The Mark
Release Date:
No Release Date at this Time
The Mark will star Will Smith as an ordinary man who discovers an unusual mark has somehow been transferred to his body from the corpse of Confederate soldier. The man finds that the mark grants him some special powers, but he must fight the impulse to use those powers for good rather than for evil.
The Mark will see the second collaboration between Will Smith and the team of Dean Devlin and Roland Emmerich, their first being the wildly-successful Independence Day. That film established Smith as a major action star, a role he solidified the following year with Men in Black. This time around, Devlin/Emmerich will share producing duties with Smith, though the auspices of the latter's Overbrook Entertainment.
There are many myths and legends surrounding marks on the body. Certain moles and birthmarks have been considered, over time, to indicate that the person is a prophet, a witch, a mystic or in league with the Devil. There is even some evidence that the werewolf myth may stem from a particular type of birthmark that is very dark and hairy, and which sometimes does extend over the majority of the body. This seems a fascinating area to explore.
Unfortunately at this point, the chances that any pondering by this film of how alterations of the human form can produce mental changes, mystical or not, seem slim, based on recent history. Given the phrase "special powers" in the synopsis, the inclusion of Emmerich and Devlin on the producing team and the writers behind Reign of Fire, one has visions of an FX-heavy, patented Will Smith extravaganza. There is also the recent trend of trying to overlay Will Smith's standard stunts-and-one-liner-heavy performance onto whatever canvas is presented. When this is done with an existing template, it tends to result in a less-than-satisfactory end product (The Wild Wild West, anyone?). However, the fact that this tale doesn't have a pre-existing storyline that is being obliterated by the Will Smith Action Comedy sub-genre portends perhaps better results should that be the direction taken here, although it would seem a more satisfying film would result if a more low-key approach were taken. It will be interesting to see which path the film ultimately travels, and how audiences will react to the end product delivered to theatres. (Stephanie Star Smith/BOP)
Comparison films for The Mark |
Title |
Date |
Opening |
Adjusted Opening |
Screens |
PSA |
Adj PSA |
Total BO |
Adjusted Total |
Mult |
| Independence Day |
7/5/96 | 50.23 |
68.52 |
2882 |
17429.00 |
22870.6 |
306.17 |
417.70 |
3.47 |
| Enemy of The State |
11/20/98 | 20.04 |
25.76 |
2393 |
8374.00 |
10355.9 |
111.54 |
143.40 |
5.57 |
| Reign of Fire |
7/12/02 | 15.63 |
16.25 |
2629 |
5946.00 |
5946.0 |
43.06 |
44.76 |
2.75 |
| Gift, The |
1/19/01 | 3.46 |
3.69 |
805 |
4299.00 |
4413.1 |
11.95 |
12.75 |
3.44 |
