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It’s off to the races for Sony’s video game adaptation “Gran Turismo,” which opens in theaters this weekend. The racing drama, starring Archie Madekwe, David Harbour and Orlando Bloom, made $1.4 million in Thursday previews at the box office.
The film is expected to open between $10 million and $12 million this weekend. It carries a $60 million budget, and on top of that, “Barbie” and “Blue Beetle” are hot on its heels, so it might be tough for “Gran Turismo” to take a victory lap.
Based on the popular PlayStation racing video games of the same name, “Gran Turismo” is directed by Neill Blomkamp (“District 9,” “Elysium,” “Chappie”) and based on the real life story of Jann Mardenborough, a young gamer turned professional race car driver. Mardenborough, played by Madekwe (“Midsommar,” “See”) in the movie, was so good at the “Gran Turismo” racing simulation games that he took his skills to the actual race course and went pro. Harbour (“Stranger Things,” “Black Widow”) plays Jack Salter, Mardenborough’s trainer, and Bloom (“The Lord of the Rings,” “Pirates of the Caribbean”) plays Danny Moore, a marketing executive at Nissan.
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“Gran Turismo” is the latest PlayStation video game to get the big screen treatment, following last year’s Tom Holland-led adaptation of “Uncharted,” a globe-trotting adventure movie also starring Mark Wahlberg. PlayStation also made a splash this year with HBO’s hit adaptation of “The Last of Us” and Peacock’s “Twisted Metal” series.
Warner Bros.’ DC superhero film “Blue Beetle,” last weekend’s No. 1 film that dethroned “Barbie,” is projected to earn between $8.5 million and $10 million, which would be about a 60% drop from its $25 million opening. However, “Gran Turismo” and “Blue Beetle” will be battling for second place, as “Barbie” is expected to regain the box office crown with $12 million to $14 million in its sixth week of release. The Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie film recently became the year’s highest-grossing domestic release, beating “The Super Mario Bros. Movie,” and will soon overtake it globally.
