After losing a significant number of theaters to make room for a slew of new releases, directorMartin Scorsese’s epic “anti-true crime” filmKillers of the Flower Moongrossed over $5 million globally this weekend — its fifth — as it nears the end of its theatrical run. Based onDavid Grann’s non-fiction book, the film has grossed $63 million domestically so far, and another $82 million from overseas markets, for a cumulative global haul of $145 million.
While this is nowhere nearthe $200 million-plus that the movie is said to have cost,Killers of the Flower Mooncan’t be graded by the same yardstick as most other films. For one, it’s essentially a streaming movie that received the widest-ever theatrical release, playing at its peak inover 3,500 domestic theaters. Apple is effectively using this theatrical run as advertising for the film’seventual debut on its Apple TV+ platform. Second, the film clocks in at over three and a half hours, which significantly reduces the number of shows that can be squeezed into a day. Thirdly,Killers of the Flower Moonis probably the most grim mainstream movie of the year,focusing on a dark chapter in American history, and spotlighting a forgotten story about the systemic mass murder of Osage people in the early 1920s.
Scorsese’s Last Three Theatrical Films
Global Box Office
Killers of the Flower Moon
$145 million
$23 million
The Wolf of Wall Street
$406 million
‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ Is A Major Awards Season Contender
Uniting Scorsese’s long-time collaboratorsLeonardo DiCaprioandRobert De Niro, who star alongsideLily Gladstone, the film received stellar reviews from critics — it sits at a “fresh” 93% approval rating onRotten Tomatoes— but also generated some amount of controversy about Scorsese’s decision topresent it from the point-of-view of the villains. Both Gladstone and Scorsese have addressed these complaints with complex answers, but it would be a stretch to assume that this in any way affected the film’s commercial performance.
Scorsese’s last film, the gangster epicThe Irishman, also cost over $200 million and was released on Netflix in 2019. It earned 10 nominations at the Academy Awards but didn’t win in a single category. This time, all the promotional burden fell on the legendary filmmaker’s shoulders, because the cast was unable to participate in publicity during theSAG-AFTRA strike. They have, however, since appeared at Academy screenings and given interviews in the lead-up to the awards race, whereKillers of the Flower Moonis expected to be a major contender. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates.
When oil is discovered in 1920s Oklahoma under Osage Nation land, the Osage people are murdered one by one - until the FBI steps in to unravel the mystery.
