Box office reflects audience/critic disconnect as 'Underworld' whomps 'Haywire'

The disconnect between what critics like and what audiences like was never more apparent than this past weekend as one female-driven action flick struck gold and another didn’t.

True, “Underworld: Awakening” is the fourth installment in a moderately successful vampire-werewolf franchise, so it did have a built-in audience. It also starred Kate Beckinsale, a moderately well-known star.

Still, its take of $25.2 million over the weekend came as something of a surprise. And it certainly flew in the face of critical reaction. Those who bothered to review the film — it was not screened for critics in advance of its release — gave it an ultra-lousy 27 percent aggregate approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

On the other end of the spectrum is “Haywire,” the Steven Soderbergh-directed action film starring real-life mixed martial arts fighter and movie newcomer Gina Carano. The film, which featured a top-notch supporting cast of Ewan McGregor, Michael Fassbender, Michael Douglas, Channing Tatum and Bill Paxton, was a critical hit, scoring 82 percent on Rotten Tomatoes.

The movie came in fifth place with $8.6 million, which is neither great nor terrible for a female-driven action flick. But its audience-generated Cinemascore was a dismal D+. Whew.

Elsewhere, “Red Tails” made $19.4 million, showing both the power of the African American audience and its (understandable) hunger for positive role models.

Perhaps the week’s biggest surprise/no-surprise, though, was the under-performance of Oscar frontrunner “The Artist, which expanded to 662 theaters following its Golden Globe best comedy/musical win. The silent film only brought in $2.37 million, bringing its total to just over $12 million and proving it is not “The King’s Speech.”

Then again, who thought it would be? It’s a silent black-and-white movie starring two people Americans have never heard of.

The weekend’s top 10:

“Underworld: Awakening” — $25.2 million

“Red Tails” — $19.4 million

“Contraband” — $12.3 million, $46.3 million total

“Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close” — $10.2 million, $10.9 million

“Haywire” — $8.6 million

“Beauty and the Beast 3D” — $8.3 million, $33.2 million

“Joyful Noise” — $5.8M, $21.7M

“Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol” — $5.7M, $197.5M

“Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows” — $4.6M, $178.4M

“The Iron Lady” / “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” — $3.7 million. “Lady” has made $12.6 million, “Girl” $94.7 million