The 2016 Assassin’s Creed movie, starring Michael Fassbender, earned a total of $240.6 million worldwide. While this might seem like a substantial figure, it fell short of expectations given the film’s high production and marketing costs, ultimately leading to a commercially underwhelming performance.
Assassin’s Creed: A Commercial Disappointment?
The story of the Assassin’s Creed movie is a complex one, weaving together the hopes of video game fans, the ambitions of a major studio, and the unpredictable realities of the box office. Although $240.6 million seems like a large number, the film’s financial performance needs to be examined in detail to understand why it was considered a disappointment.
The film boasted a substantial production budget of around $125 million, not including marketing and distribution costs. Hollywood typically operates under the rule of thumb that a film needs to earn roughly twice its production budget to break even, accounting for marketing expenses, distribution fees, and the exhibitor’s share of ticket sales. Therefore, the Assassin’s Creed movie ideally needed to reach at least $250 million at the box office to achieve profitability. Failing to surpass this threshold put the film in a precarious financial position.
While the movie garnered some international success, particularly in countries where the Assassin’s Creed video game franchise enjoys significant popularity, its performance in the crucial North American market was particularly lackluster. Critical reception also played a crucial role in shaping the film’s trajectory. Negative reviews from critics and mixed reactions from audiences likely dampened word-of-mouth, hindering its ability to sustain momentum at the box office.
Regional Box Office Performance
North America
The film’s performance in North America was a major contributing factor to its overall financial woes. Its opening weekend grossed around $22.5 million, far below the initial projections and expectations of 20th Century Fox. This underwhelming start signaled a potential uphill battle for the film, and it struggled to gain traction in the subsequent weeks. Its total North American gross amounted to only $54.6 million, representing a significant underperformance compared to other video game adaptations.
International Markets
Outside of North America, the Assassin’s Creed movie fared somewhat better, capitalizing on the established global fanbase of the video game franchise. However, even internationally, its performance wasn’t strong enough to offset the disappointing domestic numbers. Countries like China, Germany, and France contributed significant amounts to the international box office revenue, demonstrating the brand’s appeal in these regions. Despite these positive contributions, the overall international performance wasn’t enough to push the film into profitable territory. The movie made approximately $186 million from international markets.
Factors Influencing Box Office Success
Several factors contributed to the film’s relatively weak box office performance:
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Critical Reception: As previously mentioned, the film received largely negative reviews from critics, who criticized its pacing, plot, and character development. This negativity influenced audience perception and deterred potential viewers from seeing the film in theaters.
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Audience Reception: Even among fans of the Assassin’s Creed video game franchise, the movie received mixed reviews. Some appreciated the visual aesthetics and action sequences, while others criticized the changes made to the lore and the lack of faithfulness to the source material.
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Competition: The film was released during a competitive holiday season, facing competition from other major blockbuster releases such as Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, which likely diverted audience attention and ticket sales.
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Marketing Campaign: While 20th Century Fox invested heavily in marketing the Assassin’s Creed movie, some argued that the campaign failed to effectively communicate the film’s story and appeal to a broader audience beyond existing fans of the video game franchise.
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Video Game Movie Curse: Video game adaptations have historically struggled to achieve critical and commercial success in Hollywood. The Assassin’s Creed movie unfortunately seemed to fall victim to this “curse,” failing to break through the negative perception surrounding video game films.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
FAQ 1: What was the total budget of the Assassin’s Creed movie, including marketing?
The officially reported production budget was $125 million. However, including marketing and distribution costs, the total investment by 20th Century Fox likely exceeded $200 million.
FAQ 2: Did the movie make a profit?
Based on the general rule of thumb, it’s widely believed that the movie did not make a significant profit, and may have even resulted in a financial loss for the studio. The $240.6 million gross was not enough to offset the high production and marketing costs.
FAQ 3: Who starred in the Assassin’s Creed movie?
The movie starred Michael Fassbender as Callum Lynch/Aguilar, Marion Cotillard as Sofia Rikkin, Jeremy Irons as Alan Rikkin, and Brendan Gleeson as Joseph Lynch.
FAQ 4: Was a sequel planned for the Assassin’s Creed movie?
Despite initial plans and discussions about potential sequels, they were ultimately shelved due to the movie’s underwhelming box office performance.
FAQ 5: What is the Assassin’s Creed movie based on?
The movie is based on the highly successful Assassin’s Creed video game franchise created by Ubisoft. While it draws inspiration from the game’s lore and characters, it features a new storyline and characters not directly adapted from any specific game.
FAQ 6: What were some of the main criticisms of the movie?
The movie was criticized for its slow pacing, convoluted plot, lack of compelling characters, and perceived deviations from the established lore of the video game franchise.
FAQ 7: Where can I watch the Assassin’s Creed movie?
The Assassin’s Creed movie is available for purchase or rental on various digital platforms such as Amazon Prime Video, Google Play Movies, YouTube Movies, and Apple TV. It’s also sometimes available on streaming services.
FAQ 8: What genre is the Assassin’s Creed movie?
The movie is primarily an action-adventure film with elements of science fiction and historical fiction.
FAQ 9: Did the movie win any awards?
The Assassin’s Creed movie did not win any major awards. It received a few nominations, but generally did not garner recognition from major award bodies.
FAQ 10: How does the Assassin’s Creed movie compare to other video game adaptations in terms of box office success?
Compared to other video game adaptations, the Assassin’s Creed movie’s box office performance falls somewhere in the middle. It performed better than some lesser-known adaptations but significantly worse than top-performing films like Sonic the Hedgehog or Rampage. The performance highlights the ongoing challenges in successfully translating video game properties to the big screen.
FAQ 11: Who directed the Assassin’s Creed movie?
The Assassin’s Creed movie was directed by Justin Kurzel.
FAQ 12: What is the main plot of the Assassin’s Creed movie?
The movie follows Callum Lynch, a man who is forcibly subjected to experiments by the Abstergo Foundation, a modern-day incarnation of the Templar Order. Through a device called the Animus, Callum relives the memories of his ancestor Aguilar de Nerha, an Assassin in 15th-century Spain, during the Spanish Inquisition. The goal of Abstergo is to locate the Apple of Eden, an artifact believed to contain the key to controlling free will, which both Assassins and Templars have sought for centuries. Callum must come to terms with his heritage and use his newfound knowledge and skills to fight back against the Templars.