Not every movie this summer is going to a smash hit, and a couple are destined to disappoint commercially. So which one will it be? We’ll leave that up to ticket buyers to decide, but we certainly will say that right now, Universal has a bit of a hill to climb with “R.I.P.D.” The movie wrapped over a year ago, and it’s only in recent days that we got an actual picture from the movie (see above) and now, a poster. A not so exciting poster.
Yes, Jeff Bridges and Ryan Reynolds star in this thing that boasts a pretty twisty concept. The story centers on a murdered cop Nick (Reynolds) who teams up with another deceased detective, a gunslinger from the Old West (Bridges), to work for the elite task force, the Rest In Peace Department (hence the title), to track down the dead on Earth. Due to overpopulation, some unsettled spirits haven’t gone where they’re supposed to, and are hiding out on Earth via have avatars that give them a different appearance for some reason. Basically, this is kind of premise that needs a better long lead sell, rather than a cramped three month or so campaign — the trailer is expected this week, and movie on July 19th. Here’s the poster for now.
Meanwhile, Warner Bros. is keeping it simple for “300: Rise Of An Empire.” It doesn’t boast any major names (Aussie actor Sullivan Stapleton is the lead), but it is the sequel to the sweaty bod flick “300,” and as such, the one sheet evokes the same kind of dramatic imagery of Zack Snyder‘s film (which isn’t surprising considering he co-wrote the screenplay). It looks like this one won’t stray too far from the formula that made the first one such a massive hit, and sometimes, that’s all you need to. ‘Rise Of An Empire’ arrives on August 2nd.
