I got one of my Christmas wishes: Babylon bombed at the box office. Hurray!! The three-hour Damien Chazelle film starring Margot Robbie and Brad Pitt was not well-reviewed and it absolutely looked like a self-indulgent trainwreck. I’ve already seen people lay the blame at Margot’s feet, just as I’ve seen the backlash against solely blaming Margot. On one side, Margot was the face of the film – God knows they couldn’t use a violent alcoholic like Brad Pitt as the face of the movie – and she did the bulk of the promotion, so I get why she’s being blamed. But on the other hand, blame Damien Chazelle, one of the most overrated storytellers in Hollywood.
Margot Robbie’s latest film bombed at the box office, marking the second such flop she’s been in this year … both of which were huge ensemble numbers with top A-list talent. Of course, we’re talking about ‘Babylon’ — which hit theaters this holiday weekend … and only raked in a meager $3.5 million domestically through Sunday, with an estimated $5.3 mil expected to come in through Monday. Either way … it’s not a good turnout whatsoever.
The movie — which is about old Hollywood and the emergence of “talkies” — had massive star power attached to the credits … in addition to Margot as the lead, it also featured Brad Pitt, Tobey Maguire, Olivia Wilde, Chloe Fineman, Eric Roberts, Flea, Max Minghella, etc. Plus, there’s the director — Damien Chazelle — who’s an Oscar winner … and with a somewhat hefty budget of $80 million (and a lot of marketing) it’s unclear why this one didn’t do well with moviegoers this holiday season. The mixed reviews probably didn’t help.
Interestingly, there’s another movie Margot was a part of earlier this fall that had very similar vibes — another star-studded lineup (Christian Bale, Robert De Niro, Rami Malek, Taylor Swift, etc.) that came together for ‘Amsterdam’ … which also flamed out in theaters. It only made about $6.4M during its opening weekend in Oct., and went on to collect just $16M or so domestically overall — this after yet another $80 mil budget spent to make it.
Bit of a tough year for Margot on the film front — not only were things meh at the box office … but she also said the ‘Pirates’ movie she was attached to had been killed by Disney — even though one of the producers for the franchise insisted that’s not quite the case. She’s got a lot on the horizon for 2023, though — MR’s already set to star in ‘Barbie’, as well as a Wes Anderson flick, ‘Asteroid City,’ … not to mention her own ‘Ocean’s Eleven’ prequel. The only (potential) problem … all of those will have super stacked casts too.
I think Margot will be just fine, especially since she’s proven herself as a great producer. The trouble, it seems, is when she’s just an actress-for-hire because she’s saying “yes” to working with abusive a–holes like David O. Russell and Brad Pitt. Anyway, I do love it when sh-tty, overhyped films fail. Of course, I’m saying that as I just watched The Banshees of Inisherin, one of the most self-indulgent films of the year (but at least that was a cheap production).
Photos courtesy of Backgrid, Cover Images. Promotional posters & still courtesy of Paramount.
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- Los Angeles, CA – Brad Pitt arrives at the global premiere screening of ‘Babylon’ at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles, California. Pictured: Brad Pitt BACKGRID USA 15 DECEMBER 2022 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- Los Angeles, CA – Celebrities attend the Global Premiere Screening of “Babylon” in Los Angeles, California. Pictured: ”Babylon” Global Premiere Screening BACKGRID USA 15 DECEMBER 2022 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- World premiere of ‘Babylon’ at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures Featuring: Diego Calva, Margot Robbie Where: Los Angeles, California, United States When: 15 Dec 2022 Credit: Faye’s Vision/Cover Images
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- World premiere of ‘Babylon’ at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures Featuring: Margot Robbie Where: Los Angeles, California, United States When: 15 Dec 2022 Credit: Faye’s Vision/Cover Images
There are others to blame of course, but my opinion is I have never watched a satisfying performance from Margot. She gets lost in these ensemble roles and I am not convinced of her dramatic chops either.
Couldn’t have happened to some of the worst people in Hollywood. Brad Pitt abusive, alcoholic narcissist. Margit Robbie who will work with anybody (abusers or not) if it suits her purpose. As for Damien , many critics felt he was over-rated from the beginning. So it flopped and deservedly so.
Wasn’t he the director of La-La Land too?
I could barely finish to watch it and my husband watched 10 minutes of it 👀🙈
That’s funny, I am the complete opposite. I’ve enjoyed her in almost everything I’ve seen her in. So seeing her go so hard for this movie and cast was disappointing.
I’ve enjoyed her performances as well. She’s quite mesmerizing to watch. Won’t be seeing this though. Just feels like a self-indulgent, over-stuffed tale where we’re supposed to feel nostalgic for old hollywood. Blech.
I liked Margot as Tanya Harding
That’s my take as well. There are two other actresses who look almost exactly like MR but are better, more compelling performers. Samara Weaver is one of them, I’d watch her in anything, she’s so good.
It’s always obvious when someone with power picks the next “it girl” instead of the audience picking. I have nothing against MR, no hate, it’s just that she isn’t memorable in performances to me.
@withtheamerican I absolutely agree!
There was a tweet or some meme I saw on reddit showing I think 6 different actresses and all of them looked like Margot Robbie. I knew one of them was her and the other was Jaime Pressly. I can’t remember who the other 4 were but they all looked the same. MR is not visually unique. I also agree she’s not such a fantastic actress. She’s good, does a fine job. I have a hard time with her accent work. I thought she butchered Tonya Harding’s accent.
This movie tanked because it’s associated with Brad Pitt. To me, Margot Robbie doesnt have enough star power. She’s not an actress I’d pay to go for a movie like I did for Cameron Diaz, Julia Roberts at the time. But her combined with Ryan Gosling in Barbie – YES
Margot knows she can’t carry a movie on her own and I respect that.
@Noki … Check out some of her Indy work with limited cast members like “Z for Zachariah.”
As for the film bombing, it just isn’t the family fare families go to see 2-days before Christmas or over the Christmas Holiday. Whoever picked the release date should lose their job.
Sorry! I also forgot to mention that half the country was hit by a blizzard Thursday night and were forced indoors or didn’t recover until Monday (at least, in my tiny part of southern Ohio).
Banshees is a phenomenal film.
I have still to watch it, but I liked In Bruges so much that I suspect Gleason/Farrell won’t certainly be a disappointment if supported by a good script.
Banshees was a wonderful. Filled with dark Irish humor, it led viewers to its inevitable tragic ending. Career-best performances by Farrell, Condon, and Gleason. Beautiful cinematography.
It was dumb
I left Banshees after about 30 minutes. I’m a big Gleason fan & I liked “In Bruges” but Banshees for me was gross/stupid.
Watched Banshees this weekend with my daughter. She bailed about halfway through. I stayed to the end and wish I had bailed when she did. Not one thing to recommend this movie. Even the beauty of Ireland isn’t enough to recommend this movie.
I agree! I honestly thought it was the best thing I’ve seen in a while. And Jenny!!!
It really is. The sort of film that had me haunting the indie movie houses in the 90s: well written, thought provoking, stunning cinematography, all without relying on horrifying misogyny for shock value. Irish films can often be counted on to achieve that balance.
Little warning about Banshees…be careful if you are a sensitive viewer. It really takes a dark turn and it’s deeply upsetting (ymmv of course). We watched half one night with plans to finish it the next and a friend warned me, knowing there’s content I’d not want to see. Husband finished it and told me about it and yeah, very glad I didn’t watch.
Banshees is a truly fantastic film, particulary once you appreciate it as a metaphor for the Irish Civil War.
I guess Brad Pitt’s name doesn’t bring them to the theater anymore and a stacked cast can’t help much if nobody wants to see the story. Barbie looks like it’ll be a huge hit, so Margot can move on.
Yea, Barbie will be a big hit because it’s Barbie. But you could put another blonde actress in the role and it’d have the same turnout. Margot Robbie is not a household name or ‘movie star’. People don’t turn out just to see her.
Yes, which is why it’s strange to hang the success of Babylon on Margot.
Well I see Brad Pitt’s name at the top of the billing. He deserves blame too… couldn’t happen to a better person (sarcasm).
I don’t know what’s the situation in the US post-Covid but many of us in the UK try to avoid the cinemas unless we really want to see the movie and makes the effort..
Too many movies also are a remake/copy of others and not too interesting, the market is overinflated (it’s the same situation on streaming, some overhyped series like Rings of Power or Wheels of Time were an unbearable dreck to watch… barely finished them).
Yes, I haven’t been to the theater since the pandemic began. The one downtown near me has lowered its tickets prices by a lot, but there still aren’t any movies that interest me enough to sit in a covid-infested space for 3 hours. They all end up on streaming anyway.
Like 80% of the country was hit with a massive winter storm this weekend so I’m not really sure this bomb means all that much. It probably would have bombed either way, but no one was going to theaters this weekend.
Kebbie–yep, most people were 1) battling the weather 2) just trying to holiday, 3) at home sick or resting. Going to movies was low on the priority list.
That’s what I was thinking! Even places that didn’t get the worst of the storm have miserable cold, so I don’t think going to the movies is high on anybody’s list right now.
I think it’s a combination — Covid + technology — when you can watch at home on an 80 inch screen with a sound bar there is really no reason to go to a movie theatre except for the giant blockbusters.
I saw Top Gun; Maverick in the theatre because it needed a big screen (twice) and Avatar for the same reason. Everything else I’m watching at home in a bathrobe.
Exactly, @SurelyNot! I’m not paying $50-70 for my family to see a movie I can easily enjoy on my TV at home in my sweatpants. Even the big Marvel movies can’t necessarily drag me into the theaters. Everything is so expensive right now and so many bugs going around. I can’t think of any movie that would get me to the theaters right now.
I don’t understand theatrical releases. The pandemic year that all new movies went direct to streaming changed me for life. Hollywood needs to evolve out of ticket sales as a measure of success and vehicle for paying cast and crew. On demand rentals should be the new standard, with prices progressively decreasing over time (perhaps driven by data like StubHub) until eventually settling into basic streaming.
I know I’ll take some heat about the theater industry and all those who work for it, but video stores, record stores, bookstores have all been massively impacted by technology in recent decades. They all exist now as niche markets and I believe that’s the future of movie theaters.
I’m not interested in Babylon first because of Brad Pitt but second because it’s supposed to be set in the early 1900s right? All the publicity pictures look like a 70s disco.
I thought the same thing. Who did the costumes and hair/makeup because it looks way off.
Not many of us want to sit through 3 hour movies!!!
Yes!
I think the stench of ego (in front of and behind the camera) just overwhelmed the film.
The trailers showed so many characters in the throes of a coke binge (Pitt, Maguire, Robbie), it just seemed to play one irritating note. The theme of excess continued with the 3 hour run time, tales of 30 minute tracking shots, and disturbingly close shots of animals having bowel issues.
This film looked and sounded tedious. Releasing on Christmas was a poor strategy.
I might have gone to see this, but three plus hours in a theater is just too long in these covid days.
Also, one thing on the box office is that it will naturally be halved for a film this long. They can only have one nighttime show a day, as opposed to two for more normal length movies.
I kept seeing the promo but it looks so overthetop and Oscar bait and just boring .. Margot Robbie will be fine tho, with Barbie coming up and it looks interesting
Amsterdam was very poorly done. The dialogue is very fake and forced throughout.
Babylon looks like it has similar problems and is probably too long.
Both films are being advertised heavily based on Robbie’s sex appeal because they don’t have anything else to offer.
I refuse to pay to watch elephant dung. I check out whenever a movie resorts to crude, bottom of the barrel entertainment.
Skip this movie and watch Singing in the Rain instead.
I ❤️❤️❤️ Singing in the Rain. It’s a true classic of great writing, choreography, and a history lesson. Is Babylon also about the introduction of talkies?
according to the article, it is!
That goes for La La Land as well. Basically anything Chazelle has done—watch Singing in the Rain instead.
The big problem with Babylon is (apparently still) the script. It wants to be a dark realistic Hollywood Babylon take on Singin In The Rain, but it doesn’t know 1) when to stop with the gross stuff, 2) how to make us care about anyone here. Three hours is a long-ass time to spend with characters who either keep making lousy choices or being egoheads. (And the ones with some sense–Sidney and Lady Fay Zhu–get short shrift.) You have to strike a balance somewhere, and it seems like Chazelle was more into giving up the dirt than making any of this worth watching/entertaining. Oddly enough, Pitt’s character hits the right balance between ego-inflated and sometimes trying to do the smart thing. But it’s not enough to make up for the rest, which is a punishing slog.
” it doesn’t know 1) when to stop with the gross stuff, 2) how to make us care about anyone here.”
Great points.
We aren’t ready to go to theaters yet. I actually enjoyed Amsterdam. It’s chilling what almost happened in this country (twice). I don’t generally care for Russell movies. This was enjoyable for both of us. In our pjs, at home.
Brad Pitt looks more and more like Robin Thicke, slimy!
With names like Brad Pitt, Tobey Maguire, Olivia Wilde, one has to wonder why it flopped .. Yikes!
Anyways, that makes me happy. And shame on all of them who decided to work with an abuser such as Pitt (and they are well enough to refuse if they want).
My thoughts exactly. This is a who’s who list of people I don’t like (minus a few, including MR). Toby is a known ahole, as is OW. Add in Brad Pitt and a 3 hour run time = hard pass.
No one is giving Jean Smart a hard time here? Her name is on the poster. She also chose to work with POS Brad Pitt.
Margot Robbie may want to step back from her association with ole Pitt because its HER photo that is plastered all over this bomb. It’s a Pitt vehicle but one would never now. Of course if it was a hit that would be a different story.
Look at that. Pitt leaving a woman holding the bag for his failure.
What even is this movie about???
I’ve seen the article headlines blaming Robbie when it should be Chazelle they’re looking at. I won’t watch it because of Pitt’s presence. Oh well.
Ditto to all of this. I’m so sick of the Chazelle worship and I refuse to see anything Brad Pitt is in now.
That’s Hollywood. She was picked because they thought she was the next Angelina sex goddess and Pitt of course deserves to continue being with young hot actresses as he ages into looking like the drunken mess he is.
Movie fails? It’s her fault. Replace her, never him. Rinse repeat because male stars get everything while the women have to start their own production company if they want to work after 35.
Yes, I think she’s boring, but they picked her based on male gaze and now want to blame her for their own bad decisions.
Hollywood will never change, women will always be used and sacrificed to save men’s image. That’s why I will always support women in Hollywood.
That entire scenario is so revolting. And accurate.
She really needs to stop working and praising abusers.
Margot has had a string of box office flops but i don’t think it’s fair to blame her. Blame Paramount for that ridiculous budget.
I really really want the background on how all this came to be. What were they thinking?!? $80 million budget?! Oh and just mentioning Brad Pitt’s name here because he needs to eat his share of this if Margot does.
The only one I have any sympathy for is Diego Calva (after that story about Damien Chazelle telling him he was going to make him so famous he won’t be able to walk down the street)…OUCH.
As an aside can I just call out the tweets and online articles I have seen mislabeling Diego Calva in photos as Diego “Luna”? Don’t get me wrong, Luna is gorgeous and talented, it would be a flattering comparison; buuut considering Hollywood has like, six?, blond guys named “Chris” people keep straight, they should be able to keep two brunette Mexicans named Diego straight….Right? *insert side eye here*
I agree with most of what everyone said. But the marketing could also be the problem. Can anyone tell me what the storyline is from the trailers? No. Unless you read articles about the movie you don’t know anything about it. And most people just watch the trailers and then decide to go or not. The whole thing just seems slapped together.
I think you’re completely right about the marketing being one of the problems. I’ve seen some twitter threads explaining how poorly the studio tried to sell the movie online, particularly on platforms like tiktok.
That’s what I’m going to go with, solely because the description of this movie sounds right up my alley and this the first I’m hearing of it. 🤷🏿♀️
It looks like the marketing was selling the sensation/stars–and was doing its darnest not to mention this was a 20’s period piece about Hollywood.😈😈
This, 100%. Every time the trailer came on tv, I’d turn to Mr. Glam and ask, “What is it about? That trailer tells me nothing.”
I guess the only thing it did tell me was “rich white people entitled to be obnoxious” – which also wasn’t a draw.
Did it bomb because it looked totally… boring?
Saw The Menu before the holiday break (brilliant film btw, great dark humour thriller with a mix of pathos and fierce parody of pretentious foodysm- great cast too)- they showed the trailer for Babylon and it looked really tedious.
3 hours on the decadence and excesses of Hollywood? It just felt like such a tired subject.
I do like Margot but most of the rest of the cast are also past their prime.
I thought The Menu was brilliant as well! And when I saw the Babylon trailer I thought, eh, I’ve seen this scenario a zillion times before. Hollywood loves telling stories about itself & Hollywood loves indulging in the tawdry.
Mr. Still In My Robe endlessly laughs about Hollywood’s navel gazing in assuming the rest of the country wants to watch movies about making movies. (He used to work in the movie industry, fyi, and we still have family who do.) The inside jokes are generally only funny to the insiders. As soon as one of these trailers airs, though, I can count on Mr. SIMY to shout, “A movie about making movies?! Give those people an Oscar!” Because that is exactly what Hollywood will do.
Whoa, that article really wants to pin a LOT of failures on Robbie. She has a lot of irons in the fire, and some of them are going to work. At what point did every single venture have to succeed for people to be a success in general?
I’m feeling no sympathy for film studios/production companies that aren’t reading the room and think what a Covid- and economy-battered populace want is stories about elites indulging. White Lotus is doing well now, but its tone is overwhelmingly satiric. Anyway, I hope they don’t continue piling on Robbie. Let her experiment (and never work with Pitt again, okay?)
david o russell is the next woody allen. Despite the evidence he is a shit person, actors flock to work with him.
Like Allen, he can be a good director, i dislike I ❤️Huckabees with a passion, but will find myself watching it. I even liked Amsterdam, despite Bale’s horrible accent.
I think this film was doomed to fail as 3 hours and the description of the opening shot in reviews make me less inclined to head to the theaters.
I do want to see The Menu, but its limited release is making it hard for me to find time to go to the theater.
And maybe that’s why TOBY MAGUIRE might have wanted to be UNCREDITED in this film! Perhaps he may be seen the writing on the proverbial wall that this flick was going to not do well at the box office, regardless of very inclement weather and other situations! Hmmmmm. . . . . .🤨🤔
Who keeps hiring Brad Pitt?
He is past it.
I have zero interest in this movie from seeing the trailer, and close to3 hours?
Nope.
A funny comedy without bathroom humor would be a nice change.
Every article should talk about how it’s Brad’s flop. Everyone is so in love with that voilent drunk they will throw anybody else under the bus but him.
Maybe I’m an outlier, but I vary rarely watch a movie based on who is starring in it. If a movie looks good to me; trailers, word of mouth, rotten tomatoes, then I’m watching it. I blame the producers, it’s too long, trailers/advertising are not great, and if casting is off then it’s the producers’ fault too. I think the takeaway from this movie is that Margo Robbie couldn’t save it.
Actors kept working with O. Russell even though he’s a horrible person because his movies are (or used to be) pure Oscar bait. So many actors got nominated and won for his films, even JLaw got a nom for that mess that was Joy. Maybe now that Amsterdam flopped actors will stop indulging him just for an hypothetical Oscar nod. And I guess with Chazelle, the industry positioned his as a young genius after Whiplash (this one I absolutely get it, great film) and La La Land (huge Oscar player), but the truth is he’s not Cameron, Scorcese or Nolan that can justify an absolutely ridiculous budget because people will go to see THEIR movies no matter how weak the plot is or who the actors are.
So yeah, Margot shouldn’t get the blame alone. She’s a fine actress, she’s not a movie star; which young actor is nowadays, really? I think she should just choose better projects, stuff that’s actually interesting instead of signing for things just because they can be Oscar vehicles. Barbie will be great for her. I also think it’s insteresting (and very cool) how Cate and Michelle, the two Best Actress favorites, are in very original films that are not typically what the Academy goes for. I hope it keeps happening, lord knows I’m tired of those baity biopics.
I wonder how that conversation with Ryan Gosling went when he turned down a role in this film.
He probably had to wash his hair, and then his daughters hair, and then his wife hair. And when he was done with that he signed on to Barbie and then told Damien he had a conflict.
Tobey McGuire in a movie is enough to make me not want to see it.
Agreed! Also, I’m feeling the same way about watching anything that Olivia Wilde stars in or directs.
I’m thinking maybe Olivia Wilde was part of the reason that the movie crashed and burned?
More likely Brad Pitt.
He was much more associated with this than OW was, at least in press and coverage.
Plus the advertising for this was boring and off putting. Even the chaotic trailer with seeming all kinds of drama couldn’t keep my attention. (just rewatched it now to see if my first impression held up) Granted I’m likely not the target audience for this, because seeing a 1920’s take on Wolf of Wall Street/Once Upon a Time in Hollywood/the final part of The Stand tv series scenes from Las Vegas debauchery combined with Tobey Maguire looking like he’s trying to to out visually out gross Jared Leto’s joker isn’t my idea of a good time.
Why is it only Margot getting blamed for the failure of this movie. Look at the poster B.Pitt had top billing.
I guess MR is finding out how powerful BP pr is. Lol or he couldn’t eat this failure and the failure of Bullet train, his plate is full of L
Fck this movie, hiring abusive axxholes like tobey and BP.
Bullet train made $240 million, almost 3x its budget. It was one of the year’s few successes. This is a huge stinker though.
While Pitt didn’t personally do as much promo as Margot, his name and face was everywhere for it. On tv, in headlines, bigger picture and the first name on the posters… I doubt you show up and go “oh I didn’t know he was in this” when he appears. She’s catching the bulk since she just had another flop a couple months ago.
It’s a good thing she has Barbie, but how unfortunate that she caped so hard for these awful guys and she’s the one left holding the bag both times. I just know she’s ready for 2023.
I hated Whiplash, Lala Land was dumb, except for a couple of sections. I read a few reviews on Babylon and not interested in watching three hours of all manner of projectile bodily fluids be it human or pachyderm.
The trailers were such a turn off for this movie. What was it even about? All I notice is it’s supposed to be set in the 1920s but Margot Robbie’s character looks like she’s dressed for Studio54.
There were a few headlines that said Pitt’s Babylon bombed. Does this mean his perfectly timed girlfriend roll out was all for nothing?
As for Margot, perhaps people are tired of the “Margot Robbie goes full throttle/shows her body/does an east coast, American accent/slaps Leo in the audition/insists on full frontal nudity in Wolf of Wall Street/steals a kiss from Brad Pitt/wrestles a live snake” shenanigans. For someone that has so much going on for, there’s something very thirsty/pick me about her.
She was saying on Jimmy Fallon that she’s “embarrassed” of the photo leaks from Barbie, and I think that movie will also flop.
I low key find this hilarious
I think Robbie is talented and I’m intrigued to see the film as I love old Hollywood, but it looks self indulgent af. It’s a shame that this will be another nail in the coffin of mid- to high budget films that aren’t about superheroes, elf’s, etc.
I accidentally saw this with my PARENTS not knowing anything about it and within the first 15 minutes someone was peeing in a naked person’s mouth. It was INSANE and I’m no prude but uh, at one point a man with elephantitis was doing sex things with people dressed as sad clowns in an underground tunnel in cages.
So.
Good, gross!