Mark Wahlberg’s recent based-on-a-true-story movie Arthur the King has been gaining massive fan approval as of late. The film was adapted from the real-life events of Swedish athlete Mikael Lindnord, as he shared in his 2016 memoir Arthur: The Dog Who Crossed the Jungle to Find a Home. However, the movie’s box office numbers as of this writing aren’t all too great.
The reason behind such a downfall with its current-standing revenue isn’t like the film wasn’t worthy of having tremendous box office numbers, no. In fact, if anything, the real canine story was a masterpiece whose true potential was greatly undermined at global box offices, and the recent revelations about the real story only further prove this point.
Mark Wahlberg’s Arthur the King Deserves a Much Better Box Office Treatment
A story based on the real-life events that happened with Swedish athlete cum author Mikael Lindnord during his world championship adventure race in Ecuador in 2014, Arthur the King made its way to the theatres worldwide on the 15th of March, 2024.
However, the film, which saw Arthur — the stray dog that Lindnord fed a few meatballs to out of pity — becoming more than just friends with Lindnord on his roller coaster ride, found itself getting a much inferior treatment than expected.
According to Box Office Mojo, the adventure action opened to $7.6 million on its domestic opening, and has garnered a little over $9.8 million from box offices globally as of this writing, within seven days of its release. It was reportedly made on a budget of a whopping $19 million.
While those who may not have seen the Mark Wahlberg-led movie may claim this is a good enough number, what’s worth noting is that the film actually deserved a lot more than the digits it currently stands on.
Wahlberg, who embodies Lindnord in the film, further proved this point. According to USA Today, he shared just how real the story seen onscreen is, saying:
“Mikael gave meatballs to this mangy old dog that nobody ever did anything nice for,” said Wahlberg, 52, who’s a producer on the film. “And, while trying to win the championship, something clicked in him that altered the rest of his life. He knew he had to save this dog.”
Adding to this was the real-life Mikael Lindnord himself, who further emphasized his true story. He shared with USA Today:
“He looked terrible and I could even smell like rotten flesh, so I gave him some meatballs. Arthur chose to follow us. We didn’t ask him to. The decision was his.”
What’s more is that a lot of the movie scenes are actually what happened in real life and not just a fictional novel, as Lindnord revealed himself. This is why the 2024 masterpiece deserves a much better treatment at the box offices than what it’s currently getting.
Arthur the King Holds a Deeper Significance than What Meets the Eye
Besides the fact that a lot of the scenes seen in the movie are actually the caught-on-camera version of the real-life events that happened with Lindnord on that grueling adventure race in 2014, the film further holds much more significance than what the general audiences may decipher.
This is because, after six happy years, the beloved pooch was found to have developed a malignant tumor in his spine. And one month later, in December 2020, the Lindnord family had to bid farewell to Arthur once and for all.
Due to this heartbreaking reason, Arthur the King holds an indecipherable importance for Mikael Lindnord. As the Swedish athlete said in his concluding statement: “It’s a love letter to Arthur.”
If anything, all of this is a reminder to give them a chance and do better for the beloved canine companion who lost his life four years ago.
You can catch Arthur the King in theatres now.
