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Harrison Ford in a scene from the new film
Photo: Jonathan Olley / Lucasfilm / Disney
Actually, it should be a reason to celebrate when a film makes it to the top of the charts. In the case of "Indiana Jones and the Wheel of Fate", however, there should have been no jubilation at the producing Disney studio. Because the box office for one of the most expensive films of all time is meager: only 60 million dollars in the USA, and only 130 million worldwide.
The fifth film in the "Indiana Jones" saga allegedly cost 295 million dollars, plus a hefty amount for marketing of at least 100 million dollars. This makes the adventure epic starring 80-year-old Harrison Ford by far the most unsuccessful film in the series. The predecessor »Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull« had grossed almost 2008 million dollars worldwide in 800.
Thus, the malaise of summer cinema from Hollywood continues. Previously, »The Flash« and the Pixar film »Elemental« had already disappointed. Now most of the hopes rest on »Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning«, the seventh part of another aging film series. At the same time, the film starring Tom Cruise, which opens on July 12, is likely to minimize the chances of "Indiana Jones" to gain significantly after all.
At least the Germans are loyal to »Indy«: after all, 330,000 viewers saw the film in cinemas in this country.
KAE