‘The Bourne Legacy’ Falls Short of Expectations in Opening Week

There were high hopes for “The Bourne Legacy” when the movie prepared for release. The biggest obstacle for it to overcome was “The Dark Knight Rises,” which moved into its fourth week in theaters. However, something happened and the fourth movie in the “Bourne” franchise fell short. While it did take over the No. 1 spot from “The Dark Knight Rises,” it fell short of what experts predicted for its overall take.

According to Deadline Hollywood, Universal estimated their sequel would finish at $48 million. By Saturday morning, August 11, that number was down to $41 million. With a budget of over $125 million, it looks like “The Bourne Legacy” will struggle, although international takes for 3D movies will help it make a profit. Despite this, what happened to the once powerful franchise?

Jeremy Renner

This is nothing against Jeremy Renner as an actor, but what made “The Bourne Legacy” so popular was Matt Damon in the lead role. With Damon gone, and Renner replacing him as the lead in the movie, fans might seem leery about the franchise. Yes, Renner plays a new character while Damon’s Jason Bourne is still in the background. But, questions remain asking why Damon would leave the franchise unless something was wrong.

Bad Reviews

That is where the real problem lies. While critics praised the first three movies in the series, Rotten Tomatoes scores “The Bourne Legacy” at a 52-percent fresh. That leaves three points to spare before the sequel drops into rotten territory. The movie deserves the poor scores. While the first three movies presented an exciting adventure, both smart and thrilling, the new movie fails in both areas.

While “The Bourne Legacy” offers exciting action at points, nothing compares to the first three movies in the series. It also does not help that the movie ends anticlimactically, after an exciting motorcycle chase. There is no resolution, no pay back against the men trying to hunt down new hero Aaron Cross, and no payoff to the two hour running time. It is a chase movie with no heart.

The Aurora Fallout

When the movie gets poor reviews, and people already questioned the changing of the lead actor, it faces an uphill battle. With the Aurora shootings still keeping people away from theaters, that cripples a movie like “The Bourne Legacy.” What ended up as an underwhelming effort could have succeeded, at least for its opening weekend. However, with the fear of attending the movies still alive in many Americans, “The Bourne Legacy” was dead in the water.