Why Henry Golding's 'Snake Eyes' fails to sizzle at the box office

'Snake Eyes' (pic) came in second place on US movie charts, behind M. Night Shyamalan's mind-bending thriller 'Old'. Photo: Handout

At the box office, Snake Eyes is ringing true to its moniker.

The latest G.I. Joe instalment, an origin story starring Henry Golding of Crazy Rich Asians fame, fell short of expectations, collecting a paltry US$13.3mil in its first three days in North American theatres. Those ticket sales put Snake Eyes in second place on domestic charts, behind M. Night Shyamalan's mind-bending thriller Old and its US$16.5mil debut. It's an embarrassing start for Snake Eyes, which cost $88 million to produce, not including the many millions spent on global marketing. It also illustrates the limits of franchise filmmaking at a time when studios are always on the hunt for the next big thing.