After going four years without making a movie (I’d need a break after working with Kevin Spacey, too), director Ridley Scott returned in a big way in 2021. House of Gucci is one of the most anticipated dramas of the fall with a fantastic cast led by Lady Gaga, Adam Driver, and Jared Leto in clown makeup for the second time, while The Last Duel had all the makings of a Gladiator-sized hit. Unfortunately for Scott — and fans of R-rated dramas — the film bombed at the box office, earning a meager $27.5 million on a $100 million budget. What the heck happened? Was it because of Ben Affleck’s hair? Not exactly.
“I think what it boils down to — what we’ve got today [are] the audiences who were brought up on these f-cking cell phones. The millennian, [who] do not ever want to be taught anything unless you told it on the cell phone,” Scott said on the latest episode of Marc Maron’s podcast, WTF with Marc Maron. He added, “This is a broad stroke, but I think we’re dealing with it right now with Facebook. This is a misdirection that has happened where it’s given the wrong kind of confidence to this latest generation, I think.”
Normally I would roll my eyes at an 83-year-old guy going off about Facebook and “the millennian” (I assume he means “millennial”?) and not attributing the low box office to the film’s older demographic maybe not wanting to go to the theater during a pandemic. But Scott made Alien AND Blade Runner AND Thelma & Louise, so you won’t hear a peep from me. Also, The Last Duel is a good movie; it’ll find its audience on streaming.
As for Gucci, it’s expected to open around $17 million, which is more than The Last Duel made during its entire run in the United States. The power of Gaga.
Today is Ridley Scott day on @WTFpod! Blade Runner, historical epics, his secret weapon in filmmaking, House of Gucci! Great talk! Do it up! https://t.co/TRZkCfIIIs
— marc maron (@marcmaron) November 22, 2021
(Via the Hollywood Reporter)