messengers earn respectable numbers.
With an effective trailer that’s already been making its rounds with Saw IV, not to mention a lack of horror movies between now and February, fans will be itching to see The Eye. And should it gross $50 million or more, expect a sequel shortly thereafter. (Matthew Huntley/BOP)
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