Apple’s “Napoleon” is already looking like a box office bomb.
The historical drama film, directed by Ridley Scott and based on the life of French revolutionary Napoleon Bonaparte, drastically underperformed in its opening weekend.
According to ScreenRant, the film will need to make $400 million in order to break even. So far, it has made $33 million on its opening weekend.
“Napoleon’s significant budget comes with tremendous pressure,” the outlet noted. “The general rule of thumb is to double a film’s listed budget in order to gauge its production and marketing costs, meaning Napoleon needs to gross at least $400 million in order to constitute a profit.”
“The task is formidable, especially for an R-rated historical epic running a confirmed two hours and 38 minutes,” it continued.
Napoleon cost $200m to make & $400m for opening week to break even.
It’s at $33m. ?
If you’re expecting a “Gladiator” type movie, it’s not. It’s more like a documentary.
Your impression of Napoleon will change. pic.twitter.com/KIeim7IHDq
— Patrick Bet-David (@patrickbetdavid) November 25, 2023
Compounding the pressure of low ticket sales, many filmgoers have also poured on the bad reviews.
The film, starring Academy Award winner Joaquin Phoenix as Napoleon, currently has a 60 percent approval audience score on Rotten Tomatoes.
“Overall felt disjointed,” one audience member wrote. “It feels like they forced story to be a movie when it would’ve benefitted from being a show.”
“The cinematography was great but such a miss on the storyline,” another added. “Would more historical context have been that difficult?”
Many writers were also unimpressed with the film, which holds a 61 percent approval among critics.
“By his own admission, this incarnation of Napoleon is only a cracked shell of what Scott originally wanted to deliver, so that it does not fully work is hardly a surprise,” wrote Sara Michelle Fetters of MovieFreak.com.
“Napoleon contributes to a troubling trend in cinema, transforming significant historical narratives into hollow spectacles driven by mere visual entertainment,” added Manuel Bento of FandomWire.
However, not all were so critical, with some praising its cinematography and its portrayal of the French revolutionary emperor.
“‘Napoleon’ is consistently surprising partly because it doesn’t conform to the conventions of mainstream historical epics, which is especially true of its startling, adamantly unromanticized title character,” wrote Manohla Dargis of The New York Times.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.