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'Cold Pursuit' is Among Worst Box Office Openings of Liam Neeson's Career https://t.co/qowKo1YeIQ pic.twitter.com/Q6QNfc1oLK

— TheWrap (@TheWrap) February 10, 2019

It hasn’t been a good week for Liam Neeson. He’s still getting raked over the coals for an interview telling the story of how he fantasized about k*lling “some black bastard” after a close friend was r*ped. And now, his latest gritty action film, “Cold Pursuit,” is yielding one of the worst opening weekends in the actor’s box office career. The Lionsgate film opened with an estimated $10.8 million, the worst opening for any wide release starring Neeson since 2010. That year, he starred alongside Russell Crowe in “The Next Three Days,” which opened to $6.5 million. To be fair, “Cold Pursuit” wasn’t tracking to be a blockbuster even before his ill-timed interview with London’s The Independent — or a Tuesday “Good Morning America” appearance in which he insisted he’s not a racist. Prior to this past week, the Lionsgate film was expected by independent trackers to only open to $7-10 million. When you narrow down Neeson’s filmography to the jagged-edge revenge thrillers and shoot-em-ups that have revitalized the actor’s reputation, “Cold Pursuit” looks even worse. Neeson’s career as an action star peaked in 2012 with “Taken 2,” which opened to $49.5 million and grossed $376 million worldwide. But this opening is closer to the $11 million launch for his 2015 film “Run All Night.” But to find an action film starring Neeson that opened worse than “Pursuit,” you have to go all the way back to even before “Schindler’s List,” when Neeson appeared in Sam Raimi’s disturbing 1990 superhero revenge film “Darkman.” In that film, Neeson plays a scientist who is horrifically disfigured by a mobster, losing the ability to feel pain and becoming mentally unstable. Using a synthetic skin he had been developing prior to the attack, he disguises himself as the mobster’s men to plot his revenge while hiding his burned, melted body from his girlfriend, played by Frances McDormand. “Darkman” became a cult film among Raimi fans for Neeson’s insane performance, but only opened to $8 million in August 1990 and grossed just $48 million worldwide. Even before Neeson’s racially charged interview, signs were already showing that audiences had gotten enough of Neeson playing men on roaring rampages of revenge. But now it remains to be seen whether the backlash to his interview will have an impact on future roles. He is set to appear in the upcoming summer blockbuster “Men in Black: International,” as well as alongside Lesley Manville in Bleecker Street’s romance film “Normal People.” And he will be picking up a gun once again in “Honest Thief,” a film about a thief who plans to turn himself in for the good of his family, but then decides to f*ght back once he gets a glimpse of the corruption of the government that would apprehend him.

GOOD it's bout time we show these white people they can't say and do what they want y'all have to kiss our a*s we go see your movies we buy your clothes u wanna go broke or don't have a career say some racist sh*t end up like gucci and Liam nielson

Rip Liam

I went to the movies this weekend and my wife asked if I wanted to see cold pursuit and even though I've liked Liams movies in the past I can't support him anymore after his recent comments on looking for random black people to k*ll. It was beyond ignorant what he said.

RoyRogers225 said GOOD it's bout time we show these white people they can't say and do what they want y'all have to kiss our a*s we go see your movies we buy your clothes u wanna go broke or don't have a career say some racist sh*t end up like gucci and Liam nielson

Good luck with that

Los Pollos said Good luck with that

Ok doesn't matter what u think they building a wall to keep your people out and u still siding with them sell out

RoyRogers225 said GOOD it's bout time we show these white people they can't say and do what they want y'all have to kiss our a*s we go see your movies we buy your clothes u wanna go broke or don't have a career say some racist sh*t end up like gucci and Liam nielson

Father of 3 and doesnt know how to use punctuation

Your kids are doomed.

RoyRogers225 said Ok doesn't matter what u think they building a wall to keep your people out and u still siding with them sell out

@ racism.

this guy has 3 kids

Scrooged said @ racism. this guy has 3 kids

Exposed him for being gay and now He follows me from thread to thread trying to get me banned f*g**t

it was going to do bad regardless. I don’t think a ton of black people go to his movies

Well it is Feb and this like the fifth type of movie were something happens to his kid. Who really wants to another movie involving This dude's bad parenting


Spoiler alert
[spoiler - click to view]

He said that sh*t thinking it would pull people in to watch his movie lmfaoo

Good.

How ironic is it that the title goes along with recent admission to a cold racist pursuit sh*t he gotta live with

fu*k that bi*ch

Daville502 said I went to the movies this weekend and my wife asked if I wanted to see cold pursuit and even though I've liked Liams movies in the past I can't support him anymore after his recent comments on looking for random black people to k*ll. It was beyond ignorant what he said.

Agree. He's usually a good look on Netflix. But I definitely wouldn't be up in the theatre watching his sh*t after them comments.

I could have sworn I seen this movie on the fire stick like 2 months ago.

justinjones said it was going to do bad regardless. I don’t think a ton of black people go to his movies

this!!!!!!

sh*t ain’t John Wick so I don’t care

RoyRogers225 said Ok doesn't matter what u think they building a wall to keep your people out and u still siding with them sell out

No... Let em have all the foolish


He cant speak that shyt in real life...trust me. And i know u know

For the wtypeople. Its get down or benlaid the F down. U got Buddhist type of mentality Black folks changing suit.

Dylan Roof. Before and after how the public handled the Cold blooded murder. ..is all i Need to know

People crying over what he said/did but there more important thing to give a fu*k about.

What did this dummy expect ..

Damm Liam used be man homie

RoyRogers225 said GOOD it's bout time we show these white people they can't say and do what they want y'all have to kiss our a*s we go see your movies we buy your clothes u wanna go broke or don't have a career say some racist sh*t end up like gucci and Liam nielson

Old racist bastard has been making the same fu*king movie for a decade glad it flopped and hope him and the other racists and their tapdancing defenders,Terry Crews, Michelle Rodriguez,Camila cabello and Gina Rodriguez careers fall off for good.