Ridley Scott's latest blockbuster, The Last Duel, was released this year to very little noise. In fact, it's officially a box office bomb. Scott had his own theory about why it did so poorly, ranting about Millennials and "these fucking cell phones," in typically cantankerous fashion. But one of the movie's stars, Ben Affleck, has a slightly more measured view of the reasons behind The Last Duel's failings.
20th Century Studio's The Last Duel is a heavy historical drama about a knight who challenges a squire, also his friend, to a trial by combat after his wife accuses the squire of raping her. It hit theaters in October, only mananaging to amass about $30 million at the box office, losing a staggering $100 million and taking its place as one of the year’s biggest bombs. The A-list cast of Affleck, Matt Damon, Adam Driver, and Jodie Comer couldn’t even save it, despite positive reviews for their performances. The Last Duel and its script as a whole was actually highly praised by critics and is currently holding an 86% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, so it’s been subject of much discussion as to why it failed.
During the premiere of his new movie, The Tender Bar, Affleck was asked what his take was on the underperforming of The Last Duel and gave a very detailed response. Rather than citing particular points about the film itself and its content, Affleck pointed to the “seismic shift” in the movie business as a whole that he and many others have been noticing. Namely, the move towards the preference of streaming over movie theaters and even how higher quality home systems are more widely available, thus creating the cinematic experience in the comfort of the movie-watcher's home. While many point towards the COVID-19 pandemic and its resultant prolonged closures of theaters in 2020 as the main cause of this, Affleck states he noticed the shift before the pandemic.
It’s true that it's been an extremely tough time for the movie business, with closures severely affecting theaters and the health of the industry. Even now, with theater doors mostly open again, there hasn’t been a tidal wave of movement back to the big screen as fears of COVID are staying strong in movie-goers minds, especially with the new Omicron variant tearing through the world. But there is a light at the end of the tunnel, for example the long-awaited release of Spider-Man: No Way Home drew huge crowds. Of course, Scott has been in the news in the past for his condemnation of superhero movies, but their huge box office draw will be a lifeline for theaters that have suffered from the closures.
Still, The Last Duel seems to be faring better on Disney Plus and Affleck is refreshingly positive about the shift towards streaming as a whole, citing the current golden age of television and the quality content being pumped out by streamers. Disney itself is planning on huge budgets for streaming content next year. Either way, audiences can now make their minds up about the quality of The Last Duel themselves from the comfort of their homes.
The Last Duel is currently available for streaming on Disney Plus.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter