'The Lone Ranger' performs poorly in opening holiday weekend


A poster for The Lone Ranger.

The film version of The Lone Ranger is definitely not a box office hit.

The film took in a disappointing $48.9 million over the five-day holiday weekend, according to Deadline.com. The site dubbed it a "big-budget bomb" with its $215 million to $250 million cost.

Actor Johnny Depp has drawn scrutiny for his role as Tonto, the Comanche sidekick in the movie. Most reviews characterized his performance as silly.

“I don’t think it has anything to do with Indians,“ noted Indian filmmaker Chris Eyre told The Santa Fe New Mexican of the film. He added: "Tonto is still a secondary character.”

Get the Story:
Native Americans shrug off Depp’s Tonto (The Santa Fe New Mexican 7/7)
July 4th Global Weekend: ‘Despicable Me 2′ Giant $293.2M and #1, ‘Lone Ranger’ Dismal $73.2M For Depp, ‘Let Me Explain’ $17.3M (Deadline.com 7/7)

Also Today:
Leslie Linthicum: ‘Tonto’s got a bird on his head’ (The Albuquerque Journal 7/4)

Related Stories
Doug George-Kanentiio: Tonto lives up to name in Lone Ranger (07/03)
LaDonna Harris defends casting of Johnny Depp over an Indian (07/03)
Adrienne Keene: So The Lone Ranger is worse than you thought (07/03)
Review: Tonto takes center stage in film version of Lone Ranger (07/03)

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