Elizabeth Banks, the director of 2019’s reboot of the classic action-comedy movie Charlie’s Angels, has taken responsibility for the film’s box office failure. Despite previously suggesting sexism may have contributed to its under-performance, she insists that it is her responsibility as a filmmaker to ensure its success. The movie starred Kristen Stewart, Naomi Scott and Ella Balinska as the new-generation angels alongside Djimon Hounsou and Noah Centineo and had a budget of up to $55 million.
However, it only managed a global total of $73.3 million at the box office – much lower than expected. It’s no secret that this is significantly lower than what the studio was anticipating from their investment in the project; they had clearly set their hopes high in light of Banks’ established track record in Hollywood as an immensely successful producer, director and actress. Banks’ previous projects have all been big successes – particularly her stint directing Pitch Perfect films which grossed an impressive $115 million on a budget of just $17 million for 2012’s Pitch Perfect, then making 2015’s Pitch Perfect 2 become the highest grossing musical comedy film ever made bringing in a global ticket sales total of $287 million followed by 2017’s Pitch Perfect 3 earning $185 million worldwide making it second highest grossing musical comedy film ever released.
It therefore begs questions about why her latest project so drastically failed; was it down to external factors such as sexism or something else? Banks has not shied away from claiming responsibility for its poor performance at the box office and has used this opportunity to encourage young filmmakers to take lessons from her mistakes. Although speculation over why Charlie’s Angels floundered is still rampant amongst industry experts, one thing is certain – that Elizabeth Banks is taking full responsibility for its lacklustre performance. Moving forward she will be dusting herself off and continuing with work on Cocaine Bear; a star-studded cast featuring Keri Russell, O’Shea Jackson Jr., Alden Ehrenreich and Ray Liotta in one of his last theatrical features before his death while filming Dangerous Waters in the Dominican Republic last May.
Despite some setbacks along her journey to Hollywood success, there can be no doubt that Elizabeth Banks is determined to continue learning from her mistakes and pushing forward with her creative ambition – proving time and time again that dedication can pay off!
