\'Total Recall\' Remake Struggles at Box Office

By BROOKS BARNES

Add “Total Recall” to the list of remakes that go thud. Sony, betting in part on advancements in visual effects and fond memories of the 1990 original, spent at least $200 million to make and market a new version starring Colin Farrell in the role Arnold Schwarzenegger made famous. But moviegoers weren't feeling it: “Total Recall” took in about $26 million at North American theaters over the weekend, a distant second behind “The Dark Knight Rises,” which was No. 1 for the third weekend in a row, with about $36.4 million in ticket sales ($354.6 million total over three weeks).

The continued popularity of “The Dark Knight Rises,” a Warner Brothers release, may have hurt “Total Recall.” The London Olympics and continued skittishness following last month's theater shootings in Colorado may also have taken a toll. But “Total Recall” was also just not considered very good: audiences gave it a C-plus grade i n exit polls. “We performed in line with tracking and industry expectations,” a Sony spokesman said, adding that the film did well in limited release overseas in spots like Malaysia and Taiwan.

“Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days,” which cost 20th Century Fox less than $25 million to produce, was third with about $14.7 million in ticket sales, according to Hollywood.com, which compiles box-office data. “Ice Age: Continental Drift” (Fox) chugged along in fourth place, taking in about $8.4 million, for a four-week total of $131.9 million. “The Watch” (Fox) was fifth, selling an estimated $6.4 million in tickets, for a disappointing two-week total of $25.4 million.