Topline
Critics were impressed by a year of horror movies and biopics that brought real-life stories to screen, but movie goers were harder to please as a handful of 2024 films revered by critics performed disappointingly at the box office—despite wide theatrical releases.
Cristiana Dell’Anna in “Cabrini.”
Key Facts
“Cabrini, “based on the real life story of Catholic missionary Francesca Cabrini, earned just $19.5 million (on a $50 million budget) after releasing in 2,850 theaters this March—but critics and fans loved the biographical drama and it earned a huge 90% critics score and 98% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes.
Another movie based on a true story, Hilary Swank’s “Ordinary Angels,” also struggled to turn its 84% critics score into a commercial success—the film grossed just $19.1 million domestically after releasing in more than 3,000 theaters.
“The First Omen,” a prequel to the 1976 hit “The Omen,” got the approval of 83% of critics but grossed only $20 million after a 3,375-theatre release.”
“Saturday Night,” which tells the origin of the longrunning “Saturday Night Live” comedy show, was hailed as a “masterpiece” and earned a 78% critics score, but grossed just $9.5 million on a reported $25 million budget.
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Contra
“Cabrini” was hailed by critics as a “dramatically and cinematically sound” and “visually breathtaking” story that “raises the bar on quality faith-based entertainment.” Andrea Thompson of the Chicago Reader said “Ordinary Angels” “could wring tears from even the most godless among us” and “Saturday Night Live” was praised for its “pitch-perfect performances, a tight script and an expertly paced narrative.”
Key Background
The 2024 movie release schedule was heavily influenced by the actors and writers strikes that shut down Hollywood for months last year. The strikes forced the delay of filming and scheduled releases from major studios like Disney, Warner Bros. and Universal Pictures, including pushing the premieres of Disney’s “Snow White” and “Elio” and Marvel’s “Captain America: Brave New World” and “Thunderbolts” to 2025.
Which 2025 Movie Releases Will Rule The Box Office?
Next year is set up to be one of the biggest years at the box office since before the COVID-19 pandemic, and films like “Avatar: Fire and Ash,” “Jurassic World Rebirth,” and “Zootopia 2” expected to compete for the title of highest-grossing film. All three could see global box office draws of over $1 billion, according to predictions from The Direct, and “Wicked: For Good,” “Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning” and “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” are also expected to make a splash.
Crucial Quote
“Survive ‘Till ’25.” The phrase was heard often in Hollywood circles this year as the industry vowed to make it through the struggles of 2024.
Tangent
In turn, some of the year’s biggest commercial successes were panned by critics. “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire” and “Despicable Me 4,” both among the top-10 highest grossing movies of the year, have critic scores of just 54% and 56%, respectively. “Venom: The Last Dance,” the year’s 16th best performing film, earned only a 41% from Rotten Tomatoes critics and “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire” was liked by just 42% of critics as the lowest-rated film in the franchise’s 40-year history.
Further Reading
