Business

Can You Guess The Year’s Best-Reviewed Movie—That Also Was A Major Flop?

December 26, 2023

Topline

The fervent love of critics this year wasn’t enough to turn some of the best-reviewed movies into financial successes, and a handful of 2023’s biggest flops—like “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret” and “Joy Ride”—were films widely adored by reviewers and movie-goers alike despite their paltry box office performances.

Rachel McAdams as Barbara Simon, Abby Ryder Fortson as Margaret Simon, and Benny Safdie as Herb … [+] Simon in “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret.”

Dana Hawley/Lionsgate

Key Facts

Based on the 1970 film by beloved author Judy Blume, “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret” earned just $20.3 million after releasing in 3,343 theaters this April—but critics and fans loved the adaptation starring Rachel McAdams, and it earned a huge 99% critics score and 95% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes.

“Priscilla,” Sofia Coppola’s film about the, explosive love story of Elvis Presley starring Caliee Spaeny and Jacob Elordi, also failed to turn its 82% critics score into a meaningful box office draw—the film grossed just $20.7 million domestically after releasing in more than 2,300 theaters.

“Dumb Money,” a dramatization of the real-life GameStop stock shortage that turned regular people into millionaires overnight, earned the approval of 84% of critics and 85% of viewers, but its earning didn’t show it—the movie made $13.9 million after releasing to 2,837 theaters in September.

“Joy Ride,” an R-rated comedy about a Chinese business trip gone wrong, released to 2,820 theaters in July and loved by 91% of critics, earned only $12.9 million and was one of the highest-rated box office failures of 2023.

“Priscilla” was released by A24 films on Oct. 27, 2023.

A24 Films

Contra

“It’s all terribly scary, yes, but in (Judy) Blume and (director Kelly Fremon Craig)’s hands, growing up is also heart-stoppingly beautiful,” Lauren Mechling of the Guardian wrote of “It’s Me, Margaret.” “This adaptation is an answered prayer.” Of “Priscilla,” Los Angeles Times film critic Justin Chang said on NPR called it “ intimate, queasily truthful and piercingly sad.” And New York Times critic Elisabeth Vincentelli wrote of “Joy Ride” that it “may not reinvent the raunch-com wheel, but it does change who’s driving the car. And, most importantly, it is really, really funny.”

Key Background

This year was a tough one for Hollywood. Members of the Writers Guild of America, which represents 11,500 screenwriters, walked off the job in May and didn’t return until September in one of the longest ever strikes in the history of the WGA. Actors joined the protesting workers in July and stayed off the job until the start of November. The strikes are estimated to have cost the economy of California and other production-heavy states more than $6 billion in lost wages and business impacts, Reuters reported, and it forced the delay of filming and scheduled releases from major studios like Disney, Warner Bros. and Universal Pictures. Many films that did release on time this year were met with a mixed reception at the box office, and unexpected flops were born out of Disney’s Pixar, the D.C. superhero franchise and the Marvel cinematic universe. Disney’s list of box office disappointments (“The Marvels,” “Haunted Mansion,” “Elemental,” “Wish”) contributed to an overall tough year for the legacy media company that includes a still-unprofitable streaming service in Disney+ and declining attendance at its flagship Disney World park in Florida. Disney’s failures were accompanied by unimpressive draws for other big-budget films like “The Flash” and “Shazam: Fury Of The Gods” from D.C. Comics.

Tangent

While some well-reviewed films failed at the ticket counter, others managed a strong financial draw despite the wrath of critics and viewers. “Five Nights at Freddy’s” and “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quintumnia” were among the films that raked in big bucks but left critics and viewers disappointed.

What To Watch For

The only blockbuster release set for this Christmas is “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom” on Dec. 22, the sequel to the 2018 film that earned $1.1 billion worldwide. “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom” is on track to make between $32 and $42 million in its opening weekend, according to B ox Office Pro, well behind the $67.8 million opening of its predecessor.