“Knights of the Zodiac” flops at the box office. The prophecy of a bad anime adaptation seems to have been confirmed once again.
When manga and anime fans hear that one of their favorite works is getting a live-action adaptation, they are instantly overtaken by a chill of discomfort. Scars from titles like Dragon Ball Evolution and Death Note run deep – and the same sentiment prevailed with Knights of the Zodiac.
Unfortunately, as feared, this has come true and the film is being punished at the box office.
Why is the film making so little money? There are several reasons for this. Firstly, the film seems to appeal neither to anime fans nor to newcomers. Reviews repeatedly state that the action seems trivial, character development is almost non-existent, and the effects feel outdated.
At the same time, there is an even bigger problem. Most high-budget films, for which cinema operators expect revenue, play in nearly 4,000 theaters in the USA. However, Knights of the Zodiac is being screened in just under 600 theaters – which speaks volumes about the success attributed to the film even before its release.
How much should the film have earned? With production costs of nearly 60 million US dollars, the film would have needed to earn at least that much to break even. After all, they even banked on well-known actors like Sean Bean.
How much has the film made? Disappointingly little. Although there are no official figures yet, initial estimates suggest that the film made only 557,000 dollars in America at its release. Since the end of April, this figure has increased to 5.1 million dollars, but it remains sadly low.
In Germany, the film has been showing since yesterday, May 16, 2023, in some theaters. But whether this will contribute to its success remains rather unlikely – also, because it is not showing in many cinemas.
Many even describe the film as “So bad it’s like Dragon Ball Evolution.”
