David Lowery's medieval fantasy The Green Knight has finally arrived in theaters, opening at no. 2 in the box office standings for the weekend right behind Disney's Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt-led blockbuster, Jungle Cruise. A24's The Green Knight is a film with a very niche audience, and it opened in about half the theaters that Jungle Cruise did, but it wildly outperformed expectations, earning almost 7$ million over the weekend, which is ahead of previous A24 releases like Midsommar. The Green Knight accomplished such an incredible box office feat in a climate where fewer people are going to theaters than ever due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
The Green Knight follows Gawain, played by Dev Patel, a young nobleman who sets out on a journey of self-discovery and courage as he goes to face the Green Knight. David Lowery's film is a unique take on medieval fantasy and Arthurian legend, showcasing beautiful and dark cinematography throughout Gawain's surreal adventure. It's a medieval fantasy film one might expect from a distributor like A24, which has delivered films like Hereditary and Midsommar. Here's how such a "small movie," relative to its competition, pulled off such a successful opening weekend.
The social media buzz surrounding the arthouse fantasy epic contributed to The Green Knight getting a ton of exposure. With its dark tone, eye-popping visuals and star, Dev Patel, the trailer for the film garnered nearly 15 million views on YouTube alone. The chatter on social media from A24 fans made The Green Knight seem like one of the must-see releases of the summer for those engaged enough to be in the know. The film simultaneously got through to people who just saw what they thought was going to be a cool medieval fantasy film and wanted to check it out, getting them to hop on the bandwagon as well. Additionally, Patel was a huge draw as a leading man. From the social media craze about him and various stories and profiles about the actor published in the week leading up to The Green Knight, Patel has become the object of the internet's obsession.
The Green Knight's box office success has also benefited from A24 not putting it on PVOD immediately, opting to wait during the pandemic for the perfect time to release the film in theaters. The gambit paid off, and the film may be set up to do well throughout its 20-day theatrical run. According to Deadline, the film did well in big cities like Los Angeles and New York and was the main draw for more hip theater chains like the Alamo Drafthouses of the world. The film has a very high critics score on Rotten Tomatoes, which can contribute to people's interest in checking it out, but the audience score tells a different story.
The Green Knight's audience score currently sits at about 52% compared to its critics score of 90%, and according to Box Office Pro, this might not bode well for success in subsequent weekends. The audience score is likely low because of expectations of what The Green Knight was versus what it actually is. Many moviegoers went in probably expecting an action-packed hack and slash medieval action film, but instead saw an adaption of a 14th-century poem that is, in essence, a morality tale and a coming of age story. It's an arthouse film at its core, with its visuals and the way it tells its story that plays with ideas about duty, masculinity and mortality. The Green Knight wasn't necessarily intended to be an action epic, but the confusion seems to have led to mixed audience reception.
The Green Knight surpassed its box office expectations in epic fashion. The Dev Patel showcase is a hauntingly beautiful film that has taken many people by surprise and taken on a life of its own on social media. It may not be the medieval action epic that the trailer and promotional imagery might suggest it is, but it's still worth seeing for fans of fantasy, Arthurian myths and everything surrounding them.
Fantasy fans can catch The Green Knight in theaters now.