The recent box office rankings have shown Universal and DreamWorks Animation’s “The Wild Robot” taking the lead by raking in an impressive $35 million from 3,962 locations. However, the sci-fi spectacle “Megalopolis”, directed by the legendary Francis Ford Coppola, failed to live up to expectations as it garnered a meager $4 million from 7,854 North American theaters at its debut.
The sales of “Megalopolis” failed to meet the initial forecasts of $5 million to $7 million, a range that would still have led to financial downfall, considering its whopping budget of $120 million. This underperformance is in stark contrast to Kevin Costner’s self-reliant venture “Horizon: An American Saga – Part One” which cost $100 million and pulled in $11 million at its preliminary outing before reaching its final worldwide gross of $36 million. In the wake of such disappointing earnings, the sequel to “Horizon” has been put on an indefinite hold.
“Megalopolis” bore the brunt of harsh critical reception and frustrating word of mouth, culminating in a “D+” CinemaScore rating. Its sixth-spot opening trailed not only three already-running films but also the Indian Telugu-language action flick “Devara: Part 1”. Reviewers held polarizing views of the film; the New York Times lauded it as “fantastically idiosyncratic” while the Associated Press found it hard to grasp in just one viewing.
David A. Gross, an analyst from Franchise Entertainment Research, shed light on the situation, stating, “Some films, despite their individualistic vision, can turn the tides to their favour and reap vast profits. But ‘Megalopolis’ is unable to work its charm. This debacle will inevitably result in a substantial tax write-off.”
Interestingly, the disastrous outcome of “Megalopolis” does not directly impact Lionsgate, which released the film in the U.S. but doesn’t bear the burden of distribution or marketing costs. These costs fall square on the shoulders of the film’s director, Coppola, who known for his Oscar-winning masterpieces “The Godfather” trilogy and “Apocalypse Now” – took it upon himself to finance the project. As a promotional strategy, Lionsgate tried to play on the discrepancies of the film by quoting renowned film critics who initially lambasted Coppola’s films that eventually earned iconic status. However, these quotes were either spurious or AI-fabricated – a fact that was first uncovered by Vulture magazine, leading Lionsgate to apologize and retract the trailer. “Megalopolis” is set in futuristic America and narrates the story of an architect, played by Adam Driver, who locks horns with the corrupt Mayor, portrayed by Giancarlo Esposito, while planning to reconstruct the metropolis of New Rome after a catastrophe.
On the other end of the spectrum, “The Wild Robot”, despite its production cost of $78 million, aims to capitalize on the enduring success previously enjoyed by family-friendly animated films like Pixar’s “Elemental” and Illumination’s “Migration” in the post-pandemic era. Favourable reviews and audience acclaim – evident from its 98% Rotten Tomatoes score and “A” CinemaScore – have set the stage for a promising theatrical run. The film has already been released internationally, where it has grossed $18 million so far.
As “The Wild Robot” secures the top position, previous frontrunner “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” fell to second place. The Tim Burton-directed sequel has been performing strongly, yielding $16 million from 3,804 locations in its fourth weekend. To date, the film has amassed a domestic total of $250 million and a global total of $373.3 million.
Few other noteworthy mentions include Paramount’s animated venture “Transformers One” which slid to third place, grossing $9.3 million from 3,970 locations. Premiering in fourth place, the Indian Telugu-language action film “Devara: Part 1” brought in an estimated $6.7 million from a mere 1,040 theaters. Lastly, “Speak No Evil”, Universal and Blumhouse’s remake of the 2022 Danish horror thriller stands fifth with $4.3 million from 2,661 theaters.
In the realm of limited release, Jason Reitman’s “Saturday Night”, a dramatic take on the events leading up to the first ever “Saturday Night Live” episode, netted $265,000 from five theaters in New York and Los Angeles, averaging a strong $53,000 per location. The film stars Gabriel LaBelle as Lorne Michaels, Cory Michael Smith as Chevy Chase, and Ella Hunt as Gilda Radner.
Credit: variety.com
