According to The Hollywood Reporter, Ridley Scott’s The Last Duel starring Matt Damon, Adam Driver, Jodie Comer, and Ben Affleck tanked when it was released exclusively in theaters in late October. It only made $27 million worldwide off a $100 million budget.
Scott knows exactly who to blame for his epic bombing, and it’s not Disney, who he vouches for doing a fantastic job promoting the historical drama. The Oscar-nominated director was featured in Marc Maron’s WTF podcast for an episode published on Monday where he discussed his iconic career.
Scott told Maron that he was somewhat concerned the Disney-acquired Fox studio would undersell his film, but that wasn’t the case. “Disney did a fantastic promotion job,” Scott said on the podcast. “The bosses loved the movie. … I was concerned it was not for them.”
The director’s explanation for the horrible box office performance points to apathetic millennials: “I think what it boils down to — what we’ve got today [are] the audiences who were brought up on these cellphones. The millennian do not ever want to be taught anything unless you’re told it on a cellphone.”
He adds, “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.”
Despite the performance, Scott said that he stood firmly by The Last Duel and the decision-making process at the studio was steady throughout:
“That’s the call you make. That’s the call Fox made. We all thought it was a terrific script. And we made it. You can’t win all the time. I’ve never had one regret on any movie I’ve ever made. Nothing. I learned very early on to be your own critic. The only thing you should really have an opinion on is what you just did. Walk away. Make sure you’re happy. And don’t look back. That’s me.”
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