“Edge of Tomorrow” is struggling to generate buzz ahead of its domestic release this week, but there’s good news from overseas.
The science-fiction adventure debuted to a sizzling $3.8 million in South Korea on Wednesday. Excluding sneak previews, that is the biggest opening day numbers for a Tom Cruise film in the country and the fourth largest debut for a Hollywood release. Its gross surpassed that of “Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol” by 70%, Warner Bros. said.
Warner Bros. also said that it’s the biggest opening in the Asian country in the company’s history. “Edge of Tomorrow” opened on 681 screens and timed its debut to a public holiday in the country.
Stateside, the picture has seen a modest bump in tracking and now is poised to debut to roughly $27 million, up from the mid-$20 million range it was on pace to gross earlier this week. The $178 million film will need word-of-mouth and foreign markets to deliver if it hopes to be profitable.
The film debuted internationally in more than 20 markets to a mediocre $20 million, and has now racked up $33 million globally as it continues to expand. It debuts this weekend in more than 30 foreign territories including such major markets as China, Russia, Mexico and Australia.
Reviews for the film, which centers on a craven public relations expert forced to constantly relive a bloody battle, have been largely positive. Variety‘s Justin Chang called it a “cleverly crafted and propulsively executed sci-fi thriller.”
