Month: July 2022

Netflix recently changed its calculations for the (externally communicated) success of a film or series production. Until the very end, what was viewed by as many households as possible was considered successful. The at least two-minute long pure lens was already considered “watched”, which caused a lot of criticism. To meet this Netflix now measures the success of a format by the total number of hours each piece of content was watched.

If you only take a quick look and then turn it off again, you contribute a few minutes to the statistics. If you watch the whole thing, you contribute the full running time and even several times if the film has been watched in full several times.

All internal and externally published rankings, such as the top 10 lists in the streaming app, are based solely on this metric. Of course, this counting method also leads to injustices, because longer films like “The Irishman” and series with a large number of long episodes benefit from it, but at least it seems fairer than the old method.

And according to this new metric The action blockbuster “Red Notice” is now the most-watched Netflix film in history in a very short space of time (and it would probably have been based on the old metric in a timely manner).

On the official Netflix top 10 page “Bird Box” is currently still in first place, but our calculations have shown that “Red Notice” is already in first place.

That’s why “Red Notice” is already up front

It is important to know that the Netflix count only records the first 28 days after the release of a film or series. The list there currently says “Bird Box” with a value of 282 million. That’s how many hours all Netflix customers watched the thriller with Sandra Bullock together. With 277.9 million, “Red Notice” is still just behind – around 4.12 million hours.

However, it is important that the data on the official top 10 page is only available up to and including Sunday 21 November. However, “Red Notice” was watched by more people on Monday, yesterday and Wednesday, as illustrated by the daily top 10 lists on Netflix. Both on Monday and yesterday, “Red Notice” was in first or second place in this top 10 evaluation in 89 (!) Netflix countries.

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In addition, we can see in the Netflix metrics that “Red Notice” was watched a whopping 129.11 million hours in the past week (November 15-21). That’s 15.5 million hours a day on average. And even if we assume that Friday, Saturday and Sunday the numbers are higher than on a Monday or Tuesday and of course the interest wanes a little over time, must have been enough to break the record.

After all, over two days, just 4.12 million more hours must have been spent with Dwayne Johnson, Ryan Reynolds and Gal Gadot. And that’s what happened on Monday, because with fewer hours, “Red Notice” wouldn’t have landed in the top two spots in the top 10 almost everywhere in the world.

So it’s not surprising that Dwayne Johnson is on Instagram already pleased that “Red Notice” continues to shatter Netflix records. An official announcement from Netflix should also be made at the latest with the update of the top 10 list next week.

That’s why the record is so impressive

There is also a reason why Dwayne Johnson uses the word “shattered” (originally: “shatter”): “Red Notice” has only been available on Netflix since November 12th. If we assume that the record was already broken on Monday, So it took just eleven days for “Red Notice” to become the most-watched film on Netflix.

Since the overall top 10 covers the first 28 days, “Red Notice” still has plenty of opportunity to massively expand the record and the lead at the top. So it might be a while before the next film can top that.

“Red Notice” on Netflix: This is the real story behind Cleopatra’s golden eggs

But after all, “Red Notice” is probably the streaming service’s biggest project to date – not only with three superstars in the leading roles, but also with a mega budget, which is still hotly debated in Hollywood. Originally set at 150 to 160 million, according to some scene insiders, it has grown to up to 200 million dollars.

A note at the end of the article. As with all reports on Netflix numbers, the same applies here: The numbers are all provided by Netflix itself and there is no control over whether they are correct. Netflix also wants to respond to this criticism, which is often voiced. From 2022, an external accounting company should have access to the collection of all these figures, monitor them and guarantee the correctness of all communicated figures.

A lot of money does not make good films: The FILMSTARTS review of “Red Notice”

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The insane non-laughing competition on Amazon Prime Video will enter the third round at the beginning of 2022: In season 3 of “LOL: Last One Laughing”, ten more stars who belong to the crème de la crème of comedy, moderation and acting will once again be present , under the supervision of Michael Bully Herbig, an almost impossible challenge: not being allowed to laugh for six hours, although you want to force her to do so at all costs.

Amazon has now revealed the ten participants of season 3. And the names that have been circulating since the end of Season 2 have been confirmed. At that time it was said that Christoph Maria Herbst, Michelle Hunziker and Olaf Schubert (as a replacement for the initially announced Joko Winterscheidt) would appear – and they are actually new. In addition, Carolin Kebekus and Anke Engelke, who were also traded at the time, are returning – Kebekus for the second time, full-blooded comedian and actress Engelke now even for the third time.

Here is the complete list of all ten participants of the third “LOL” season:

Amazon has already published a photo of the new troupe – of course together with Michael Bully Herbig, who will again be watching with eagle eyes for six episodes to see if anyone isn’t twitching the corners of their mouth.

The third season of “LOL: Last One Laughing” will come to Amazon Prime in spring 2022, the exact start date is currently not known. Season 1 was won by Torsten Sträter, Season 2 was won by Max Giermann. The prize money of 50,000 was donated to a good cause – and season 3 will be no different.

›› “LOL: Last One Laughing” on Amazon Prime Video*

And if you can’t get enough of “LOL”: The chances of a fourth season of “LOL” are very good. After all, the format for Amazon Prime Video has turned out to be an absolute hit guarantee. Season 1 secured the title of most-watched format on Prime Video and was then knocked right back from the throne by Season 2, which upped the ante and is now currently the most-watched title of all time on Amazon Prime Video

If you don’t want to miss this and other important restarts, whether cinema, streaming or home cinema, then subscribe to our free newsletter, which is published every Thursday.

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+++ Opinion +++

I still remember exactly how I sat in the cinema in 2010 and was captivated by “Kick-Ass” from the first minute and enthralled me until the last minute. I was already familiar with director Matthew Vaughn’s first two films, but neither the darkly humorous gangster thriller “Layer Cake” nor the fairytale fantasy adventure “The Stardust” could prepare me (or anyone else) for the insane action fireworks that the Brit ignited in his first – and God knows not his last – comic film adaptation.

In the meantime, he has even blossomed into a genre expert, since then he has staged the Marvel blockbuster “X-Men: First Class” or the “Kingsman” series. However, he handed over the direction of “Kick-Ass 2” to Jeff Wadlow in 2013, which made many fans of the first part rather skeptical both before and after the theatrical release. But I am of the opinion: “Kick-Ass 2” dares – and wins!

if “Kick-Ass 2” on November 23rd from 11pm on NITRO is running should therefore not just be fans of exaggerated-bloody comic action or brute vigilante tearers, but also everyone with a weakness for coming-of-age stories with a large portion of heart.

“Kick-Ass 2”: Realignment with old strengths

Warning, there are spoilers for “Kick-Ass” below.

In addition to Dave Lizewski (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) as the eponymous ass kicker, there is also gangster son Chris D’Amico (Christopher Mintz-Plasse), who after a momentous incident with his mother now goes by the name “motherfucker” and an army assembles super villains to exact revenge on self-proclaimed superhero Kick-Ass, who after all is his father’s killer.

Without further ado, he slips into his mother’s paint and leather SM outfit and recruits all sorts of quirky meanies who really seem like comic characters that have come to life (Olga Kurkulina as Mother Russia) and politically incorrect names like Genghis Carnage (Tom Wu) befitting their status. or Black Death (Daniel Kaluuya).

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After Chloë Grace Moretz gave not only me one of the biggest and most fun WTF cinema moments with her first hit girl appearance in “Kick-Ass”, the now not so little heroine gets a lot more to do in part 2 . Consequently, the sequel should actually be called “Mindy”. Because while we see how Dave Lizewski becomes Kick-Ass in the predecessor, now the teenager raised to be a killing machine just wants to lead a normal life as Mindy after the death of her father (Nicolas Cage).

The FILMSTARTS review of “Kick-Ass 2”

She swaps nunchucks for lip gloss, targets slick boy bands instead of ruthless criminals – and no longer wastes her thoughts on her next murder, but on her first kiss. A bold reorientation, which is only too understandable from the point of view of the characters. And the fact that director Wadlow lays it on just as thickly as he does when it comes to action is not only close to comics, but also damn consistent.

And this is exactly where the greatest strength of “Kick-Ass 2” lies, which was also inherent in “Kick-Ass”: The film delivers a completely insane over-the-top spectacle and nonetheless touches you because it puts your heart in the right place Has. For example, if you’re wondering in one scene who the hell comes up with such deviant, crazy ideas, in the next moment you feel completely sympathetic when the protagonists experience deep human suffering – especially with Dave, his relationship with his father as well as his love interest is put to a particularly hard test. With all the motley nonsense going on around it, “Kick-Ass” is so surprisingly close in the quieter moments.

Worth reading: The “Kick-Ass” comics

Incidentally, “Kick-Ass” once inspired me so much that I bought the comic template – and thus my very first comic ever – directly after going to the cinema more than ten years ago. Meanwhile, the “Kick-Ass” volumes even fill a good chunk of my bookshelf.

›› The “Kick-Ass” comics on Amazon*

The series continues to be successful to this day, with a constant focus on new things – from the classic “Kick-Ass” stories about Dave Lizweski and the spin-offs about Hit-Girl to a completely new heroine who appears in Kick-Ass Ass follows in his footsteps. If you can’t see any blood, however, you should avoid the booklet. In the comics, things get a lot tougher than in the more harmless (and still pretty brutal) films.

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In “Outback”, the American couple Wade (Taylor Wiese) and Lisa (Lauren Lofberg) travel to Australia to experience the unique nature of the fascinating interior of the fifth continent. However, the trip begins with tensions on the outbound flight when Lisa unexpectedly turns down Wade’s marriage proposal. Nevertheless, the two want to try to somehow save their relationship. Arriving Down Under, the first thing you do is drive in the direction of Ayers Rock, the legendary sandstone rock.

However, on the way through the deserted desert landscape, the GPS of their camper van stops working. The duo take a wrong turn and end up stranded in the middle of nowhere. Now Wade and Lisa have to pull themselves together despite their uncomfortable personal situation. Because in the scorching heat of an area where not a drop of rain has fallen for years, there are also a lot of deadly animals waiting for easy prey.

German trailer for the tough survival thriller “Hunter’s Creek”

On November 25, 2021, the FSK 16 title “Outback” will be released in Germany on DVD and Blu-ray. Both formats can already be pre-ordered from the usual providers, such as Amazon:

» “Outback” on Blu-ray at Amazon*
» “Outback” on DVD at Amazon*

The maker of “Outback” and his main actors

After various jobs as a director and production assistant on films such as “The Moment of Truth” or “The Murders of Snowtown”, Mike Green decided to start directing his own short films. After he was able to collect several prizes and awards in this way, “Outback” is now his first full-length project. In addition, Green appears here as a co-writer and producer.

The protagonists of “Outback” are played by Lauren Lofberg and Taylor Wiese. Lofberg is known from the horror film Sunkesari and the Australian dramedy TV series Academy. Wiese, on the other hand, played several times from 2017 to 2019 in the daily soap hit “Home And Away”, which has been running for over 20 years, as well as in three episodes of the first season of the series offshoot of “Wolf Creek” of the same name. In the cinema he was seen in “Hochzeit Down Under” and “The Combination Redemption”.

Below is the trailer in the original English version:

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Our YouTube editor Sebastian was actually looking forward to the Netflix series “Cowboy Bebop”. Not because anime adaptations have often been successful in the past. On the contrary: Live-action films like “Death Note”, “Dragonball: Evolution” or “The Legend of Aang” were disappointments across the board. But the special narrative structure of the “Cowboy Bebop” anime gave Sebastian hope that everything could be different this time. Why, he already has in another detailed video spoken.

But as it turns out, those hopes were in vain. FILMSTARTS editor and huge “Bebop” fan Benjamin Hecht has already written in detail about the Netflix series in a separate article and discussed the pros and cons. While Benjamin’s verdict was, “Sci-fi pulp that’s a snap, entertaining but doesn’t live up to the brilliance of the original,” Sebastian was even more disappointed. Netflix’s “Cowboy Bebop” would neither do the fan service well nor convince with new ideas. You can find out what exactly bothered him about the Netflix series and why he even describes it as boring in the video above.

“Cowboy Bebop”: Is the Netflix adaptation of the anime masterpiece worth it?

No matter how you feel about the Netflix adaptation, whether you are disappointed or had fun with it, one thing is certain: the new edition has made numerous changes compared to the anime. There were some drastic adjustments, especially towards the end. In the following article you will find out how the fates of the individual main characters differ from their anime parts and who the character who appears at the very end of season 1 is (of course, fans of the original will already know this):

“Cowboy Bebop”: That’s why the Netflix series could be one of the best live-action anime adaptations of all time

+++ Opinion +++

While Dwayne Johnson, Gal Gadot and Ryan Reynolds are still chasing records with “Red Notice”, series like “Cowboy Bebop” and “Hellbound” followed last week with the next Netflix novelties with hit potential – which also directly established in the top 10 on the platform. On the other hand, a film that has been available since November 11th and is no less than one of the best of the year in my opinion went unnoticed: “Tick, Tick… ​​BOOM!”.

It feels like half the world can hardly wait to finally find out whether the “Amazing Spider-Man” Andrew Garfield is celebrating his Marvel comeback “Spider-Man: No Way Home”. While I don’t really care about the MCU anymore, I’m amazed that I’m still amazed at what a great actor Garfield is. Away from his really big blockbusters, he has consistently proven for years that in him so much more than just the friendly spider next door.

‘Red Notice’ Mega Hit Starring Dwayne Johnson Smashes Sandra Bullock’s ‘Bird Box’ Netflix Record

Whether as a Facebook co-founder in David Fincher’s masterpiece “The Social Network”, as a war hero in Mel Gibson’s “Hacksaw Ridge”, as a preacher in Martin Scorsese’s historical drama “Silence” or as an aimless loser in the wacky neo-noir thriller “Under The Silver Lake” – Garfield is an all-rounder in front of the camera, who now also shows himself from a completely new side in “tick, tick… Boom!”. again.

That’s “tick, tick… boom!”

Based on the semi-autobiographical musical of the same name by Pulitzer and Tony winner Jonathan Larson, tick, tick… Boom! tells the story of young theater composer and pianist Jon (Andrew Garfield), fast approaching 30 when he realizes that time is slipping through his fingers. The time to finally give up the unprofitable job in the diner, the time to arrive where he belongs, the time to finally realize his dream of a great career on stage. The clock ticks and ticks and ticks – and ultimately asks Jon the all-important question that everyone sooner or later asks: What are we supposed to do with the time that has been given to us?

Musical mastermind Lin-Manuel Miranda has pushed deeper and deeper into the cinema in recent years, for example already providing the music for Disney’s “Moiana” and also singing a song or two in “Mary Poppins’ Return”. Ever since “Hamilton” at the latest, practically all doors have been open to the musical genius in Hollywood too. After standing in the second row in the film adaptation of his award-winning New York summer fairy tale “In The Heights”, Miranda now directed “tick, tick… Boom!” for the first time himself – and once again hits the mark .

Lin-Manuel Miranda succeeds in the perfect symbiosis of film and music

“tick, tick… Boom!” is not only a must-see for musical fans, but also for all those who normally don’t get too much out of the most exhilarating of all genres, should take a look – I myself am the best proof of that. Because I couldn’t be less involved with music, I have to listen to something regularly if I can’t name a Beatles or Rolling Stones song off the top of my head. However, Miranda does an extraordinary job of fusing music and film in a way that I couldn’t resist even if I wanted to.

New on Netflix in November: All films & series at a glance

Basically, the film tells a classic meaning-of-life story, of the kind that abounds. In the center: a young person who is willing to do anything to lead a fulfilled life – without even knowing what he is doing really Fulfills. There are two reasons why this not only entertained me from the first to the last minute, but also touched me deeply. The first: “tick, tick… Boom!” not only tells a story accompanied by music, but uses music where the spoken word is not sufficient to make emotions tangible – and uses it as a catalyst for all the highs and lows that go straight to the heart. The second: Andrew Garfield.

Andrew Garfield: Better Than Ever?

Whether he’s raring to go, determined to make his dream come true, or devastated by success that’s hell-bent on happening. Whether he isolates himself from the rest of the world or gives in to love, whether he falls into euphoria after a successful performance or into deep sadness when once again a friend dies far too early – not least Andrew Garfield makes “tick, tick. .. Boom!” with his self-sacrificing performance on a roller coaster ride of emotions, which one feels defenseless as a spectator.

Andrew Garfield plays his heart out and moved me to tears – perhaps also against the background of the true story of Larson. And not because I have so much in common with the eccentric artist plagued by the urge to achieve great things, but also for a much simpler reason: Because “tick, tick… Boom!” is a film about everything that makes us human – each of usabout our words and deeds, our fears and hopes, and about what really matters in life.

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Despite Corona, James Bond has been attracting masses of people to the cinemas for many weeks. Now the current 007 film even broke a record: No other Hollywood film has made as much money at the box office as No Time To Die since the pandemic began. Last weekend, the Bond film passed Fast & Furious 9, which previously held the top position.

Daniel Craig’s 007-era finale has grossed $734 million so far, up $13 million from “Fast 9” ($721 million). All other Hollywood productions, be it the monster blockbuster “Godzilla Vs. Kong” or the Marvel films “Venom 2”, “Shang-Chi” and “Black Widow” are under 500 million and thus far behind Bond and ” Fast & Furious. However, if productions outside the USA are included in the ranking, “No Time to Die” is only number 3 on the worldwide box office charts.

These 2 films are ahead of James Bond

In second place is the Chinese time-travel comedy Hi, Mom, which has grossed $822 million and has so far only been released in China, Hong Kong, Australia and New Zealand.

However, the most successful film of the year so far is “The Battle Of The Lake Changjin”, which is also the most expensive Chinese film of all time and the highest grossing non-English language film. The budget of 200 million dollars compares to official revenues of 889 million dollars. This figure is even more surprising when you consider that The Battle Of The Lake Changjin has only been released theatrically in China and Hong Kong so far.

However, you also have to make a small restriction or a small question mark behind the two top places. Because in the past there were always indications that Chinese box office numbers were sometimes increased with tricks. However, it could not be determined that it also happened in these cases, so the record results are official.

James Bond is number 1 in Germany

In German cinemas, however, “Keine Zeit zu dien” is by far the biggest box office hit since the beginning of the corona pandemic (i.e. since March 11, 2020, when the WHO officially classified the rapid spread of COVID-19 as a pandemic). Around 5.75 million viewers watched the 007 adventure in Germany – and thus almost three times as many as “Fast & Furious 9”, which takes second place with its 1.96 visitors.

“Arcane” hit like a bomb. Not only is the “League Of Legends” series currently in the Netflix top 10 in over 80 countries, it is also extremely well received by critics and fans. A Rotten Tomatoes-Score of 100 percent positive reviews and now number 12 in the IMDB-Ranking of the best series of all time (as of November 23, 11:20 a.m.) speak volumes. But what makes “Arcane” so damn good? Isn’t it just video game adaptations that keep disappointing with the reliability of a Swiss watch? Actually yes, yes Arcane does one thing differently than many other video game adaptations:

It was created by gaming insiders, not mainstream Hollywood forces!

In an interview with the Los Angeles Times Arcane producer and League Of Legends co-creator Marc Merrill spoke about the origins of the series. Originally, they went the conventional route, scouring Hollywood companies and pitching them the idea of ​​a “LoL” series, but over time they realized that none of these companies could ever be as interested in the video game universe as they are Employees of Riot Games itself, i.e. the game company that Marc Merrill founded together with his colleague Brandon Beck to develop “League Of Legends”.

“Do it yourself” instead of Hollywood

“Why explain the games to Hollywood when you can just show Hollywood how to do it?”, this is the question Merrill and Beck asked themselves after several unsuccessful meetings. So they put the production of “Arcane” in the hands of Christian Linke and Alex Yee, two long-time employees of the company who know the “LOL” universe like the back of their hand, but had no previous professional experience in the series area. Linke had composed some music for “League Of Legends” and Alex Yee had come up with the backstories of some of the characters from the game. But both now faced a completely new task. Nonetheless, Merrill and Beck stuck to this personnel decision:

“If you don’t fully appreciate the journey our players have gone through with these characters, you run the risk of it feeling inauthentic in all sorts of subtle ways. […] While we can add the great skills that other creatives have, we can’t sacrifice the love, attention to detail, historical knowledge, and perspective that [die Angestellten von Riot Games] bring along.”

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So instead of continuing to ask foreign studios, Riot Games created the series itself. Although the production also involved people with some TV experience, such as director Arnaud Delord, who directed the Marvel animated series “Rocket & Groot”, the showrunners themselves were newbies.

Also in charge of the animation was Fortiche Productions, a French company that had a history of making music videos and other animated sequences for League Of Legends, but also had little experience directing entire series.

So, the reason Arcane is so good could be that Riot Games made the adaptation themselves, rather than hiring an established Hollywood studio that only saw the video game template as a lucrative brand, but the intriguing fantasy universe behind it would not have understood.

“Arcane” Season 2 and more big “LoL” plans

Thanks to the sensational success of “Arcane”, the announcement of a second season (including a teaser) was not long in coming:

But League Of Legends fans can expect a lot more. Because in an interview with the Los Angeles Times Marc Merrill and his colleague Shauna Spenley also explained that they have big plans for the brand. Marvel has already shown how comics can be transformed into an incredibly successful film and series universe. If Riot Games continues like this, the company could pull off a similar feat – just based on a video game. You can find out more about the future plans of the “Arcane” studio in the following article:

More than just a second season for Netflix mega hit “Arcane”: “League Of Legends” becomes a universe in the footsteps of Marvel

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Steve Carrell, Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone, Julianne Moore, Kevin Bacon, Joey King, Marisa Tomei: the list of stars starring in Crazy Stupid Love just doesn’t end there. But big names alone don’t make a good film, of course, as you could see recently with “Red Notice” on Netflix.

“Crazy Stupid Love”, which is now available as a subscription to Amazon Prime Video, not only has a strong cast, but is also very funny, amazingly touching and comes up with a sensational twist:

» “Crazy Stupid Love” on Amazon Prime Video*

Of course, we won’t reveal exactly what kind of twist that is, we just refer to our FILMSTARTS review, in which “Crazy Stupid Love” received a good 3.5 out of 5 stars. There it says:

“Screenwriter Dan Fogelman [versteht es]again and again unexpectedly changing the tone of voice or the narrative direction – which culminates in a colossal plot twist in a sequence at the end of the second act, which is one of the highlights of the film anyway, because there the collected conflicts of the story are mixed with a hilarious, tragic, but also touching bang effect.”

The FILMSTARTS review of “Crazy Stupid Love”

“Crazy Stupid Love” tells several interwoven stories: The stuffy mid-forties Cal Weavers (Steve Carell) is left by his wife Emily (Julianne Moore), who is having an affair with her colleague (Kevin Bacon). When he’s already threatening to drown in self-pity, he meets the womanizer Jacob (Ryan Gosling) in a bar, who offers him tutoring in matters of masculinity and love life.

Meanwhile, Hannah (Emma Stone) is preparing for a marriage to bore Richard (Josh Groban) after becoming the first woman to ever turn Jacob down. But the last word has not yet been spoken on this matter – and many others…

Also new to Amazon Prime Video: “Mortedecai” & “Captain Fantastic”

If you already know Crazy Stupid Love, we also have two other movie recommendations for you: the crime slapstick comedy Mortdecai starring Johnny Depp and the dropout tragic comedy Captain Fantastic.

» “Mortdecai” on Amazon Prime Video*
» “Captain Fantastic” on Amazon Prime Video*

In Mortdecai, the title character, played by Johnny Depp, a rake, art dealer and part-time crook, becomes involved in a search for a stolen painting involving Russian gangsters and MI5.

“Captain Fantastic” is about a road trip that committed dropout and family man Ben (Viggo Mortensen) undertakes with his physically, mentally and philosophically fit children to honor his dead wife’s last wish…

Ridley Scott’s historical drama “The Last Duel” has been in cinemas since October 14, 2021 – largely under the radar, and not just here in Germany, but internationally. The latest film from the Alien and Blade Runner director has grossed just under $27.5 million worldwide. He is said to have cost 100 million – a huge flop.

“The Last Duel” does quite well with the trade press. We at FILMSTARTS have three out of five stars awarded, at the reviews collection site Metacritic there’s an average of 67/100 points with 50 reviews taken into account. So what went wrong? Director Ridley Scott thinks he has the answer: Millennials with their smartphones are to blame.

“These Fucking Cell Phones”

Speaking on Marc Maron’s WTF podcast about the flop of The Last Duel, the filmmaker quickly found a scapegoat: “I think what it boils down to is – today we have an audience that grew up with these fucking cell phones. Millennials don’t want to be taught anything unless they hear it on their phone.”

Scott doesn’t elaborate on the fact that it’s not just “the millennial” who could have gone to the cinema, but then he also taunts about Facebook, because it “created a misdirection that gives this youngest generation a wrong kind of self-confidence. “

Exactly how does that relate to not enough people seeing The Last Duel? Ridley Scott doesn’t explain that, but it could be interpreted like this: The media and the new technology are simply to blame that nobody goes to the cinema anymore.

The habit of constantly getting information on your cell phone and using social media (Scott seems to only know Facebook – meanwhile actually already a medium for older people) is so present among those who grew up with the new technologies that they simply no longer interested in other media and stories.

Maybe the marketing wasn’t good enough?

But that maybe something else could be to blame than mobile phones and social media, podcast host Marc Maron suggested and hinted that Disney might not have marketed the film well. However, Ridley Scott clearly denied this: “No. Disney did a fantastic promotional job. The bosses loved the film – I was concerned at first it might not be for them – but they really liked the film so their promotion, marketing etc. was excellent.”

However, Marc Maron pressed on, bringing up the fact that historical action in particular must have been attractive to a younger audience. That’s how Ridley Scott sees it too – especially with stars like Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Adam Driver and newcomer Jodie Comer, he promised himself more traffic. They also believed in their “fantastic screenplay” and therefore made the film.

“The Last Duel”: Not a classic action game

However, we think that Scott’s belief that his material would resonate with younger audiences is perhaps overly optimistic. After all, “The Last Duel” isn’t just an action spectacle with knights beating their heads, but also a drama about a rape that unrolls its story in “Rashomon” style from different perspectives and at the same time “so is very concerned with its political correctness that it comes across as overly academic as a feminist statement,” as our review puts it.

However, Ridley Scott is generally known for his fairly healthy self-esteem and for blaming others for his failures – both also sound in a story about “Blade Runner”, which flopped at the box office at the time, which he repeated in the podcast:

“[1982] I did a movie called ‘Blade Runner’. It was my third film. Really damn good. And I got screwed. I was crushed by [der Filmkritikerin] Pauline Kael, who didn’t even meet me. She didn’t know me and suddenly I read this article in the New Yorker, a magazine that has class. I read it and there were these four pages of insults. I had it framed. It now hangs in my office.”

Not even 2 months after the theatrical release: Soon you can stream the new cinema epic of the “Gladiator” director!