Billionaire Boys Club, a 2018 crime drama starring Kevin Spacey, Ansel Elgort, Emma Roberts, and Taron Egerton grossed just $618 on its opening weekend (it is a three digit number without any zeros, in case you are wondering), among the worst performing movies ever.
The star studded film, which had a budget of $15 million, made only $126 on the opening night, and another $492 over the weekend. In comparison, the weekend’s most viewed film, Crazy Rich Asians, collected an astounding $35 million, despite controversies regarding its depiction of Asians.
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Billionaire Boys Club, a biographical heist film set in 1980’s Los Angeles, debuted in only 11 theatres across the United States, selling a total of 60 tickets across all venues. The film’s release was marred by controversy after allegations that Kevin Spacey made sexual advances towards actor Anthony Rapp when the latter was just 14.
Spacey wasn’t the only one to be accused of sexual assault. Several people from almost every industry came out with their own stories of sexual abuse, giving rise to the #MeToo movement. Following the revelations, Spacey faced immense backlash on social media, and was also promptly fired from all his projects, including his immensely popular Netflix series, House of Cards. In fact, Ridley Scott, the director of the 2017 movie All the Money in the World, even decided to shoot Spacey’s scenes in the film again with veteran actor Christopher Plummer as the replacement.
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The historical drama was filmed in 2015, two years before the allegations against Spacey surfaced. It is one of the last movies Spacey filmed before he was ousted from the film industry.
Unfortunately, due to these events, the films marketing and released suffered tremendously. The film’s producers have stated that the film did not deserve to be axed just because of one actor, especially since he did not even have a substantial role in the film. They also said that it is important to recognize and appreciate the hard work and effort put in by the other actors.
Clearly, this didn’t sway the opinion of moviegoers and cinema owners, who completely deserted the film. The film, which has a critics rating of 11% is expected to leave theatres very soon, and will only be available to view on demand.