This year saw the release of the live-action adaptation of a well-known manga and anime, “Saint Seiya: The Warriors of the Zodiac.” However, the film turned out to be a massive box office failure, despite featuring well-known actors and a budget of 55 million euros.
Saint Seiya: The Warriors of the Zodiac (original title: Knights of the Zodiac) had its theatrical release on May 16, 2023, bringing the manga series Saint Seiya to the big screen.
The series is a shōnen manga by Masami Kurumada, which was also released as an anime under the same name.
Saint Seiya: The Warriors of the Zodiac aimed to capitalize on the success of the manga. With Sean Bean and Famke Janssen, the cast of the live-action adaptation included two major Hollywood stars. But in the end, the anime adaptation flopped – and dramatically.
Here you can see a trailer for Saint Seiya: The Warriors of the Zodiac:
The budget far exceeded the box office earnings
Why was the film a financial flop? The film’s budget was 60 million dollars; that is approximately 55 million euros (via inverse.com).
At the international box office, Saint Seiya: The Warriors of the Zodiac only earned back a fraction of its expenses with 6.95 million dollars (via the-numbers.com).
How do viewers rate the film? Not only financially but also in terms of critic reviews, the manga adaptation fails to impress.
The film averages 4.4 stars on IMDb with 9,648 ratings. Similar results can be seen on Rotten Tomatoes:
- 21% Tomatometer
- 61 % Audience Score
Criticism mainly focuses on the poor plot of the film, which is told so complexly that viewers can hardly follow it. Even the action fails to distract from the weak script.
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As Ikezawa Yoshi, the Toei Animation International Producer, explained to Variety in an interview on July 21, 2023, they had quite big plans for the live-action adaptation of Saint Seiya.
They wanted to use the extensive manga foundation, consisting of 28 comic volumes, to create multiple films and establish a franchise. A total of six parts were planned.
However, whether Saint Seiya: The Warriors of the Zodiac will still receive a sequel after the disappointing box office numbers is questionable.
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