Sandra Bullock’s name above the title has meant mega-bucks for movie studios over the last 37 years (the answer to the trivia question “What was Sandra Bullock’s first feature film” is a cheapie action film titled “Hangmen,” which also features former middleweight boxing champion Jake LaMotta). Combined, her movies have grossed billions of dollars at the global box office, making her one of the most bankable stars of her generation. She’s done it by mostly exhibiting good taste in material and, of course, being her irresistibly bubbly self. Everyone, it seems, loves Sandy.
Bullock has a lot to be proud of (most notably the Best Actress Oscar she won for 2009’s “The Blind Side”), but when it comes to her bombs, she’ll be the first to tell you how lousy they are. She’s earned the right to dish on disappointments like “All About Steve,” “Two If By Sea” and, dear god, George Sluizer’s Hollywoodized remake of his masterful Dutch thriller “The Vanishing.” Hang around long enough in the film industry, and you’re bound to appear in a stinker or two.
One such stiff for Bullock proved especially costly for the studio that made it. They had high hopes when they greenlit it, but it wound up being a critical and, based on box office expectations, commercial misfire. If you’ve seen it, you probably enjoyed a solid nap during its bloated runtime.
A slow boat to Bombsville
Whereas Jan de Bont’s “Speed” was the surprise hit of summer 1994, its 1997 follow-up, “Speed 2: Cruise Control” (based on a rejected “Die Hard” sequel script) was a misbegotten would-be blockbuster undone by a lack of excitement and star chemistry. Everything that clicked on “Speed” was off here. Some of this wasn’t de Bont’s fault: when Keanu Reeves opted not to star in the film (citing its lousy screenplay), de Bont had to settle for Jason Patric, a tremendously talented actor who just couldn’t strike sparks with Bullock. But the notion to set the film on a cruise ship — which goes fast, yes, but looks like it’s plodding along on autopilot in the water — was a mistake.
While doing press for “The Lost City” in 2022, Bullock was asked about “Speed 2: Cruise Control.” After noting that no one has come around on over the last 27 years, and that she’s still “embarrassed” by it, she succinctly diagnosed why it didn’t work. “I’ve been very vocal about it. Makes no sense. Slow boat. Slowly going towards an island.”
That pretty much nails it as far as the dull-as-dishwater movie itself is concerned. As for its box office performance, while it did win its June 13, 1997 opening weekend, it did so with zero direct competition from other new releases. Also, its $16 million gross was $8 million off the opening of the previous weekend’s action extravaganza “Con Air.” It’s possible people were all action-ed out that June, but that doesn’t explain why they showed up in “Con Air” numbers to see Nicolas Cage again in “Face/Off” two weeks later.
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