Several factors came into play for Sony’sGran Turismo: Based on a True Storyto hit the $50 million mark at the global box office in what is largely being considered its debut weekend. First, the movie opened in key international marketstwo weeks prior to its stateside release, which, if you’d remember, was pushed by a couple of weeks at the last minute.Gran Turismo’s domestic debut wasn’t conventional either; while Sony opened the movie wideon Friday, it held sneak previews for it not only on Thursday, as per the norm, but across two weeks.
This led to the movie grossing an extra $3.9 million in addition to the $1.4 million that it made from Thursday previews. While it took the top spot in itsfirst weekend domestically, there is some dispute over Sony’s methods, because without the extra $3.9 million,Warner Bros. is claimingthat it would fall behind their holdover hitBarbie. As things stand,Gran Turismois outpacingBarbieby just $200,000, but this could change as early as today, once official numbers for Sunday’s wildcard National Cinema Day are reported.
All of this is to say thatGran Turismohas made $17.3 million domestically, and another $36 million from overseas markets, for a running global haul of $53 million. Sony believed in this movie, which is why it conducted to sneak previews to build buzz. And this confidence seems to have been validated, at least partially; the movie received a solid A CinemaScore from opening day audiences, even if critical reviews remain decidedly more mixed.Gran Turismocurrently sits at a borderline “fresh” 61% score on review aggregatorRotten Tomatoes. Collider’sRoss Bonaimewrotethat it “becomes a traffic jam of clichés, poor direction, and an underwhelming story that’ll leave the audience wishing they were watching any of the many other racing movie options open to them.”
Sony Kept the Film’s Budget Tight
The studio also kept costs tight on the picture;Gran Turismoonly cost a reported $60 million to produce, as opposed to Sony’s last PlayStation movie,Uncharted, which is said to have cost twice as much. Based on the long-running racing game series of the same name,Gran Turismois being sold as an inspiring fact-based tale. As hard as it might be to believe, it’s actuallybased on a true story; that of a young man who participated in a Gran Turismo gaming contest, and was subsequently selected as an actual race car driver.Archie Madekweplays the lead characterJann Mardenborough, who beat nearly 100,000 entrants in the gaming competition, and scored the chance to drive for Nissan at the Dubai 23 Hour Race in 2011.
Gran Turismoalso marks a comeback of sorts for directorNeill Blomkamp, who rose to fame after directing the acclaimed 2009 science-fiction filmDistrict 9but saw his 2015 film,Chappie, fail to perform. Although he did direct the lowkey 2021 horror titleDemonic,Gran Turismois effectively his first major studio gig since his planned fifthAlienmoviefell apart. The film also starsDavid Harbour,Orlando BloomandDjimon Hounsouin supporting roles. You can watch our interview with Harbour here, and stay tuned to Collider for more updates.
