Is Hollywood ‘Doom’ed?

The videogame-based movie Doom finished first place at the box office this weekend, but drew dismal sales to an industry plagued by decline. Starring “The Rock�, Doom brought in a disappointing $15.4 million. The figure for the $60 million release fell short of industry expectations.

Overall sales fell for a fourth consecutive weekend when compared with year-ago figures. The top 12 films tallied $71.3 million, down 27 percent from last year, when “The Grudge” was tops with a $39 million debut, more than double this weekend’s results with Doom. Industry experts had expected “Doom” to open in the $18 million-$22 million range.

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Universal distribution president Nikki Rocco agreed the $15.4 million bow was “a little on the low end,” but said she was more concerned about the overall state of business. The film, from Polish director Andrzej Bartkowiak, played mostly to young males, and 69 percent of ticket-buyers had played the Doom video game, Universal said.

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