When it comes to range in Hollywood, look no further than Steve Carell. The actor broke away from being typecast as the goofy Michael Scott on The Office and has taken on some of the most complex movie roles out there. 2018 saw three films for the actor, including the Dick Cheney biopic Vice, Beautiful Boy, and Welcome to Marwen. The first two have seven Golden Globe nominations between them, but the same can’t be said for the third.
While it might be visually stunning, Welcome to Marwen has not captivated audiences. In fact, it’s having trouble drawing in an audience to begin with. The movie has become one of the biggest flops of the year, with a measly $2.3 million opening. Just over a week later after its release, and the film has only brought in $6.3 million according to Box Office Mojo. Welcome to Marwen has flopped so bad, its projected to lose over $50 million, as reported by Variety.
With a production budget of $39 million, plus the cost of marketing and distribution, Welcome to Marwen is one of the year’s biggest box office disappointments. The movie has tanked so bad, that it’s currently one of Carell’s biggest misses of all time. In fact, out of Carell’s 32 films, it currently stands at number 30 in the box office, just ahead of Last Flag Flying (2017) and Freeheld (2015).
#WelcometoMarwen has joined #MortalEngines as one of the biggest bombs of the year with just $2.3 million https://t.co/xdOGaaP8Z9 pic.twitter.com/PNdQA1ylhU
— Variety (@Variety) December 23, 2018
Welcome to Marwen didn’t sit well with the critics either. At the time of writing, the film has a rating of 27 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. Director Robert Zemeckis — of Forrest Gump fame — couldn’t save this redemption flick from flopping. It’s unfortunately become a pattern for the award-winning director, who hasn’t had much success with critics since 2012’s Flight. It’s the worst opening for Carell as far as major studio releases go.
Welcome to Marwen is currently ranks at number 142 for box office totals this year, ahead of mostly unknown independent and foreign films. The film went up against juggernaut Aquaman in its opening weekend, as well as Bumblebee and Mary Poppins Returns, which are both performing well in their second weeks.
#WelcomeToMarwen is currently #Rotten at 24% on the #Tomatometer, with 49 reviews https://t.co/IlQnVrm9SF pic.twitter.com/jt5Kot1kxd
— Rotten Tomatoes (@RottenTomatoes) December 20, 2018
Variety is also reporting that the film is the worst wide-release major studio debut of 2018, tied with Johnny Knoxville’s Action Point. The Jackass star’s film brought in just over $5 million after its premiere on June 1. Welcome to Marwen is the second biggest flop for Universal Pictures this year, behind Peter Jackson’s Mortal Engines. The famed Lord of the Rings director couldn’t save the apocalyptic film, which is projected to lose over $125 million when all is said and done. Mortal Engines currently sits at $56 million in the worldwide box office, with an embarrassing $13.9 million from the United States.