Edge Of Tomorrow Has Already Grossed $20 Million Overseas

Tom Cruise and Doug Liman have a surprise hit on their hands with Edge Of Tomorrow. At least, they do in terms of critical praise, as Rotten Tomatoes has them at a very early 95% freshness rating. In terms of opening weekend box office, the projections aren't as rosy though. In fact, the film is being projected to open at $30 million this weekend at the domestic box office. Of course, the film has already been released in key international territories, and judging by the reaction, it looks like the film is going to be this weekend's underdog to root for.

Variety has the international box office tally for the Doug Liman-directed film at $20 million, which pales in comparison to Angelina Jolie's Maleficent. The Disney fairy tale netted $100 million in its first weekend abroad, on top of its $70 million take at home, making for a huge initial weekend. While films with a weekend like this tend to drop off in the second weekend, even a 50% drop would bring it down to $35 million, outpacing the projected gross for Edge of Tomorrow.

Tom Cruise and Angelina Jolie are two of the last remaining "movie stars," able to draw a crowd just by their name. With both of their films already competing for a market share, Edge of Tomorrow does have some advantages to it. First, the film has not opened in China or Japan yet, which is the same for Maleficent, but Edge of Tomorrow opens a day earlier in Japan with no release date set for Disney's picture in China. The Asian film market has become one of the fastest expanding markets, and it's proven to be a key component to any film's box office run. If Cruise can secure that market in the full day before Jolie's picture opens, while pulling down competitive numbers at home, his film might have a fighting chance at making a profit.

With the film's projected budget at $178 million, it's not going to be an easy fight for the man who's been to the Danger Zone more than once. If the worst case scenario turns out to be true, Edge Of Tomorrow might be this year's The Lone Ranger, except with much better reviews. Come to think of it, Maleficent has a 52% freshness rating with critics and a 77% rating with audiences. If there were a case for critical analysis helping to sell a movie, Edge Of Tomorrow stands to be the one to look out for.

Edge Of Tomorrow storms the beach on Thursday night. And in case you were wondering, it does have the Cinema Blend seal of approval. In fact, Warner Brothers has been awesome enough to feature a pull quote from our own Kristy Puchko in the most recent TV commercial!