SUBMITTED BY Timbo

July 29, 2003 — According to multiple outlets, Paramount Pictures is placing the blame for the poor showing of its latest Tomb Raider movie on the video game Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness. According to Paramount studio head Wayne Lewellen, "The only thing we can attribute to is that gamers were not happy with the latest version of the video game."

Cradle of Life took in only $20m or so, half of what the first film reaped.

The argument, to many, is dubious, not least because the first movie was released well after Lara Croft games ceased being interesting or popular. Indeed, the latest title is somewhat of a resurrection, and a poor one at that.

Plus, the poorly reviewed -- though best-selling -- "Enter the Matrix" had no discernible impact on grosses for "The Matrix: Reloaded".

The real reason why Lara tanked? Exhausted audiences, bored with sequels, especially for a franchise that was weak to begin with. Let's not forget that the latest movie has received better reviews than the first.