Babylon is regarded as the second directorial feature of Damien Chazelle with Hollywood, following La La Land. The film features a star-studded cast, including Brad Pitt and Margot Robbie.
Babylon explores the transition from the silent film era to the talkies, referencing the shift from theatrical releases to streaming films today. It serves as Damien Chazelle’s second feature film about Hollywood, after La La Land.
Babylon is set against the backdrop of Los Angeles in the 1920s, depicting the golden age and downfall of silent films, alongside the excesses and challenges that Hollywood faced during its decline.
The film is rated R and contains scenes of debauchery, bodily harm, sexual content, BDSM, drug use, and more.
Deadline noted that with its content and nature, the film is likely to appeal to critics and award voters more than general audiences. However, critics have not rated the film highly, giving it a mere 55% score on Rotten Tomatoes.
Despite having several strengths and ambitious themes, Babylon was criticized for being “a muddled mess that lacks the heart or soul of the stunning visuals and bizarre story crafted by director Damien Chazelle, who created beautiful images and a compelling narrative without a beating heart or soul.”
Babylon had a production budget of $80 million, but after one week in theaters (starting December 23), it only grossed $5.8 million. The film is expected to struggle, as it needs to make $250 million to break even, a figure that seems unlikely.
There are several reasons for this failure. First, at the box office, the film faced direct competition from the blockbuster Avatar: The Way of Water. The holiday season also saw a significant drop in audience attendance at theaters.
Babylon has a runtime of 3 hours and 8 minutes – nearly as long as Avatar 2 – but lacks the spectacular visual effects to entice audiences.
Babylon is Margot Robbie’s lowest-grossing release, even less than Amsterdam, her box office flop from 2022.
During the Christmas and New Year period in the U.S., almost no one chose to watch Babylon. The weak debut in the U.S. will impact the film’s prospects when it releases in international markets soon. Paramount has had to cut its marketing costs. In Vietnam, the film only premiered in February 2023.
Currently, Paramount is pinning its hopes on the UK and France markets, which usually support Chazelle’s films. Japan, South Korea, the UK, and France are among the markets that previously embraced First Man and La La Land from Damien Chazelle.
Recently, Hollywood films have also struggled to attract audiences, despite being recognized with numerous awards nominations, such as Chaplin – a film starring Robert Downey Jr. in 1992, and The Player – a film about a Hollywood producer who gets murdered.
