The weekend's most prominent new release, Punisher: War Zone, had a pitiful start, grossing an estimated $4 million on around 2,700 screens at 2,508 theaters. It was the smallest opening ever for a Marvel Comics adaptation by far, even lower than Howard the Duck, and was a quarter of the previous Punisher movie's opening in terms of attendance.
Punisher: War Zone tried to reboot the franchise after the disappointment of The Punisher in 2004, like The Incredible Hulk versus Hulk from 2003, but its marketing campaign was murky and made no attempt to entice those unfamiliar with the character. What's more, distributor Lionsgate released the similar Transporter 3 last week, stealing some of its thunder.
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