After poor box office numbers, critically-acclaimed hits as The Fighter, Silver Linings Playbook, and American Hustle. His first feature film since 2015's Joy, Amsterdam is based on the 1933 political conspiracy known as the Business Plot and follows a doctor, a nurse, and a lawyer who are framed for the murder of a US Senator.
Like many of Russell's films, Amsterdam is led by all-stars Christian Bale, Margot Robbie, and John David Washington as the main trio alongside an ensemble ing cast that includes Chris Rock, Anya Taylor-Joy, Zoe Saldaña, Mike Myers, Michael Shannon, Timothy Olyphant, Andrea Riseborough, Taylor Swift, Matthias Schoenaerts, Alessandro Nivola, Rami Malek, and Robert De Niro. However, 's intriguing plot and star-studded cast weren't enough to coax audiences out to theaters during its opening weekend as, instead of a modest $12-15 million as projected, the period piece bombed at the box office, grossing a measly $6.5 million.
Now, a recent report from Deadline reveals just how much Amsterdam stands to lose after tanking in its opening weekend. With an expensive budget of $80 million, the flop is expected to result in a $97 million loss for Regency. However, the movie's high cost was increased by a location change and production pause due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
What Amsterdam's Massive Loss Means For Adult-Skewed Movies
While such tentpoles as Top Gun: Maverick, Jurassic World Dominion, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, and Thor: Love and Thunder revived the box office this past summer, original adult-skewed films continue to struggle, evident by Amsterdam's opening weekend. Written by Russell, the film was not based on any preexisting intellectual property, which is a major disadvantage in today's box office landscape, even when a star-studded cast is at play. Amsterdam wasn't helped by the reviews either, sitting in the 30 percent approval range from critics on Rotten Tomatoes.
Even if Amsterdam and other movies like it continue to bomb, studios likely won't stop making these kinds of original adult-skewed films altogether, but it will change how they release them, opting to dump them on streaming instead of wide theatrical releases. However, home media is actually where films like Amsterdam can thrive just like another Regency-backed box office bomb, The Northman, which actually became a financial success through its home video release. Amsterdam has a long way to go before getting in the black, though don't count it out quite yet.
Source: Deadline
