Not even one of the most star-studded casts of the year guarantees a box office hit.
Director David O. Russell learned that the hard way this weekend with his new film Amsterdam, which bombed at the domestic box office with a debut of just $6.5 million. It was a poor result for the film, especially given its production budget was reportedly $80 million.
Amsterdam came from the director of Oscar-nominated movies like Silver Linings Playbook and American Hustle, and it boasted an impressive cast of major stars, including Christian Bale, Margot Robbie, John David Washington, Anya Taylor-Joy, Chris Rock, Zoe Saldaña, Michael Shannon, Mike Myers, Robert De Niro, Rami Malek, and Timothy Olyphant. Taylor Swift even had a small role, making this her first film since another box office flop, 2019's Cats.
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But Amsterdam faced largely negative reviews from critics, so it's unlikely to be a player in the Oscar race like some of Russell's previous films. The director continues to attract criticism due to allegations that he has been verbally abusive toward his actors on set and that he groped his niece.
The family film Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile came in second place at the weekend box office ahead of Amsterdam, grossing $11.5 million. But in a surprise, the well-reviewed horror film Smile remained at number one for the second consecutive week with $17.6 million, not too far below the $22 million it earned in its opening weekend — so at least one studio is grinning from ear to ear.
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