Bizarre Biography is the first big box office bomb of 2025

2025 is already off to a better start at the box office than it was at this point in 2024. At the end of the year, such entries as “Mufasa: The Lion King”, “Sonic the Hedgehog 3” and Robert Eggers' Nosferatu has done big business at the box office. We also just had our first new hit of the year in the form “Den of Thieves 2: Panther” (see our interview with the writer/director of this film here). Unfortunately, it hasn't been a party for everyone. That said, anyone who invested even a dime in the Robbie Williams biopic A Better Man could probably use a drink, because the movie is now a certifiable, massive flop.

For those who may not know about the film, it is a musical biography that documents the story of pop star Robbie Williams. Catch? Williams is portrayed by a CGI monkey. Despite the wild hook, the audience didn't seem to care much. Last weekend, “Better Man” opened on nearly 1,300 screens and earned just over $1 million. It's a disaster for Paramount Pictures, which acquired domestic rights in North America, France and Japan for $25 million. Although technically a 2024 release, the film's fate was sealed after its domestic expansion earlier this year.

However, this is only the tip of the iceberg. The biopic, directed by Michael Gracie (“The Greatest Showman”), has a budget of $110 million. To make matters much, much worse, it was already disappointing in the UK, where Williams is a much bigger star. How bad is it? With just $8.8 million overseas, the film has earned a total of $10 million worldwide. At this point, there is virtually no chance of a turnaround, and the various investors will be left holding hands — and a big bag at that.

For what it's worth, the critics side with the film. It currently owns 88%. Rotten tomatoes after the festival took place last year. /Films Jacob Hall's film was seen at Fantastic Fest and called “A Better Man” in his review “an unclassifiable swing and one I can't help but admire.”.

The film is based on the true story of the rise, fall and rebirth of British pop star Robbie Williams. It is told from Williams' perspective, tracing his journey from childhood to the youngest member of chart-topping band Take That, to his return as a solo artist, while showing the challenges of fame. And yes, he is depicted as a CGI monkey.

It's hard to say who will be hurt the most here. Sina Studios, Facing East Entertainment, Rocket Science, Lost Bandits, and Footloose Productions were all involved, with various distributors acquiring worldwide rights. What is certain is that “Better Man” will recoup only a fraction of its huge budget. It is now in serious danger of becoming one of the biggest balls of all time without hyperbole. That doesn't mean the movie is bad. because many box office bombs are great movies that are worth watching. However, this means losing a lot of money in the short term.

The film is in bad company by comparison. Eddie Murphy “The Adventures of Pluto Nash” is arguably the biggest box office bomb in historytaking in a tragic $7 million against a whopping $100 million budget. As it stands, “Better Man” is in similar budget/box office territory. The biopic is pretty much homegrown. Barring a significant turnaround abroad, the outlook will not improve.

So what went wrong here? First, many Americans have never even heard of Robbie Williams, so it's a tough sell. Musicals, with the exception of animated musicals, are difficult to convert into hits anyway, even under the best of circumstances. “Wicked” and “Wonka” are more exceptions than the rule. After all, it was an absolutely baffling way to spend $110 million. I talk a little bit about this in today's podcast/Film Daily episode, which you can listen to below:

“A Better Man” is in theaters now.