Director Ridley Scott has addressed The Last Duel's poor performance at the box office, blaming Millennials and cellphones for the film's failure.
While on the WTF with Marc Maron podcast, Scott addressed The Last Duel bombing at the box office, saying the movie's lack of success was not due to poor promotion. "I think what it boils down to — what we've got today [are] the audiences who were brought up on these fucking cellphones. The millennian [sic] do not ever want to be taught anything unless you’re told it on a cellphone."
"This is a broad stroke, but I think we're dealing with it right now with Facebook," Scott continued. "This is a misdirection that has happened where it's given the wrong kind of confidence to this latest generation, I think." Scott went on to say that he stands behind The Last Duel.
Released in October, The Last Duel is an adaptation of Eric Jager's The Last Duel: A True Story of Trial by Combat in Medieval France. The film, which was written by Nicole Holofcener, Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, takes place in medieval France and explores the last judicial duel in the country. This duel takes place between Jean de Carrouges (Damon) and Jacques Le Gris (Adam Driver). The latter of whom is accused of having raped the former's wife, Marguerite (Jodie Comer). The Last Duel takes place from the perspective of all three characters and has been compared to Akira Kurosawa's Rashomon.
The Last Duel fared well with critics and holds an 85 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. However, the movie did poorly at the box office, earning only $28.1 million against a budget of approximately $100 million. The Last Duel was also released during the COVID-19 pandemic, with many still reticent to attend in-person screenings. The movie also released just a week before Denis Villeneuve's highly-anticipated adaptation of Frank Herbert's Dune, which took in $367.2 million at the worldwide box office.
Scott, who will turn 84 later this month, is an acclaimed director known for his work on such science-fiction films as 1979's Alien, 1982's Blade Runner and 2015's The Martian. The director is also known for historical dramas such as 2000's Gladiator and 2005's Kingdom of Heaven. Several of his movies have been nominated for Academy Awards. His next project to release will be House of Gucci. Starring Adam Driver, Lady Gaga and Jared Leto, that film is set for release on Nov. 24. Early reviews have the project at 66 percent on Rotten Tomatoes.
The Last Duel is in theaters now. The film arrives on digital on Nov. 30, with a physical media release to follow on Dec. 14.
Source: WTF Podcast; Via: The Hollywood Reporter