Dan Bilzerian Backed ‘Lone Survivor’ Wins at Box Office
After a limited theatrical opening, “Lone Survivor” began showing nationwide throughout North America and the results outperformed expectations.
“Lone Survivor” took in $38.5 million this past weekend, ranking number one at the box office. And to think, the military film based on a 2005 Afghanistan Navy SEAL operation had to initially scrap for funding.
Dan Bilzerian, the colorful Playboy poker pro, put up $1 million of his own money for the project in exchange for 8 minutes of screen time. Instead, his role was deduced to just shy of a minute and Bilzerian is now suing the producers as a result. Based on these earnings, Gambling911.com believes the odds of this one settling out of court are pretty good. And just a quick update, Gambling911.com has since been advised that Bilzerian indeed now appears to have approximately 8 minutes of said face time as previously promised to him.
Generally, the big studios have tended to stay clear of post-911 war films following chilly receptions. Even the 2008 Academy Award winning “The Hurt Locker” failed to muster up much in the way of box office revenue during its initial release.
Mark Wahlberg stars in “Lone Survivor”, which is based on the memoir of Navy SEAL Marcus Luttrell about a failed U.S. mission to track down an al-Qaeda leader. The film was projected to make around $28 million during its full scale North American release.
What do you think of “Lone Survivor”? Post your comments below.
- Ace King, Gambling911.com
