When it comes to recent box office disasters, few films stand out as much as the movieCatsdoes. The famed musical took to the big screen and recruited the likes of Taylor Swift and others to bring it to life. Sure, some performers like Hugh Jackman turned it down, but the studio felt confident in what they had. Turns out, this movie was a disaster in every way, and it wound up being crushed by critics and the box office alike.
Now that it is one of the most infamous films of all time, it’s time to take a look at this film and see what exactly went wrong. Sure, there is a call from fans for a special edition, but in all actuality, this seems like more of a joke than anything.
So, what madeCatsa huge disappointment? Let’s take a closer look!
The Film’s Massive Budget
Making movies is exceptionally difficult, and one of the biggest factors in a film’s financial loss or gain is the budget that gets put into the movie. More money can help, but it also carries a greater risk in the long run
In all fairness toCats, the musical itself has been such a huge success over the years, and it was clear that the studio thought that this could be like other musicals that have seamlessly crossed over into film. Musicals likeChicago,Grease, andThe Sound of Musichave done extraordinary things, so the folks makingCatsdecided to spend a nice chunk of change to make the perfect movie.
It has been reported that the film cost around $100 million to make, which is a really high number. Yes, there was an audience for this film, but $100 million is nothing to scoff at. Not only that, but the same report also mentions that the film spent up to another $100 million in marketing and distribution fees.
If these numbers are accurate, then this would mean that the movie had a lot to live up to just to even break even. As it was gearing up for release, there seemed to be quite a bit of negative buzz around the way the film looked, and once it finally hit theaters, everything would start to unravel in a hurry.
It Flops Hard At The Box Office
After spending a fortune on making the movie and marketing it around the world, it was finally time forCatsto hit theaters and join the long list of successful Broadway adaptations to conquer the box office.
This sounded nice, in theory, but what actually happened was a far cry from what the studio was expecting. The reviews that came out for the film were anything other than kind. At this time, the film holds a 20% onRotten Tomatoesfrom critics, and it is sitting at a meager 50% from audiences. Not exactly the best type of way to build up hype for people to go and see the movie.
The studio had to be sweating bullets at this point, because they sank a ton of money into the picture. Despite the bad reviews, they hoped that the film would knock it out of the park at the box office. This ended up being even worse than the reviews.
According toBox Office Mojo, the film only managed to gross $73 million worldwide, meaning that it lost an extraordinary amount of money. It was official:Catswas a complete and total disaster of a film, and the studio could do nothing about it.
A lot of hard work went into making the picture, but at the end of the day, people just weren't interested. There have been some interesting things said since the film left theaters.
The Aftermath Of It All
In the wake of the film being a failure, the cast has had quite a bit to say, and the film now has a negative legacy.
When speaking with theNew Yorker, James Corden, who played Bustopher in the film, would open up a bit, saying, “I can’t imagine I’ll see it. It’s important to say I had the best time making it... At some point, you have to go, How am I going to judge my own experience? Am I only going to have enjoyed something if it was successful?"
Yes, even James had little interest in actually seeing the film.
Taylor Swift was a little more enthusiastic, saying, “I never would have met Andrew Lloyd Webber or gotten to see how he works, and now he’s my buddy. I got to work with the sickest dancers and performers. No complaints."
At this point, it’s safe to say that most people are just glad that the film is out of theaters and is just a memory. It’s a shame that things didn’t work out, but if this gets rebooted in a decade or two, then maybe the studio will get it right.
