Machete is a man who’s seen combat, but none more dangerous than that of the Hollywood box office. This weekend is shaping up to be a good ‘un, with three movies that show real promise ticketing at marquees – George Clooney’s The American, Robert Rodriguez’s Machete and the Drew Barrymore/Justin Long rom-com Going the Distance. I’d like to check out all three of these whenever I get a chance to but the strong must-see-movie that isn’t living up too much on the “must-see” is Robert Rodriguez’s shoot-em-up action flick Machete.

It’s not much of a secret that Machete seems to be on a track to be a financial dud. This was recently confirmed to me by a television promo that hardly showed much footage that wasn’t a headshot that was capped off by a specific narration of what the movie was rated-R for. Kick-Ass was one of the biggest disappointments at the box office earlier this year in April, where after months of fanboy buzz still flopped belly-up with only $20 million. Not much to spare for a sequel. Yet even Kick-Ass was highlighted by colorful, glorified fight sequences and kiddies wearing superhero costumes while kicking ass, whereas Machete is likely to get lost in the mix of Clooney and Barrymore (also worth noting all three movies carry restricted ratings.) Machete showcases a throwback that isn’t packed with Stallone or Lundgren yet long-brooding Hispanic star Danny Trejo. Also rounding out the cast is Jessica Alba, Steven Seagal, Robert De Niro, and a very naked Lindsay Lohan, among others.

Let’s face it: previous grindhouse-esque movies haven’t exactly had a great past of money-making success. Look at Robert Rodriguez’s Grindhouse: Planet Terror, the movie Machete was birthed from. Despite a reported $67 million budget it made only $25.4 million coupled with Quentin Tarantino’s Death Proof, the unofficial follow-up to Planet Terror. Though Rodriguez often gets the short stick next to Tarantino, he’s a pretty profitable guy, be it good movie or not so much. The Spy Kids trilogy, Sin City, The Faculty. It’s not too much a mystery why Sin City did so well; it’s when decent films do so poorly that’s often difficult to transcribe. Machete is different from Sin City because it’s not based on a comic book or graphic novel, and though it’s a spin-off of Planet Terror Rodriguez’s flick still stands along amongst the general movie-going public. It isn’t meant to be breezy nor difficult. It traces back to what Tarantino and Rodriguez tried to do with the Grindhouse movies that will leave audiences divided.

Machete is a superhero movie about someone who isn’t a superhero, and who’s riding free. Its box office bomb, if one does indeed happen, will hopefully bring out the passion in fans Scott Pilgrim vs. The World was able to after its wimpy opening weekend. I’m not putting down Machete, and I typically don’t like to read rants in honor of a good movie getting cold because like Kick-Ass and Scott Pilgrim the journey is just beginning. Forget however great or relaxing it is, Going the Distance seems to stop right here.