The knight film King Arthur featured a well-known cast. For the project, an elaborate set was built. However, in the end, the film was still not successful.
King Arthur was released in 2006 and boasted a remarkable starting lineup: Clive Owen as Arthur, Keira Knightley as Guinevere, and Mads Mikkelsen as Tristram.
A lot of effort was invested in building a realistic set. Especially one particular part of the location took a lot of time: the wall that served as the main set for King Arthur.
Here you can see a trailer for King Arthur:
So much effort goes into a large set element
The film features a massive stone wall that represents Hadrian’s Wall and is the backdrop for a huge battle.
This is by no means a cheap prop, but rather a structure that was specially built for the project.
They oriented themselves to the actual dimensions of the stones used for the construction of the historical structure and erected a realistic replica.
The set structure spans a whole kilometer across a field in County Kildare, Ireland. It took about 250 people and 4 months to complete the wall, as told in the making-of of the film (via YouTube).
If you are fans of knight films, check out this list from our Moviepilot colleagues, featuring the 10 King Arthur adaptations you should have seen.
Despite stars and a realistic set, King Arthur was a failure
How much did the film earn? According to Box Office Mojo, the film’s worldwide box office gross was approximately 203 million dollars. The budget was 120 million dollars. While the film made a profit, it was not enough to be considered a successful project of the Disney studio.
The film also performed poorly with critics. Audiences rate King Arthur as mediocre. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film received the following ratings:
- 31 % Tomatometer (Critics’ Score)
- 59 % Audience Score (User Score)
Critics mainly criticized that the film was a flat action film. They also found it boring and devoid of soul or distinctiveness.
Another film placed a great emphasis on realism – with success. One particular scene is known for its authenticity and attention to detail and is even used by the military as an example:
The scene from an action film is so realistic that it is used for soldier training
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