Having myriads of acclaimed movies under his belt, Steven Spielberg is considered one of the greatest filmmakers of his time. But unfortunately not all of his movies were able to make an impact, following its release. Apparently, his 1997 historical drama Amistad was his worst-reviewed and lowest-grossing film of all time.
Steven Spielberg’s Amistad was unfortunately neither appreciated by fans and critics, nor by his family. Occasionally watching his movies with his family, Spielberg had the worst experience while watching the 1997 historical drama. Apparently, his wife and kids didn’t care about the film and simply walked out of it.
Amistad Turned into Steven Spielberg’s Lowest-Grossing Film
The acclaimed filmmaker Steven Spielberg who is often known for his epic direction in renowned movies like Jaws, Schindler’s List, and E.T. also holds a few lesser-known projects. Apparently, his 1997 historical drama Amistad is one of those lesser-known films that got lost in time, as critics slammed it with the worst reviews of all time.
Spielberg’s Amistad ended up being his worst-reviewed and lowest-grossing film of all time. The movie narrated the story of a slave uprising that failed to make an impact at the box office and ended up pulling in $58.3M. Unfortunately, it wasn’t just audiences and critics who slammed the movie, but even the director’s family had the same response.
The Oscar-winning director has re-lived quite a few movies with his loved ones, and Amistad was one of them. Although Steven Spielberg rarely re-watches his own films, he made an exception when it came to his family. But unfortunately, his family didn’t appreciate the 1997 drama and had the worst experience.
Steven Spielberg’s Family Gave an Awful Response to Amistad
Back in 2002, while discussing with film critic Roger Ebert, Steven Spielberg discussed how he doesn’t normally watch his own movies, after the premiere. However, he made an exception after having kids, as he felt it could be a fun experience. But naturally, his family and kids weren’t a fan of all of his movies.
“I rarely look back at the movies I’ve made except when my kids see them for the first time. So I get a chance to see all my own movies again through my kids’ eyes, which is always fun, you know, because they tell me whether they like ’em or not right away. Or they walk out.”
Discussing his reasons for re-watching his movies with his kids, Steven Spielberg mentioned how his family is often his honest critic. Hinting at how his family either appreciates his movies or walks out on them, the director recalled his kids’ response to his 1997 movie Amistad.
“I’ve had my kids walk out of my pictures…They walked out of Amistad. I lost my whole family. All my young kids, you know. I wouldn’t ever show them the middle passage and I didn’t let them see the very beginning and they were bored by the legal stuff. They left.”
Steven Spielberg’s family hated Amistad and therefore gave an awful response to it by walking out on it. But instead of taking the response to heart, Spielberg appreciated the honest criticism and didn’t stop his ritual of re-watching his movies with his family.
Watch Amistad on Paramount+.
