Now in its second week in theaters, Knight & Day debuted at 3 last weekend, coming in behind Toy Story 3 and the comedy ensemble piece Grown Ups. Although the film marked the second pairing of Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz since 2001′s Vanilla Sky, the movie is falling hard below expectations. It lost 9 in ticket sales after its first day and becoming the least-earning Tom Cruise action movie of the last 20 years.
Considering the attachment of director James Mangold (best known for hits Walk the Line and 3:10 to Yuma), this turn of events is equally surprising. However, Mangold was not the first choice for the filmand neither were Cruise or Diaz. The disparate list of considerations for Cruise’s role included comedians Adam Sandler and Chris Tucker, as well as more versatile star Gerard Butler. In a similar turn, Diaz took over for Eva Mendes. Tom Dey, the director of Shanghai Noon and Failure to Launch, was originally signed on for the project. What did he choose instead? Family comedy Marmaduke, which has been gaining even more scathing reviews.
Things aren’t all bad, however. Cruise’s and Diaz’s on-screen chemistry has been praised, as well as Cruise’s strong solo performance. The film is not catching on with younger viewers, though, perhaps because of the age of the two stars. In that respect, maybe the similar romantic-action-comedy Killers will perform better, despite its even lower reviews. That film stars Ashton Kutcher and Katherine Heigl, both of whom have a strong teen fanbase thanks to shows like That ’70s Show and Grey’s Anatomy, respectively. If you’re looking for a fluffy summer film, you could just take your pick, but you may feel more adult if you go with Knight & Day.
