With the worst box office opening in a decade, Amber Heard's crime mystery London Fields had audiences staying home. The film, based on a 1989 novel written by Martin Amis, premiered this past Friday after several delays due to a heated legal dispute within the production team.
Production on London Fields began in London in 2013 after the project had been shuffled between several directors for a decade. With Billy Bob Thornton (Suicide Squad) attached, the project appeared to be finally taking shape. The story focuses on Heard's character, a femme fatale named Nicola Six, who preconceives her own death - a murder at the hands of one of her three lovers.
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Unfortunately, London Fields continued its downward trajectory at the box office. 0% rating on Rotten Tomatoes it's unlikely London Fields will recover.
This post-release disaster is not the first of the film's setbacks, as both a legal battle and a restraining order marred London Fields' journey to the box office. Heard married Toronto Film Festival until director, Matthew Cullen, and a producer became embroiled in a legal dispute. This was followed by another legal battle when a producer sued Heard and she countersued on behalf of several issues including violations to her nudity agreement.
Every film faces an often long and winding road to the box office; unfortunately, London Fields has faced a few more challenges than the average release and has not escaped unscathed. Perhaps the writing of Martin Amis was not suited for a film adaptation or perhaps those who adapted it failed to grasp the meaning behind the source material's apparent convolution. Either way, this adaptation has made box office history, just not the kind of history one hopes to make. Suffice it to say, though, things should go much, much better for Heard's next film, Aquaman.
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Source: THR
