The Ice Age may officially be coming to an end after the latest in the long-running animated movie series returned an anemic box office opening weekend in the US on the back of a near unanimous panning from critics.
Ice Age Collision Course, the fifth in the 20th Fox Century series, earned just $US21 million ($28 million).
That's way below previous US openings for the animated series, which have routinely topped $US40 million ($53.49 million). In 2006, Ice Age: The Meltdown raked in $US68 million ($91 million) on its opening weekend, and a massive $US661 million ($884 million) worldwide.
However, studio bosses are talking up the future of the franchise, pointing out that international audiences have always historically been strong.
"The movie is going to make money," said Chris Aronson, Fox's domestic distribution chief. "If you go back and look at past Ice Ages, the share of international has always been weighted very heavily."
Now in its fourth week of release in Australia, the movie has so far grossed $11 million here and $US179 ($239 million) worldwide.
Rotten Tomatoes calculated only a 13 per cent positive response from critics after the film was first launched at the Sydney Film Festival last month.
The review aggregator offered this summary: "Unoriginal and unfunny, Ice Age: Collision Course offers further proof that not even the healthiest box office receipts can keep a franchise from slouching toward creative extinction."
Fairfax's Jake Wilson was equally unimpressed, giving it two stars and observing: "Manny and the gang seem doomed regardless, worn down by the relentless march of time."
Meanwhile, Star Trek Beyond, the third installment in the cinematic reboot of the 1960s sci-fi series, opened at number one in the US this weekend, generating $US59.6 million ($79.71).
Sales from the movie, directed for the first time by Justin Lin of Fast & Furious, was in line with expectations.
Paramount spent $US185 million ($247.41) making Star Trek Beyond, according to Box Office Mojo, and tens of millions more on marketing.
With Bloomberg, Reuters
