Babylon seems to be in dire need of the benediction of a Christmas miracle right now.
The Damien Chazelle-helmed period drama that was released in US cinemas this shimmering and stormy holiday weekend has been doing sub-par at best at the box office. Starring the Birds of Prey star Margot Robbie and Fight Club actor Brad Pitt, the film has nabbed underwhelming reviews and staggeringly low revenue. Perhaps the most concerning aspect for the filmmakers is that after putting a monumental chunk of money into the movie, it still seems to be thousands of miles away from success.
Fans believe that the terrifyingly cold weather might’ve dissuaded people from going to the theatres. And while that certainly seems to have played a major role in Babylon‘s low scores, it looks like the marketing team is also to blame for the same. Or at least that’s what the audience thinks.
Related: Babylon Review: Pure Adrenaline Pumping Cinema
Damien Chazelle’s Babylon Fails to Succeed at the Box Office
The comedy-drama hit cinemas just a couple of days before Christmas, but the festive season is looking quite bleak for the movie’s creators following Babylon‘s alarmingly low scores at the box office. Starring Tobey Maguire, the movie has managed to gross around $3.5 million in its opening weekend. And the making of Babylon cost a whopping $80 million, so the money it has made so far is but a meager sum in comparison.
The stormy weather seems to be one of the main reasons behind the film’s lackluster performance. But in stark contrast to Babylon comes James Cameron‘s Avatar: The Way of Water, which has been doing remarkably well at the box office even with the winter storm forcing people to shut themselves at their homes. So then why is Chazelle’s R-rated film not being received well? Well, how will a film garner any kind of reviews at all if people don’t even know it has been released?
As fans debate the cause of Babylon getting bombed at the box office, the number one argument to pop up is that of the film’s horrible marketing tactics. People are claiming that they haven’t even heard of the film, something which reflects the utter lack of promotion from the latter’s end.
Why is Babylon A Flop at the Box Office? This is What the Fans think
The weather this Christmas weekend has been numbingly cold and stormy, restricting people from stepping out of the sheltered comfort of their homes at all. So that has clearly proved to be a hindrance in Babylon making a good profit at the box office. But as mentioned before, winter doesn’t seem to have posed such a predicament for Avatar 2. That’s because the sci-fi/adventure sequel has been advertised and promoted vigorously all over the world. But the same can’t be said for Babylon.
It looks like marketing, or the lack thereof, pertaining to the movie is actually the real culprit behind its box office failure. While some are saying they didn’t even know anything about the film, others are pointing out the bare minimum efforts that were put into the project’s promotion. And those who happen to have seen the film are lamenting about the unimpressive storyline, claiming how the only good thing about Babylon is its star cast.
someone definetly stole the marketing money, i didnt even know about this movie till now
— zar4fussion (@IvoValachovic) December 25, 2022
babybombed
— the perc prophet (@humidfluid) December 25, 2022
— Mehdi Keraghel (@mehdi_keraghel) December 25, 2022
Movie has literally been out 2 days. Half the country is under a blanket of ice. Easy does it.
— Mark Squire (@squire31) December 25, 2022
I went to see Avatar on Friday and say this on the display over one of the doors, I thought it was a student film or something cause I’d never seen/heard anything about it
— 〽️cCracken (@Mc_Cracken44) December 25, 2022
As good as it looks there’s no concrete plot explanation in the trailers, it’s like Damien is here saying “I’m Damien, I made a movie, go watch it”
— andres (@chagaccinoking) December 25, 2022
The most astonishing element of it all is that while the audience is blaming inadequate marketing for the project’s failure, sources note that apparently tens of millions were spent to promote it. Something definitely doesn’t add up here. However, the movie is yet to be released internationally so maybe its scores will hike up in late January when it will be open to the rest of the world.
Babylon is currently playing in cinemas.
Source: Culture Crave via Twitter
