Collide (2016 film)

Collide
Company type	Film
Industry	Film industry
Founded	2016; 10 years ago
Founder	Eran Creevy (director and co-writer)
Products	Action thriller film

Collide is a 2016 action thriller film helmed by director Eran Creevy, who co-wrote the screenplay with F. Scott Frazier. The film features performances by Nicholas Hoult, Felicity Jones, Marwan Kenzari, Ben Kingsley, and Anthony Hopkins. The narrative follows two young Americans living in Germany who become involved in stealing drugs from a criminal overlord to finance a crucial medical procedure.

Originally announced in May 2013 under the title Autobahn, with Zac Efron and Amber Heard attached to star, the project saw a cast change when Hoult and Jones replaced them prior to filming, which commenced in May 2014.

Released in the United States by Open Road Films, Collide earned $7 million worldwide on a production budget of $21.5 million, and it notably experienced the steepest drop in box office revenue during its second weekend.

Plot

Casey, an American residing in Cologne, Germany, works as a courier handling money for drug lord Geran alongside his companion Matthias. He encounters Juliette, an American bartender employed at Geran’s nightclub. Although she initially rebuffs Casey due to his criminal associations, she ultimately inspires him to alter his lifestyle. Motivated by this, Casey leaves Geran’s operation and begins a relationship with Juliette. Their plans are shattered when Juliette develops kidney failure and is denied a transplant because she is not a citizen. To raise funds for her surgery in the United States, Casey returns to Geran’s service to plan a significant drug heist targeting rival dealer Hagen Kahl.

Cast

Nicholas Hoult as Casey Stein
Felicity Jones as Juliette Marne
Anthony Hopkins as Hagen Kahl
Ben Kingsley as Geran
Marwan Kenzari as Matthias
Clemens Schick as Mirko
as Rainer
Michael Epp as Karl
Aleksandar Jovanović as Jonas
as Talaz

Production

The film was originally announced on May 15, 2013, under the title Autobahn, with Zac Efron and Amber Heard cast in leading roles; both later exited the project. On May 1, 2014, the main cast was reassembled with Nicholas Hoult, Ben Kingsley, Felicity Jones, and Anthony Hopkins. Principal photography started shortly thereafter on May 5, 2014.

Release

Initially slated for release on October 30, 2015, by Relativity Media, the film—then known as Autobahn—was delayed after Relativity filed for bankruptcy. Subsequently, producers sought new distribution, with IM Global acquiring the rights for $200,000 amid disputes over Relativity’s assets. By September 2015, distribution responsibilities transferred to Open Road Films. The release date underwent multiple changes: first set for April 1, 2016; then moved to August 19, 2016; postponed again to February 3; and ultimately released on February 24, 2017.

Box office

Collide accumulated $2.2 million domestically (United States and Canada) and $4.5 million internationally, culminating in a global total of approximately $6.8 million.

In its North American debut, it opened against titles such as Get Out and Rock Dog. Despite projections estimating $3–4 million from 2,045 theaters, it only generated $1.5 million, ranking 13th and registering as one of the poorest openings ever for films released in over 2,000 venues. The following weekend saw the movie withdrawn from 1,043 theaters; it earned just $173,620—a staggering decline of 88.5%, setting a record for the largest second-weekend percentage drop.

Critical response

Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore assigned the film a "C+" rating.

Keith Watson from Slant Magazine commended director Creevy for his assured use of German settings and emphasized the strong performances delivered by Hopkins and Kingsley, particularly noting Kingsley's dramatic approach. In his review for The Hollywood Reporter, Frank Scheck pointed out the script's "amusing, campy elements" that provided Kingsley and Hopkins opportunities to express dark humor, yet he criticized the contrived storyline and uninspired main characters. Ignatiy Vishnevetsky of The A.V. Club awarded a C grade, appreciating Creevy's handling of action scenes but found fault with the repetitive narrative and the unsuitable casting of leads Hoult and Jones. Marc Savlov from The Austin Chronicle described the film as a "mediocre-at-best chase thriller" lacking distinctive visual style aside from the Autobahn sequences, ultimately deeming it a low-budget genre piece targeting international box office appeal.

External links

IMDb: Collide (2016)
Mojo: Collide
Rotten Tomatoes: Collide (2017)
Metacritic: Collide