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Michael Lynderey: I personally expected an American Sniper-like performance, dollar for dollar, yes. Why not aim for the best?

I would say it's a disappointment. This type of B movie for teens is typically expected to do well on cold January or February weekends. Even releasing two of them on the same day - Chronicle and The Woman in Black - didn't seem to really hamper the box office of either (in fact, both did better than expected). Really, these teen thrillers don't even open under $10 million unless some extraordinary circumstances are involved. Project Almanac had a pretty good trailer, the reviews didn't absolutely savage it, and it's from Michael Bay's production company, so it's definitely puzzling that it's made so little money. Compare it to, say, The Woman in Black 2 or The Boy Next Door, movies it in theory should have outgrossed, and it isn't even up to those standards.

Kim Hollis: I'd agree that it's a little disappointing even if it's going to make money in the end. Generally, projects from Platinum Dunes are better marketed and gain more interest from that crucial teen crowd. I guess this one didn't have a hook that was strong enough to elevate it past its lame found footage genre.

Kim Hollis: Black or White, a drama featuring Kevin Costner, earned $6.2 million. What do you think about this result?

Jason Barney: I’m going to take a fairly positive view of Black or White’s situation. It was made on the cheap, and the likelihood it actually makes Relativity money when all is said and done is possible. We are not talking about huge numbers to begin with. A film with a budget of $9 million just doesn’t have to be relevant for very long for the math to work out. I doubt the advertising dollars involved will add up to very much. So the path to profitability is possible. It is going to drop quickly and shed screens even faster. It won’t be in the top ten for very long, but Black or White won’t lose money.

And while some are taking digs at Costner for making movies past his prime, I’m okay with what he is doing. His most recent body of work shows more success than a lot of other actors. He’s selecting the right projects, and he keeps getting work. Just going back to 2013, the guy has been REALLY busy. He wasn’t the star, but his presence in Man of Steel didn’t hurt his career by any stretch of the imagination. Even though Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit was a bit of a push, it did okay. His three most recent works have all been projects with low expectations that didn’t lose money. Three Days to Kill made its budget back. Same thing with Draft Day. Now Black or White. Yes he is well past his prime, and expectations are low, but he is doing okay.

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