“London Fields”GVN
Actress Amber Heard’s latest movie isn’t just a bomb, it’s one of the biggest bombs of all time.
The movie, “London Fields,” based on the 1989 novel by Martin Amis, debuted over the weekend with just over $168,000, according to Box Office Mojo. It made only $300 per screen on average. That’s one of the worst box-office takes of all time for a movie opening wide on 600 screens or more.
According to Variety, the movie has had a bumpy road to theaters amidst a wave of legal battles. In 2015, director Matthew Cullen sued producers Chris Hanley and Jordan Gertner, who countersued and claimed Cullen went over his budget for the movie. The producers also sued Heard, claiming she breached her contract, but Heard countersued Hanley and Gertner.
Critics did the movie no favors, either. It has a 0% critic score on review-aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes.
We rounded up some of the other worst box-office openings of all time for films premiering on over 600 screens, and ranked them based on numbers from Box Office Mojo, adjusted for inflation. We also included the original opening and adjusted total domestic gross, along with what critics said about the movie.
Below are the seven worst box-office openings of all time:
7. “Men, Women & Children” (2014)
Adjusted opening: $337,400
Original opening: $306,367
Number of theaters: 608
Adjusted domestic gross: $777,300
What critics said: “The dozen or so main actors do their best to breathe nuance into characters that are standing in for social statements.” — Richard Corliss, Time
Description: “‘MEN, WOMEN & CHILDREN’ follows the story of a group of high school teenagers and their parents as they attempt to navigate the many ways the internet has changed their relationships, their communication, their self-image, and their love lives. The film attempts to stare down social issues such as video game culture, anorexia, infidelity, fame hunting, and the proliferation of illicit material on the internet. As each character and each relationship is tested, we are shown the variety of roads people choose – some tragic, some hopeful – as it becomes clear that no one is immune to this enormous social change that has come through our phones, our tablets, and our computers.”
6. “The Passion Recut” (2005)
Adjusted opening: $319,100
Original opening: $223,789
Number of theaters: 957
Adjusted domestic gross: $724,800
What critics said: “It was the palpable realness of the violence in ‘The Passion of the Christ,’ the image of flesh transformed into meat, that gave the film not only its reason for being, but also its only point of cinematic interest. What remains now of the film is just blunt-force dramatics and kitsch.” — Manohla Dargis, New York Times
5. “Transylmania” (2009)
Adjusted opening: $317,000
Original opening: $263,941
Number of theaters: 1,007
Adjusted domestic gross: $477,600
What critics said: “‘Transylmania’ is such a colossal comedic misfire that it makes the execrable ‘Scary Movie’ films look like masterworks of Preston Sturges-esque genius by comparison.” — Steven Hyden, A.V. Club
Description: “Stoked over the smokin’ Romanian hottie he’s meet online, an über-randy college student talks his dimwitted friends into joining him for a semester of beer, babes and bongs at what they think is a prestigious Transylvanian university. What they discover instead is a creepy castle populated by a torture-loving mad scientist, an overcybersexed humpback, the nubile spirit of a decomposed sorceress and a bevy of horny vampire chicks that have finally found a student body they can really sink their fangs into.”
4. “The Bounce Back” (2016)
Adjusted opening: $236,400
Original opening: $227,354
Number of theaters: 615
Adjusted domestic gross: $334,700
What critics said: “‘The Bounce Back’ parses on a moist sensitive “human” level, but you watch it thinking: There’s a reason why Tracy and Hepburn films never hinged on therapy, and didn’t feature actors whose exteriors looked a lot more exciting than their inner lives.” — Owen Gleiberman, Variety
Description: “Everyone loves self-help guru Matthew Taylor’s (Shemar Moore) new bestselling book on romance, ‘The Bounce Back.’ Everyone, that is, but psychologist Kristin Peralta (Nadine Velazquez). When she and Matthew spar on numerous TV talk shows about his quick-fix approach to mending broken hearts, though, their chemistry is obvious. The question is – can true love conquer philosophical differences?”
3. “Shine” (2018)
Adjusted opening: $213,100
Original opening: $205,842
Number of theaters: 609
Adjusted domestic gross: $340,100
What critics said: “It’s disappointing when the electrifying dance numbers are jettisoned for the lackluster story.” — Katie Walsh, Los Angeles Times
Description: “‘Shine’ is the story of brothers, Ralphi and Junior, celebrated Spanish Harlem salsa dancers. Once close, a devastating tragedy creates a deep divide between them that alters their relationship and futures. In the wake of the tragedy, Ralphi finds himself haunted by regret and guilt and attempts to flee his past, leaving behind everything he’s ever known including his brother, the girl he loves, and his culture.”
2. “London Fields” (2018)
Adjusted opening: $174,500
Original opening: $168,575
Number of theaters: 613
Adjusted domestic gross: $194,800 (so far)
What critics said: “It’s a black hole — something that sucks talent, taste, light, energy and matter into maw and leaves everything stranded in a void.” — David Fear, Rolling Stone
Description: “‘London Fields’ invites the audience to play the voyeur, to be a fly on the wall in the life of Nicola Six (Amber Heard), a world-weary clairvoyant femme fatale who is waiting to be murdered. Nicola knows death will come for her on her birthday, and she knows it will be at the hands of one of her lovers… but which one?”
1. “Proud American” (2008)
Adjusted opening: $122,300
Original opening: $96,076
Number of theaters: 750
Adjusted domestic gross: $167,200
What critics said: “It seems more like an hour-and-a-half-long infomercial for America than a narrative film or documentary. Like something you might hallucinate on Flag Day.” — Emma Rose Johnson, Boston Globe
