Guillermo del Toro is a cult director, known primarily for his monster designs. The Mexican director has already secured 3 Oscars. However, not every film was a success. He still regrets one flop and knows where the mistake occurred.
Which film is it about? Crimson Peak was released in 2015 and was a romantic drama with mystery elements. Edith Cushing, played by Mia Wasikowska, wants to make more of her life after her mother’s death. She meets the mysterious Thomas Sharpe, played by Tom Hiddleston, and afterwards marries him. However, she quickly realizes that something is wrong at their estate.
Crimson Peak relies more on mysterious and romantic elements rather than big or brutal horror elements. Unfortunately, despite the not-so-unknown cast, the film was a small flop.
With a budget of 55 million dollars (almost 50 million euros), the film only grossed about 75 million dollars (almost 67 million euros) worldwide (via Box Office Mojo). While the budget was recouped, it’s unlikely that any profit was made after accounting for marketing and cinema costs.
The film was important for Guillermo del Toro, and he believes he knows what went wrong with the marketing at that time.
The story of a sci-fi flop can be found here: A promising science fiction film cost 250 million dollars and became one of the biggest flops
The Wrong Marketing
What does Del Toro say about Crimson Peak? In an interview with Vulture, Guillermo Del Toro also spoke about Crimson Peak. He was asked about his passion project that he would return to. He primarily discusses the misguided marketing that harmed the film.
He recounts a meeting with the marketing team that wanted to market the film strictly as a horror movie. Del Toro believed this was a mistake because he would have focused more on the romantic and mystery components.
I knew we were doomed! I said: “You should promote the romance and the mystery. The last thing you want to do is promote the horror film.” We wanted to release the film in October, and October is Halloween month, so I understand why that happened.
Guillermo del Toro on the Crimson Peak marketing (Source: Jeuxvideo)
Guillermo del Toro holds the marketing responsible for the film’s mediocre performance, but the reviews were also rather lukewarm. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a critic score of 73% and a user score of 56%. Many user reviews criticize the shallow horror elements that do not seem to work.
What can we expect next from Guillermo del Toro? His last film was released in 2022 and was an animated version of Pinocchio, which won the Oscar in the animation category. Since then, it has been quiet around the director. In 2025, a Frankenstein film is expected from him with the modern horror star Mia Goth. If you’re looking for horror recommendations, check out this list: 5 horror films rated 18 that are not for the faint of heart
