Brandon Hoyne
The video game adaption starts its engine this weekend, and early forecasts say Need for Speed will not share the same success as The Fast and the Furious franchise. With a projected $20 million domestic launch, the movie may lose out too holdovers 300: Rise of An Empire and Mr. Peabody & Sherman. While Tyler Perry's The Single Moms Club, could hold its own with a projected $15 million.
"Need for Speed is the latest in a long line of video game adaptations, most of which have disappointed at the box office. Only one—2001's Lara Croft: Tomb Raider—has earned over $100 million domestically, and movies like Max Payne ($40.7 million), Hitman ($39.7 million) and Doom ($28.2 million) all failed to connect outside of the gamer audience."
Disney has avoided making the video game connection with Need for Speed. Instead, the movie is marketed as a high-octane racing thriller that takes place in some form of the real world.
Reports say Need for Speed must become a financial success following DreamWorks commercial bombs including “The Fifth Estate” and “Delivery Man.” The fact that it stars Breaking Bad's Aaron Paul has added to the hype, that said, racing movies don't usually do well at the box office.
Via Box Office Mojo