At one point during the early development of Birds of Prey, the filmmakers envisioned Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn squaring off against the Penguin. However, this was changed at the request of The Batman director Matt Reeves, who had his own plans for the vile crime figure. That sliding doors moment gave Colin Farrell an opportunity to bring life to a new version of the Penguin, giving him one of the best roles of his career. As fate would have it, Farrell and Robbie are co-stars in the new romantic fantasy drama film A Big Bold Beautiful Journey, but unfortunately, the pairing of the two DC stars doesn’t seem to live up to the hype.
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As of this writing, A Big Bold Beautiful Journey has a rotten score on Rotten Tomatoes of just 52%. With only 44 reviews submitted so far, there is no critics consensus available, but a skim over the published reviews indicate people have taken issue with the film’s schmaltzy tone and underdeveloped ideas. While most people praise the visuals, the feeling is it doesn’t execute its story as well as it could have.
Could A Big Bold Beautiful Journey Overcome Mixed Reviews at the Box Office?
Initially, A Big Bold Beautiful Journey was scheduled to open in early May at the outset of the summer movie season. That it was moved to the middle of September serves as an indication of how much confidence Sony has in it. There obviously have been major box office hits released during September, but that month is far less competitive than May or June. Sony’s idea with the delay was to put A Big Bold Beautiful Journey in a better position to succeed, releasing it during what’s usually a softer time at the box office.
This September, however, has been quite busy. The Conjuring: Last Rites and Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle scored their own record-breaking openings, driving business at the multiplex. One thing working in A Big Bold Beautiful Journey‘s favor is it’s the main option for its target demographic, but casual audiences have plenty of options to choose from. Even acclaimed Stephen King adaptation The Long Walk is facing an uphill climb at the box office due to stiff competition, so something like A Big Bold Beautiful Journey could struggle to make a splash. Despite having two likable and charismatic stars at its center, it feels like the kind of movie that needed strong word of mouth to become a hit.
In late August, roughly a month before A Big Bold Beautiful Journey‘s debut, early tracking had it pegged for a debut between $10-15 million domestically. That prognosis is unlikely to change much in the wake of the mixed reviews. A Big Bold Beautiful Journey isn’t a major franchise installment that’s essentially critic-proof in its opening weekend (The Conjuring: Last Rites overcame its own mixed Rotten Tomatoes score to break records). Original, mid-budget films are a much harder sell, especially when the reviews aren’t glowing. A Big Bold Beautiful Journey could have made some noise if the reviews were stronger, but it’s unlikely to leave much of an impression.
Fortunately for Robbie and Farrell, A Big Bold Beautiful Journey shouldn’t set them back too much. Farrell is gearing up to return as the Penguin in The Batman Part II, which is scheduled to start filming in the spring. Robbie’s time with DC could be over, as she’s yet to hear anything about reprising Harley Quinn in the DC Universe, but she still has intriguing prospects on the horizon. She’s reportedly set to star in Tim Burton’s remake of Attack of the 50 Foot Woman. After Beetlejuice Beetlejuice served as a return to form for Burton critically and commercially last year, maybe that project will be a bounceback for Robbie.
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Image Courtesy of Shueisha
