Martin Scorsese’s latest cinematic masterpiece, Killers of the Flower Moon, opened with a lukewarm response, falling behind ‘Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour’ at the global box office. The former managed to earn just over $46 million in its opening weekend, nearly one-fourth of its mammoth production budget of $200 million. This has led box office pundits to believe that the Western crime drama will likely bomb at the box office. But should we consider it a flop?
Before getting a wide theatrical release, ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ was originally a streaming project. Apple Studios decided to drop the film in theatres to enhance the number of new Apple TV+ subscribers. In addition, this strategy aided the studio in getting the attention of award voters. This scenario also displays how serious the streaming platform actually is about investing heavily in original projects. Mainstream award voters often hesitate to vote for streaming projects and prefer ‘traditional theatrical releases’ over them, ultimately playing a significant role in reducing the winning odds of streaming projects. So, it is not an absolute necessity for the latest Leonardo DiCaprio starrer to follow the conventional norms associated with the box office.
Given the incompletion of the actors’ strike and the ongoing trend of big production houses postponing the release of their films, Killers of the Flower Moon’s opening weekend collection does not look that bad. But yes, we have to admit that the ‘Taylor Swift effect’ was too much for the latest epic Western flick retelling the true story of the Osage murders.
When it comes to Martin Scorsese’s films, the box office collections do not matter to people at all. Many of his collaborations with either DiCaprio or Robert De Niro have flopped at the box office. But now, they are regarded as one of the all-time greats. Even the most ‘memed’ Scorsese feature directional, The Wolf of the Wall Street (2013), was able to earn barely $19 million in its first weekend. And it is Scorsese’s highest-grossing film, with a worldwide collection of over $400 million.
Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro, Lily Gladstone, Jesse Plemons, and more. Stay tuned for more updates.
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