It looks like the voice of God is going to need some divine intervention if his new film is going to recoup its investment. Morgan Freeman’s Momentum just opened in the UK to an unbelievably horrible box office showing.
Movie flops happen all the time. But rarely does a film do so tragically that it fails to reach triple digits. That’s right, Momentum earned a whopping $69 from its UK release. You read that right. $69, total. While this number seems almost impossible, there are a few explanations that contribute to the dismal numbers.
The Hollywood Reporter reports that the film was released in just 10 theaters nationwide. This means that the movie earned a staggering $6.90 per theater. Wow. And even with the minuscule amount of theaters showing Momentum, it is reported that up to two of those establishment failed to sell a single ticket.
Momentum looked promising enough on paper. The principle cast is impressive, most notably featuring the universally loved Morgan Freeman. Rounding out the cast is Bond Girl Olga Kurylenko as the lead character of Alex, as well as The Followingstar James Purefoy. Momentum’s plot revolves around Alex, a thief who becomes unwillingly involved in a major terrorist plot. Shot in South Africa, the film had a $20 million budget, making the foil in UK a huge set back financially.
While Momentum hasn’t been such a bomb in other countries like Russia and the United Arab Emirates, both failed to break the $1 million mark. Meanwhile, in the US, we’ve seen little to no advertising or footage for the film, with the only release being on the premium cable network Starz.
So how does a failure like this happen? Afterall, with a large filming budget and a set of top-notch actors portraying the leads it should have been set for at least a wide release in the US. Perhaps the quality of Momentum is to blame, with its Rotten Tomato score a downright rotten 26%. The real victim of Momentum’s apparent failure seems to be first-time director Stephen Campanelli. Having made his career as a cameraman, and long-time crew member for legendary actor and director Clint Eastwood, Momentum was set to be Campanelli’s directorial debut. What is sure to be a tragic setback, his first film is sure to be seen by little to no one.
I can only hope that the momentum of Campanelli’s directing career doesn’t come to a screeching halt. And as a bonus, he does have the privilege of an Eastwood back-up plan. That, and he has God, or rather, Morgan Freeman on his side. For now.
No comments:
Post a Comment