Entertainment

Can 'City of Bones' Star Lily Collins Headline a Hit?

by Kate Ward

Lily Collins has had a rough road since breaking out in 2009's The Blind Side. The young daughter of musician Phil Collins has the looks and the chops to be the next great teen sensation... but has yet to deliver a legitimate box office hit under her name.

Not only did 2011's Abduction fail to excite audiences — despite the presence of fellow lost teen idol Taylor Lautner — but the disastrous Mirror Mirror did no favors for Collins, especially when stacked up against the film's rival, Kristen Stewart's Snow White and the Huntsman. (Mirror Mirror, which grossed $65 million, picked up nearly $100 million less at the box office, with Snow White netting $155 million.)

But damned if Collins isn't going to try again — the actress stars in Aug. 21's The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones, about a girl who discovers she's a descendant of magical beings. Based on the trailer, the adaptation for the hit book series is channeling the biggies: Harry Potter (magical castles!) and Twilight (brutal magical battles!). Studio Sony is at least expecting The Mortal Instruments to stack up against those two giants — the studio is so confident in the first film, it has already greenlit its sequel, The Mortal Instruments: City of Ashes.

Of course, to secure a third, Collins will have to prove, as she does in the film, that she's anything but mundane.

Also, good news, those going through Game of Thrones withdrawal: Lena Headey!

Image: Sony