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Director blames millennials for box office flop

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Director Ridley Scott has placed the blame for his latest movie’s poor performance on millennials for a bizarre reason: their mobile phones.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Scott’s medieval film, </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Last Duel</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">, is based on a real-life ritual duel between knight Jean de Carrouges (Matt Damon) and squire Jacques Le Gris (Adam Driver) after Jean’s wife, Marguerite (Jodie Comer) accuses Jacques of sexually assaulting her.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Despite the A-list cast and positive reviews ahead of its release in cinemas, </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Last Duel</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> has bombed at the box office after raking in $4.8 million on its opening weekend.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">It currently has a domestic gross of $10 million, a sliver of its $100 million budget.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The 83-year-old director behind hit films like </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Alien</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Gladiator</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">, and </span><span style="font-weight: 400;"><em>Blade</em> <em>Runner</em></span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> first mentioned his gripe with the millennial generation during an appearance on Marc Maron’s </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">WTF Podcast</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></em></p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">Today is Ridley Scott day on <a href="https://t.co/KBRiPQLutw">https://t.co/KBRiPQLutw</a>! Blade Runner, historical epics, his secret weapon in filmmaking, House of Gucci! Great talk! Do it up!<br /><br />Episode - <a href="https://t.co/PWcTZfeV3k">https://t.co/PWcTZfeV3k</a><br /><br />On <a href="https://twitter.com/ApplePodcasts?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ApplePodcasts</a> - <a href="https://t.co/utE9C6ox5Z">https://t.co/utE9C6ox5Z</a><br /><br />On <a href="https://twitter.com/Stitcher?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Stitcher</a> - <a href="https://t.co/r1E9mtQF2k">https://t.co/r1E9mtQF2k</a> <a href="https://t.co/dPkQXhplgA">pic.twitter.com/dPkQXhplgA</a></p> — WTF with Marc Maron (@WTFpod) <a href="https://twitter.com/WTFpod/status/1462823039213572100?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 22, 2021</a></blockquote> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Though many were expecting Scott to lay the blame on Disney after the entertainment conglomerate snapped up 20th Century Fox and its slate of films, he said Disney was pleased with the movie and he was happy with how they handled its release.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Disney did a fantastic promotion job. The bosses loved the movie because I was concerned it was not for them,” Scott said.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I think what it boils down to - what we’ve got today [are] audiences who were brought up on these f**king cell phones.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Scott accused the “millenian” generation of refusing to learn anything unless it was taught through their phone and believed their attitude came from social media.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“This is a broad stroke, but I think we’re dealing with it right now with Facebook,” he continued.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“This is a misdirection that has happened where it’s given the wrong kind of confidence to this latest generation, I think.”</span></p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CVd0ZWELMtO/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CVd0ZWELMtO/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by 20th Century Studios (@20thcenturystudios)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The film’s poor performance could be partially blamed on the COVID-19 pandemic, which would have kept older audiences - the movie’s prime demographic - away from cinemas.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Recent box office trends have also found that most audiences have been flocking to superhero, science fiction, and horror films, rather than historical dramas like </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Last Duel</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Plus, the film has debuted in a bumper month of releases, competing against the likes of superhero film </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Venom: Let There Be Carnage</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">, sci-fi epic </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Dune</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> and the long-awaited </span><span style="font-weight: 400;"><em>No Time to Die</em></span><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Last Duel</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">’s lacklustre performance could also point to a change in audience expectations, reported by </span><em><a rel="noopener" href="https://screenrant.com/last-duel-movie-failure-ridley-scott-millennials-response/" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Screen Rant</span></a></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">. With audiences coming to cinemas to see epic, blockbuster movies, smaller films and period pieces like </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Last Duel</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> have become films audiences will wait to watch until they can be streamed.</span></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Image: Getty Images</span></em></p>

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Birds of Prey renamed after flopping at the box office

<p>Margot Robbie’s <em>Birds of Prey </em>has been renamed after a disappointing opening weekend in the cinemas.</p> <p>Warner Bros. has changed the film’s name from <em><span>Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) </span></em><span>to <em>Harley Quinn: Birds of Prey</em>, less than a week after its debut.</span></p> <p><span>A studio representative told <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2020/2/11/21132868/harley-quinn-birds-of-prey-name-change-seo-warner-bros-opening-weekend-trailers?utm_campaign=theverge&amp;utm_content=chorus&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_source=twitter"><em>The Verge</em></a> the name change is part of an effort to make it easier for moviegoers to find the flick. </span></p> <p><span>While the R-rated film opened at number one at the US box office, it only grossed US$33 million, coming short of the studio’s US$45 million projection. Industry expectations were around US$50 to US$55 million.</span></p> <p><span>The opening for <em>Birds of Prey</em> is the lowest so far for a DC Comics title, overtaking <em>Shazam!</em>’s record of US$53.5 million.</span></p> <p><span>In Australia, the film also earned <a href="https://mumbrella.com.au/birds-of-prey-flies-straight-to-the-top-of-the-australian-box-office-taking-almost-4m-in-its-first-weekend-616648">the top spot at the box office</a>, taking in $3.85 million across 528 screens on its first weekend.</span></p> <p><span>Directed by Cathy Yan, <em>Birds of Prey </em>depicts the story of Harley Quinn (played by Margot Robbie) who finds herself becoming allies with Huntress (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), Black Canary (Jurnee Smollett-Bell) and Renee Montoya (Rosie Perez) after her breakup with the Joker.</span></p>

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6 iconic artists whose albums flopped

<p>There’s no doubt about it, the music business is a tough one. One hit single isn’t enough to guarantee artists success – Vanilla Ice, The Knack and countless others may have had one hit album, but it was only downhill from there. For these artists, however, their “flop” album was simply a blip on an otherwise perfect record. Let’s take a look at some of the biggest and most unexpected album flops (both commercial and critical) of all time.</p> <p><strong>1. <em>Mr Bad Gu</em>y by Freddie Mercury</strong></p> <p>It’s hard to believe that the Queen front man could do anything wrong when it comes to music, but Mercury’s first solo album <em>Mr Bad Guy</em> definitely didn’t live up to expectations. While Queen’s highest-selling album cracked 7,500,000 sales, Mercury’s 1985 offering sold less than 1 million.</p> <p><strong>2. <em>Pop</em> by U2</strong></p> <p>Following the success of their previous hit albums <em>The Joshua Tree</em> and<em> Achtung Baby</em>, U2 broke away from their well-known sound in favour of more electronic- and dance-inspired elements. Despite reaching number one in 35 countries, it was poorly received by critics and sold 18 million copies less than their highest seller.</p> <p><strong>3. <em>Invincible</em> by Michael Jackson</strong></p> <p>He may have been the King of Pop, but Jackson’s final album was his most unsuccessful in his more than 40-year career. Even though it still reached number one in 11 countries, Invincible sold 10 million copies. It sounds like a lot, but when you consider <em>Thriller</em> sold 65,000,000 copies, this definitely a “flop” by the King’s standard.</p> <p><strong>4. <em>Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic</em> by Prince</strong></p> <p>Released in 1999 when he went by the unpronounceable “Love Symbol”, this album was without a doubt one of Prince’s most polarising. It received mixed reviews, failed to chart in the top 10 except for in Canada and sold less than 1 million copies, compared to the more than 20 million for Purple Rain.</p> <p><strong>5. <em>“The Spaghetti Incident?”</em> by Guns N’ Roses</strong></p> <p>They brought us the iconic 1987 song “Sweet Child o’ Mine”, but then again, they also brought us… this. Released in 1993, <em>"The Spaghetti Incident?"</em> was the last album by the band to feature Slash and Duff McKagan. It sold around five to six million copies, a poor effort compared to the more than 30 million sales of their debut.</p> <p><strong>6. <em>Self Portrait</em> by Bob Dylan</strong></p> <p>Could this be the first ever intentionally bad album in music history? 1970’s <em>Self Portrait</em> was absolutely slaughtered by critics but still managed to go gold in the US. Dylan later told Rolling Stone he made the album as a joke. “I wish these people would just forget about me. I wanna do something that can’t possibly like, they can’t relate to.”</p> <p>Do you own any of these albums? Tell us what you think of them in the comments below.</p> <p><strong>Related links:</strong></p> <p><a href="/entertainment/music/2016/06/unforgettable-songs-of-the-60s/"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong>Unforgettable songs of the '60s</strong></em></span></a></p> <p><a href="/entertainment/music/2016/05/actors-turned-musicians/"><strong><em><span style="text-decoration: underline;">7 actors we didn’t know were also musicians</span></em></strong></a></p> <p><a href="/entertainment/music/2016/05/one-hit-wonders-today/"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong>One-hit wonders: where are they now?</strong></em></span></a></p>

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