UniversalDespite its star-studded cast and huge production, Cats could be set to make a huge box office loss, according to reports.
After two weeks on a big screen and an abysmal response from critics, Tom Hooper’s adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Cats has clawed just $38 million globally, which could result in a $100 million theatrical loss, rival studio executives claim.
The Universal movie received a disappointing $6.5 million domestic debut just before Christmas, and unfortunately for those involved, it failed to pick up during the busiest time of the year for going to the cinema.
Universal PicturesCats cost $100 million to produce, and according to Variety, it set Universal back an additional $95 million for global marketing and distribution fees. In addition, the filmmakers also released new prints of the movie and improved visuals during the opening weekend following a huge rush to complete the film in time for its December 20 release, resulting in blunders like a human hand with a wedding ring on Judy Dench’s Old Deuteronomy.
It was widely hoped Cats would follow in the musical success of films such as La La Land and The Greatest Showman, however there’s little optimism for achieving this now as potential viewers make their way back to school and work after a stint off over the festive period.
The demise of the huge production could probably have been predicted given the response from the very first trailer in July, in which people claimed it would be the ‘scariest movie of the year’.
This was largely down to the fact that instead of wearing costumes, the star-studded cast are in fact cat-human hybrids, thanks to some seriously creepy CGI effects.
The film’s first screening came just a matter of days before it was released nationwide, partially because it wasn’t finished yet, but also in an attempt to prevent it from being slated online before people had been given the chance to view it for themselves.
Unfortunately for Universal, many negative reviews flooded the internet, not only from critics, but from viewers far and wide who couldn’t quite get to grips with the celebrity feline spectacle.
If you fancy making your own mind up, you can catch Cats in UK cinemas now.
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Emma Rosemurgey is an NCTJ trained Journalist who started her career by producing The Royal Rosemurgey newspaper in 2004, which kept her family up to date with the goings on of her sleepy north east village. She graduated from the University of Central Lancashire in Preston and started her career in regional newspapers before joining Tyla (formerly Pretty 52) in 2017, and progressing onto UNILAD in 2019.