John David Washington first appeared on screen in two of his father’s films – Malcolm X and Devil in a Blue Dress. However, these were background roles and the latter was also uncredited. As he entered adulthood, John set his sights on becoming a leading man. Despite being the son of iconic actor, Denzel Washington, John David Washington has managed to carve out his own entry point and showcased himself as a solid leading man. To that, he was worked with some of cinema’s greatest filmmakers, including Spike Lee, Christopher Nolan, and Sam Levinson.
After starring in critically acclaimed movies like BlacKkKlansman and Tenet, Washington has delivered his biggest forefronting performance in The Creator. Gareth Edwards‘ sci-fi actioner hit theaters on September 26, 2023 and has been on a slow climb to box office success ever since. So, let’s take a look into the reception of the movie as it finally makes a substantial return on its budget.
The Creator Has Made $101 Million at the Global Box Office
When The Creator landed in theaters on September 26, 2023, it failed to take off, resulting in a disappointing opening weekend. With a reported budget of $80 million, it was looking like the film wouldn’t make a return as fast as the producers would have hoped for. Considering the movie is filled with a vast array of visual effects, Gareth Edwards managed to deliver an impressive movie on such a medium budget. This was clearly a tactic that producers wanted to hone in on to increase the chances of making a solid return. However, by the time the fourth weekend came around, the figures were looking worrying at a global box office taking of $90.4 million.
Now five weeks into its release, The Creator has finally surpassed the $100 million milestone that many studios expect as a baseline success. As of the time of this writing, The Creator has brought in $40 million domestically, and just over $60 million from overseas territories, working out to a running global haul of $101 million. However, the movie will have amply chance to bring in more revenue when it lands on streaming platforms on November 14, 2023. The Creator will be available for both purchase and rental on all major PVOD platforms, including Fandango/Vudu, Apple TV, and Prime Video.
Unveiling the Competition for The Creator
It’s no secret that The Creator has struggled commercially since the day of its release. Although Gareth Edwards is a solid name in Hollywood after directing the likes of Godzilla, and Rogue One, it seems he doesn’t yet have enough star power to fill seats and sell out theaters. In its opening weekend, The Creator squared off with Saw X, and Paw Patrol: The Mighty Movie, which both opened on the same weekend. Ultimately, Paw Patrol: The Mighty Movie took the top spot with $23 million domestically. Saw X followed closely behind with a solid debut of $18.3 million. Sadly, for Edwards, this saw The Creator take third place with $14 million. However, as the weeks went on, the movie did manage to pick up some steam, but was still underperforming.
What’s more, the release of Martin Scorsese‘s Killers of the Flower Moon did not help matters for The Creator. Scorsese’s movie has been a long-standing passion project that he has talked about publically for a number of years. This has created an enormous amount of buzz for the film. On top of this, having Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro in the lead roles has proved as a surefire ticket to box office success. With that said, Killers of the Flower Moon opened to heaps of critical praise and knocked down the performance of The Creator, garnering $40 million globally in its first weekend.
Is The Creator a Critical Success?
Gareth Edwards’ previous two films saw him deliver two back-to-back blockbuster hits, combing a total worldwide gross of just over $1.5 billion. This made him one of the most sought after filmmakers in Hollywood. However, despite the success of his previous works, this didn’t guarantee a favourable critical response for his latest effort, The Creator. The movie currently holds a Tomatometer of 66% on Rotten Tomatoes. This is based on a total of 298 reviews from critics. On IMDB, the movie has a Metascore of 62/100. With a string of lukewarm reviews, such as Collider stating the movie is “neither a masterpiece nor a complete misfire”, it’s fair to say that many moviegoers may have been swayed away from the picture. However, there is still plenty of opportunity for the film to gather a second wind when it lands on streaming platforms in November.
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