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Kim Hollis: Hitman: Agent 47, a new adaptation of the videogame, earned $8.3 million. What do you think of this result?

Ryan Kyle: Fox just can't catch a break revamping their dormant properties. The original Hitman opened to $13.2 million in 2007 dollars and had better than expected legs for the genre, ending up close to $40 million. This one opened to $8.2 million. YIKES! I'm surprised they just didn't make a sequel to the original instead of a reboot, since I doubt Timothy Olyphant and Olga Kurylenko's asking price went up that significantly over the years. With a rumored budget of $35 million, Fox will have to search overseas to make up the US deficit, but I have a feeling that was their plan all along as a very Luc Besson-esque aesthetic was given to the film's trailer. Speaking of Besson, The Transporter Refueled will probably take over almost all of this film's screens within two weekends.

Ben Gruchow: I'm surprised this many people saw it. I think some of those might have wandered in because the movie's title, if you glanced at the poster and didn't squint and read the fine print, was just "Agent 47".

This might break even with the combination of domestic and international grosses, but it's not really a sure thing since I figure the worldwide gross needed is probably somewhere around $100 million to clear the combo of production budget and marketing; the original Hitman tapped out at $99 million, and this movie is starting slower both domestically and in foreign markets. I'm gobsmacked as to who at Fox thought this was $35 million worth of a bankable idea. The screenwriter's history reads like the resume that you only accept for show, and shred as soon as the applicant leaves. It looks like Paul Walker was originally attached to play the lead role when this was in development in 2013, and there was a reboot/remake of the Hitman game announced in early 2014. The only thing I can think of is that by the time Walker passed away and the game fell through, the movie's producers had spent enough money to keep going with it.

On a lighter note, my research reveals that Thomas Kretschmann's character is named Le Clerq. No first name. I find that strangely amusing.

Felix Quinonez: This is bad but not at all surprising. I can't imagine anyone who considered the first one a big enough hit to warrant a sequel or reboot, or whatever this is. I would have loved to been present in the pitch meeting for this. It boggles my mind that at least one person wanted this to get made and at least another person approved it.

Matthew Huntley: Felix stole the words right from my keyboard.

Edwin Davies: This may be the least surprising story of the year so far. The first Hitman wasn't a hit even when it starred someone with a hint of name recognition and the game was at its peak of cultural relevancy. That anyone at any point thought that a newer version would do better with a virtual unknown in the lead and at a point where people have more or less forgotten about Hitman borders on insanity. Aside from that, the basic premise is super generic when you take it out of a game and put it on screen, so the chances of people who don't know the game being interested in it will always be pretty minimal unless you cast a big name or promise a lot of super cool action in the trailers. The ads for Hitman didn't provide that, or at least couldn't persuade people that watching Tom Cruise hang off of a plane might be a better option.

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