LOS ANGELES — Maybe there is a method to studio madness?

Steven Soderbergh has long believed that the big movie studios overspend on marketing and rely too heavily on focus-group testing of trailers and other advertising materials. And he set out to prove it with “Logan Lucky,” which arrived in wide theatrical release on Friday. Through an unusual arrangement, Mr. Soderbergh had complete creative control over the film’s marketing campaign, which cost roughly $20 million — or half of what a studio would typically spend.

The results were not promising: “Logan Lucky,” a heist comedy directed by Mr. Soderbergh, arrived to about $8.1 million in ticket sales, a weak showing for a well-reviewed film starring the likes of Channing Tatum and released in 3,031 theaters in North America.

In an email on Sunday morning, Mr. Soderbergh called the turnout “certainly frustrating,” but he vowed to try again with his next film. He said that “Unsane,” starring Claire Foy and Jay Pharoah and shot in secret in June using an iPhone, will “go out with the same approach, though with some new marketing ideas we didn’t get to use on ‘Logan Lucky.’ ”

Mr. Soderbergh’s film arrived in third place. The No. 1 movie over the weekend was “The Hitman’s Bodyguard” (Lionsgate), which collected a stout $21.6 million from 3,377 theaters, according to comScore. Starring Ryan Reynolds and Samuel L. Jackson, “The Hitman’s Bodyguard,” which is about exactly what the title says, received mixed-to-negative reviews. It was independently produced for about $30 million.