In a rather enormous surprise, Sin City: A Dame to Kill For seriously flopped during its opening weekend. Sin City itself took the world by storm in 2005. The film was a visual stunner, a veritable game-changer in the ever-innovative world of cinema. The stark cinematography, which helped the film hold onto its graphic novel roots, left audiences captivated. Fans were especially impressed by the touches of color, which created depth and told a story all their own. The neo-noir thriller delivered a similarly stellar story, taking cues from installments one, three, and four of Frank Miller's comic. The star-studded cast, which included Jessica Alba, Clive Owen, Bruce Willis, Brittany Murphy, Elijah Wood, Mickey Rourke, and Rosario Dawson, among many others, did what few star-packed movies can do: it delivered.

With that set up, people fully expected the sequel to pack a huge punch. After all, Mickey, Jessica, Bruce, and Rosario returned, and they were joined by Josh Brolin, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Christopher Lloyd, Christopher Meloni, Ray Liotta, and even Lady Gaga. The plot involves several interweaving stories, bringing back favorites like Marv and Nancy and introducing new characters, such as JGL's Johnny. Certainly the trailer made it look like a winner.

But … not so much. Was it Lady Gaga? Was it the new Manute? Whatever the case, estimates put it at a gross of just $6.4 million for its entire three-day opening. Compare that to Sin City, which brought in $11.8 million on its first day alone, and you can see the discrepancy.

I haven't seen it yet, but in spite of early reviews, I do plan to. Did you see it? Tag any spoilers, but I'm dying to know what you think. Was it as DOA and desultory as critics imply?

Source: huffingtonpost.com