Chris Hemsworth Movie Blackhat Is First Big Flop Of 2015

Legendary director Michael Mann and box office catnip Chris Hemsworth should be a match made in heaven, but the pair’s new film has tanked.

'Blackhat' is looking like it's the first flop of 2015, following a disastrous opening weekend.

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The ‘Thor’ star plays jailed computer hacker Nick Hathaway recruited to help root out cybercrime in the complex action thriller.

But it limped in with just $4 million (£2.6 million) from its opening weekend, a drop in the ocean compared to its $70 million (£46.2 million) budget.

The odds were stacked against its success from the start, however.

It opened against the multi-Oscar-nominated ‘American Sniper’, which was always going to tick the right boxes in the US – the mix of flag-waving, Bradley Cooper and Clint Eastwood pulling in a stellar $90 million (£59.4 million) weekend.

Not only was it the biggest January opening weekend in US box office history, it was also Eastwood’s biggest ever debut.

A handful of so-called ‘male-centric’ movies are also still in residence in US multiplexes, including ‘Taken 3’ with Liam Neeson and Kevin Harts ‘The Wedding Ringer’.

Add to that a wealth of dreadful reviews, and scarcely any other recognisable talent other than Hemsworth, and ‘Blackhat’ scarcely stood a chance.

It’s currently languishing with a lowly 31% ‘fresh’ rating on reviews aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the consensus being that it’s a ‘muddled misfire’ from the ‘Heat’ helmsman.

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Image credits: Universal