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Felix Quinonez: I don't think the result is anything to write home about but it also isn't surprising. Formula One just doesn't have a lot of draw in this country. And as exciting as the rivalry between the two racers might have been at the time, I really don't think that it's something most people are aware of. I think given its budget and overseas potential it should eventually make some money, but when you really think about it I don't think that's what Ron Howard was after. This is clearly meant to be Oscar bait. But even then this performance is a bit underwhelming and it certainly won't help its awards chances.

Bruce Hall: There's a certain indignity in a prestige movie like this getting beat out its first week of wide release by last week's Kidnap Movie and a cartoon about a place where it rains talking food. But the final analysis on Rush is eventually going to lead with the international numbers, especially in countries where people are aware that Formula One racing is a thing that exists. Here in America, Ron Howard is earning very positive reviews with his latest work, and that should give it at least some measure of staying power. Looks can be deceiving, and unlike Cloudy 2 or Prisoners, we will probably actually have reason to mention Rush again before the end of the year.

Max Braden: As recognizable as Hemsworth may be at this point, he's not at the level of Tom Cruise in Days of Thunder. I think the money earned this weekend may have even been more for Ron Howard's name recognition than anything else. A recent rivalry movie like The Social Network gives people a chance to see a condensed version of the behind-the-scenes action on a subject they're fairly familiar with on the surface, but for US audiences, the Hunt/Lauda rivalry is an obscure saga in an obscure sport from four decades ago. Consider that Miracle, the story of the US Olympic hockey team's victory over the Russians in 1980, earned almost twice this amount in its opening weekend. Reviews for the movie have been very good, and there's been a significant push in advertising for it (including an Xbox connection to the upcoming game Forza Motorsport 5), but I don't think it's a big surprise that the audience for a movie like this was going to be fairly narrow. As for its award prospects, I could imagine some people campaigning for it, but personally I was disappointed by the cinematography in that it relied too much on closeups and didn't take advantage of wider shots of a sport that can be very telegenic.

Kim Hollis: I think this is about as well as a movie about Formula One racing starring an up-and-coming Avenger could do. As far as what attracted people to the film, I'd agree with Max that it was likely more due to Howard than Hemsworth. I do think that with the outstanding reviews we are looking at a film that should have a bit of staying power, but even if it doesn't, I could still see it potentially getting some minor awards attention. With that said, I think that the competition will be fierce this year for Oscar, so unless you've got something like a Fruitvale Station, I don't really see something with small North American box office drawing a ton of attention.

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