‘Lucy’ starring Scarlett Johansson

One of Hollywood’s hottest action stars will inject a shot of adrenaline into the moribund summer box office this weekend, when revenge thriller “Lucy,” starring Scarlett Johansson, hits screens.

Distributed by Universal, “Lucy” will unroll across 3,172 theaters this weekend and should shoot up an estimated $36 million. That would be a nice return on a $40 million budget and a sign that audiences don’t always need their onscreen mayhem to arrive pre-branded, pre-merchandised and plucked from venerable comicbooks or toylines. It’s the rare original film that looks ready to upend the steady stream of same-olds.