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Arts & Entertainment

Zac Efron’s new movie is one of the worst box office stinks of all time

By
John Kell
John Kell
Contributing Writer and author of CIO Intelligence
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By
John Kell
John Kell
Contributing Writer and author of CIO Intelligence
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August 31, 2015, 5:53 PM ET
Warner Bros. Pictures "We Are Your Friends" Press Conference
SAN FRANCISCO, CA - AUGUST 21: Actor Zac Efron actress Emily Ratajkowski and director Max Joseph get on stage at "We Are Your Friends" tour afterparty on August 21, 2015 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Miikka Skaffari/Getty Images)Photograph by Miikka Skaffari — Getty Images

It turns out moviegoers aren’t interested in an aspiring DJ looking to make it big on the music scene.

“We Are Your Friends,” a film starting former teen heartthrob Zac Efron, kicked off its opening weekend by pulling in just $1.8 million – one of the worst showings for a film that received as wide of a release as “Friends” did. It ranks as the third worst wide-release debut ever, Entertainment Weekly reports, citing Box Office Mojo data (which only goes back to 1982).

Released in 2,333 theaters, the film averaged $772 per screen over the weekend.

The lackluster response to the film couldn’t entirely be blamed on poor reviews. The movie holds a 46 rating on Metacritic, implying “mixed or average” reviews. While those reviews wouldn’t exactly sway moviegoers to consider seeing the film, the reviews aren’t nearly as scathing as those for “Pixels” or the latest “Fantastic Four” film.

As a leading man, Efron’s films have generated mixed results since he hit it big as a teen in the “High School Musical” series. Films like “17 Again” and “The Lucky One” performed well at the box office, earning sizable profits far above their budgets. But others, like “Charlie St. Cloud” and “The Paperboy,” didn’t fare as well.

About the Author
By John KellContributing Writer and author of CIO Intelligence

John Kell is a contributing writer for Fortune and author of Fortune’s CIO Intelligence newsletter.

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