The Running Man made a quiet entrance at North America box office as it collected only 1.9 million dollars from Thursday previews, according to Variety.
The film arrived in cinemas on November 14 and brought a new take on the Stephen King story under the direction of Edgar Wright.
Glen Powell appeared leading the cast and stepped into a role that once appeared in a 1987 screen version with Arnold Schwarzenegger.
The preview figure stayed below the two million dollar mark and also stayed behind several recent films.
One example was Tron Ares, which opened with 4.8 million dollars on its preview night.
Now You See Me Now You Do Not also reached cinemas on the same day and moved ahead of the amount earned by The Running Man.
Even with the softer start, people in the industry expected stronger days ahead.
Early projections placed the North America opening somewhere between 20 million and 25 million dollars.
However, if the film reached that mark, it was expected to move ahead of Predator Badlands, which aimed to finish its second weekend with 18 million to 20 million dollars.
The film featured a large supporting cast that included William H. Macy, Lee Pace, Michael Cera, Emilia Jones, Daniel Ezra, Jayme Lawson, Katy O Brian, Sean Hayes, Colman Domingo and Josh Brolin.
The story followed Ben Richards, a father who joined a brutal game show in a future world to find treatment for his sick daughter.
Contestants needed to stay alive for one month while viewers watched every moment.
As Ben gained support from the audience, the danger gets higer and pushed him towards final clash with the Hunters and the producer Dan Killian, played by Brolin.