Box Office Battlefield: Taken 3

The weekend warriors of January 9, 2015 includes Taken 3. Every week, movie studios select candidates to enter the glorious battlefield for your hard-earned dollars, Box Office Battlefield is here to help you decide which movie(s) will take priority over the others and determine who will be victorious.

Last weekend, The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies took home the sweet spot for the third weekend in a row – mainly due to the lack of options in theaters at this moment. But not to fret, a new challenger approaches. Liam Neeson is here and ready to take your attention away from that mangled CGI fest. Good luck. This is the Box Office Battlefield:

Taken 3 (Olivier Megaton) Rated PG-13 [109 min] – Ex-government operative Bryan Mills is accused of a ruthless murder he never committed or witnessed. As he is tracked and pursued, Mills brings out his particular set of skills to find the true killer and clear his name. Starring Liam Neeson, Forest Whitaker, Maggie Grace, and Famke Janssen

Rotten Tomatoes Score: Critics – 9% • Audience – 74%

What they’re saying:

“The third and presumably final installment of the Liam Neeson action franchise is a mind-numbing, crash-bang misfire.” – Maggie Lee (Variety)

“Listen to me very carefully: Your money is about to be taken.” – Matt Singer (ScreenCrush)

What I’m saying:

You know when they switch a letter with a number for a sequel’s name that nothing could came from it. Taken 2 was so nauseating that it paled in comparison to the greatness of the original’s awesome balance of silliness and killer, in-your-face action. When Olivier Megaton took the reins from Luc Besson he basically took what worked and butchered everything with a screenplay that was most likely storyboarded with crayons. I can see the potential of Taken 3 being a The Fugitive-esque type scenario, but I honestly cannot trust Megaton’s direction based on his previous work. It’s just going to be a mess. WAIT FOR IT ON BASIC CABLE BECAUSE THIS SERIES NEVERS COMES NETFLIX!

As the only big release out this year, and for its outstanding draw to audiences, Taken 3 should have no problem taking down the previous three week champ, The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies as most moviegoers have most likely seen it. So as it stands, I believe the victor for this weekend shall be: