THE ULTIMATE
King Arthur: Legend of the Sword is an epic failure at the global box office
King Arthur: Legend of the Sword looks set to become the summer’s first major blockbuster failure, after a disastrous opening weekend at both the US and international box offices.
The fantasy epic, directed by Guy Ritchie and starring Charlie Hunnam and Jude Law, launched to a worldwide total of $43.8m (£33.8m), significantly below the film’s production budget of $175m (£135.8m). According to the Hollywood Reporter, that opening weekend shortfall could translate into a $100m loss for Warner Bros, the studio behind the film.
In the US, King Arthur grossed $14.79m (£11.4m) from 3,702 cinemas, according to studio estimates. That figure was only enough to land the film a third-place position in the box-office Top 10. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 held on to first place with $63m (£48.8m), while Amy Schumer and Goldie Hawn’s raunchy comedy Snatched debuted in second place with $17.5m (£13.6m). Snatched’s budget was $42m (£32.4m), more than four times smaller than King Arthur’s.
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King Arthur: Legend of the Sword - Guy Ritchie’s take on a medieval mythKing Arthur also struggled internationally, taking $29.1m (£22.5m) from 51 markets. The film ranked first in 29, including Russia, Scandinavia and Thailand. However, it only managed a third-place opening in the crucial market of China, where it took $6.05m (£4.6m). King Arthur’s global total left it lagging far behind the Indian sports drama Dangal, which took $32.5m (£25.1m) in its second week, and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2, which managed a second-week total of $15.8m (£12.2m).
A gritty reimagining of the Arthurian legend, King Arthur has received negative reviews from critics, with a rating of 27% on the aggregation site Rotten Tomatoes. Rolling Stone said the film was “an epic bore”, while the Wall Street Journal described it as a “stinker for the ages”. Some critics were more generous, however. The Guardian’s Peter Bradshaw described the film as “surprisingly entertaining” with Ritchie again showing “that a film-maker of his craft and energy commands attention”.
The film is the second consecutive Ritchie-directed effort to struggle at the box office. The Man from UNCLE, Ritchie’s 2015 reimagining of the 1950s spy series, also disappointed, only grossing $109m (£84.3m) worldwide from a production budget of $75m (£58m).
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/film/2017/may/15/king-arthur-legend-of-the-sword-us-box-office-guy-ritchie-charlie-hunnam
The fantasy epic, directed by Guy Ritchie and starring Charlie Hunnam and Jude Law, launched to a worldwide total of $43.8m (£33.8m), significantly below the film’s production budget of $175m (£135.8m). According to the Hollywood Reporter, that opening weekend shortfall could translate into a $100m loss for Warner Bros, the studio behind the film.
In the US, King Arthur grossed $14.79m (£11.4m) from 3,702 cinemas, according to studio estimates. That figure was only enough to land the film a third-place position in the box-office Top 10. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 held on to first place with $63m (£48.8m), while Amy Schumer and Goldie Hawn’s raunchy comedy Snatched debuted in second place with $17.5m (£13.6m). Snatched’s budget was $42m (£32.4m), more than four times smaller than King Arthur’s.
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King Arthur: Legend of the Sword - Guy Ritchie’s take on a medieval mythKing Arthur also struggled internationally, taking $29.1m (£22.5m) from 51 markets. The film ranked first in 29, including Russia, Scandinavia and Thailand. However, it only managed a third-place opening in the crucial market of China, where it took $6.05m (£4.6m). King Arthur’s global total left it lagging far behind the Indian sports drama Dangal, which took $32.5m (£25.1m) in its second week, and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2, which managed a second-week total of $15.8m (£12.2m).
A gritty reimagining of the Arthurian legend, King Arthur has received negative reviews from critics, with a rating of 27% on the aggregation site Rotten Tomatoes. Rolling Stone said the film was “an epic bore”, while the Wall Street Journal described it as a “stinker for the ages”. Some critics were more generous, however. The Guardian’s Peter Bradshaw described the film as “surprisingly entertaining” with Ritchie again showing “that a film-maker of his craft and energy commands attention”.
The film is the second consecutive Ritchie-directed effort to struggle at the box office. The Man from UNCLE, Ritchie’s 2015 reimagining of the 1950s spy series, also disappointed, only grossing $109m (£84.3m) worldwide from a production budget of $75m (£58m).
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/film/2017/may/15/king-arthur-legend-of-the-sword-us-box-office-guy-ritchie-charlie-hunnam