Weekend Box Office: 'The Upside' Earns $1.1M in Thursday Previews

The long-delayed dramedy stars Kevin Hart and Bryan Cranston.


Kevin Hart and Bryan Cranston's The Upside earned a solid $1.1 million in Thursday-night previews at the North American box office.


From STXfilms and Lantern Entertainment, the dramedyhits theaters after a long delay. It also opens following the high-profile drama over whether or not Hart would host the upcoming Oscars ceremony.


The pic, about a quadriplegic billionaire who hires an ex-con to care for him, staged its world premiere at the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival but was shelved weeks later following the downfall of Harvey Weinstein. It is a remake of the 2011 French film The Intouchables, which was a huge global hit and became a cultural phenomenon in its native country.


STX picked up distribution rights to Upside from Lantern, which bought the assets of The Weinstein Co. Nicole Kidman also stars in the Neil Burger-directed film.


The Upside opens opposite the family friendly A Dog's Way Home , which earned $535,000 in previews, and the sci-fi thriller Replicas starring Keanu Reeves.


A Dog's Way Home and The Upside have both been tracking to open in the $9 million-$12 million range. Neither are expected to beat Aquaman, which will cross the $1 billion mark in global ticket sales sometime over the weekend.


From Sony, A Dog's Way Home chronicles the adventures of a dog — voiced by Bryce Dallas Howard — who travels 400 miles to find her owner. Ashley Judd and Edward James Olmos co-star. The film isn't a sequel to A Dog's Purpose; that honor belongs to A Dog's Journey, which set for a May 17 release. All three films are based on books by W. Bruce Cameron.


The canine-centric pic currently boasts the best Rotten Tomatoes score of the new films, or 68 percent. The Upside rests at just 34 percent; Replicas, 11 percent.