Disney's film adaptation for
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time earned an estimated $37.8 million during the four-day holiday weekend, well below expectations and much less than Shrek Forever After's $55.7 million take.
The Jerry Bruckheimer-produced movie, which opened in the U.S. at some 5,600 screens across 3,646 locations last week, earned far less than other Disney blockbusters such as its Pirates of the Caribbean, National Treasure, and The Mummy franchises.
Disney likely hoped to create a series of movies based on the
Prince of Persia property, but those plans could be in jeopardy now after the disappointing performance of this first film during what is supposed to be one of the biggest movie-going weekends of the year.
The Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time movie stars Jake Gyllenhall, and is based on Ubisoft Montreal's 2003 multiplatform action-adventure game of the same name. Walt Disney Studios spent around $200 million to produce the film,
according to a report from the Los Angeles Times.
While the movie's opening weekend earnings failed to oust Shrek Forever After and just barely overtook Sex and the City 2's $37.1 million take -- both titles debuted a week prior to Prince of Persia -- the four-day period was disappointing for most Hollywood studios, as the total box office revenue was at $186 million, the lowest total since 2001.
