In recent years, many films have flopped that one would not have expected. For a sci-fi film with three big actors and a large budget, the Corona period is the reason why hardly anyone knows the film.
Which film is it about? The film in question is called Chaos Walking and was released in 2021. In the film, the world has become a dystopia where there are no women anymore. Furthermore, every living being has the ability to hear
the thoughts of others.
The film has everything that could have made it successful. With Tom Holland, Daisy Ridley, and Mads Mikkelsen, there are three names known from major productions. The director, Doug Liman, also directed Edge of Tomorrow. A film that may even get a sequel.
The budget of the film was, according to The Numbers, 100 million US dollars. Despite the promising aspects, the film was a total flop and grossed only 27 million dollars. That is a gigantic flop.
You can find the trailer for the film here:
Corona got in the way
Why did the film flop so colossally? The short answer to the question is: Corona. The film was shot in 2017, but due to major issues during the test screenings, scenes had to be re-shot. Due to the other projects of the actors, the film was then further delayed.
This naturally also led to a higher budget. In 2019, the film was finally set to hit theaters, but that date was also postponed. The next date was then 2020, right in the middle of the Corona pandemic, which further delayed the film as cinemas were closed in large parts of the world. (via Deadline)
Ultimately, the film was released in American cinemas in 2021. In other parts of the world, such as France and Germany, there was never a theatrical release, only on DVD or on streamers. For us, the film was released directly on Sky Cinema, for example.
This is also one of the reasons why the revenue is so low, as there was no proper worldwide release in theaters. There are no figures for the streamers and DVD sales, but the numbers probably wouldn’t be significantly better.
How was the film received by critics and fans? Looking at the data on Rotten Tomatoes, one sees modest results. With critics, the film only scores 21 %. At least the user score looks better, with the film achieving 71 %.
The film is based on a book trilogy, but with such financial results, there will likely be no sequel. If you ever wondered which science fiction film is the most realistic, NASA gives you an answer: NASA says: Of all science fiction films, this is the most realistic – That doesn’t speak highly of humanity
