Unlike the previous films, which were distributed by Paramount Pictures, the film was released by Lionsgate Films on October 19, 2012. It was panned by critics and became a box office bomb, and a planned sequel was cancelled.
Plot
Alex Cross, a detective and psychologist, is drawn into a dangerous game of cat and mouse with a cunning and ruthless serial killer named Picasso, played by Matthew Fox. As Cross and his team investigate a series of grisly murders, they become embroiled in a high-stakes battle of wits with the killer, who is always one step ahead.
As the investigation progresses, Cross finds himself personally targeted by Picasso, who is not only a formidable opponent but also has a personal vendetta against Cross. The movie follows Cross as he uses his intellect and detective skills to track down the killer while navigating the escalating danger and personal sacrifices involved in the pursuit.
The plot is filled with suspense, action, and psychological tension as Cross and Picasso engage in a gripping and intense battle throughout the film.
A reboot film about Alex Cross' character began development in 2010, with a screenplay by Kerry Williamson and James Patterson.[6]David Twohy was attached as director, and was set to rewrite the screenplay. In August, Idris Elba was cast as Cross.[7]
Towards the end of 2010, QED International purchased the rights, and initial screenplay by Williamson and Patterson.[6] By January 2011, Tyler Perry had replaced Elba in the starring role, and Cohen was hired as director.[8] The production company, QED, set Marc Moss, who worked on the previous Alex Cross films, to refine the screenplay for Perry and Cohen.[6] With a production budget of $35 million,[1] filming began on August 8 in Cleveland, Ohio and lasted until September 16. Filming locations in northeast Ohio served as a backdrop to Detroit, Michigan, where the character works for the Detroit Police Department. After Ohio, filming also took place in Detroit itself for two weeks.[9] The production office remained in Cleveland throughout production inside an empty portion of the old American Greetings Company Factory.
Summit Entertainment purchased domestic distribution rights in March 2011,[10] and set the release date for October 26, 2012.[11]
The theatrical release poster featured the tagline, "Don't ever cross Alex Cross", The Playlist at indieWire was critical of the tagline, saying that "it'll be impressive if anything dumber appears on a movie poster this year".[12]
Reception
Box office
The film opened in 2,539 theaters in North America, grossing $11,396,768 during its first weekend, with an average of $4,489 per theater, and ranking #5 at the box office. The film ultimately earned $25,888,412 domestically and $8,730,455 internationally, for a total of $34,618,867, on a $35 million production budget.[1]
Critical response
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 11% of 129 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 3.6/10. The website's consensus reads: "Tyler Perry and Matthew Fox did their best, but they're trampled by Rob Cohen's frustrating direction and a tasteless, lazily written screenplay."[13]Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 30 out of 100, based on 34 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable" reviews. [14] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale.[15]
The film earned a Razzie Award nomination for Perry as Worst Actor.[16]
Cancelled sequel
Prior to the film's release, Double Cross was scheduled to be adapted into a film, with Perry reprising his role,[17] but the sequel was cancelled, following the critical and commercial failure of Alex Cross.
