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In the history of cinema, a few films have been so deeply unpopular that their negative influence changes the entire cinematic landscape. A massive success leads Hollywood to follow the leader, a massive failure causes them to avoid it like the plague. A film like 47 Ronin stands as a tremendous monument to misplaced ambition and a fascinating moment in the career of its star.
Keanu Reeves is a movie star who has gone through phases. Back in the 90s, he was the face of cyberpunk action after his star turn in The Matrix. He went on to other interesting leading man positions in Point Break and Dracula. Despite his ubiquitous box office presence, many began to see him as a net loss to every film that hired him. The turning point was John Wick, but he had a lot of strange adventures before he put on the suit.
47 Ronin is a loose adaptation of the story of 47 masterless samurai who sought out revenge for their murdered master. The film adds fantastical elements like witches and giants to the story, creating something closer to a King Arthur movie than a historical epic. Reeves stars as Kai, a fictional character added to accommodate a (mostly) white character's presence in a movie about samurai. The real hero of the historical story is Yoshio Oishi, portrayed in this film by the great Hiroyuki Sanada. The film is the debut feature of director Carl Rinsch. It's also his only feature to date. It was sold with comparisons to The Lord of the Rings and Gladiator. Unfortunately, no one wanted to buy what they were selling.
47 Ronin premiered in Japan in December 2013. It was originally intended to drop 13 months earlier, but the studio held it back to finish the 3D effects. Then it was going to drop in February, but they still felt that re-shoots were in order. Universal Studios were convinced that Japan would be essential to the film's box office take, but they were proven wrong in a hurry. 47 Ronin opened third, after Lupin the 3rd vs. Detective Conan: The Movieand Studio Ghibli'sThe Tale of Princess Kaguya. By most accounts, Japanese audiences hated the American take on a seminal Japanese story. America wasn't much kinder to it.
47 Ronin pulled in an unimpressive 9th place at the box office in its opening weekend. It was primarily obliterated by Peter Jackson's The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, but smaller films like Anchorman 2 and The Secret Life of Walter Mitty also comfortably outearned it. Over the years, people have come up with three primary reasons the film fell short. First and foremost, it dropped during a terribly overstuffed period. Tons of other films premiered shortly before 47 Ronin, viciously cutting into its potential audience. Secondarily, the fact that the film was pushed back multiple times killed any enthusiasm that had built up around the concept. People see re-shoots and delays as a bad sign, and anything without a marketable name in the title might not survive a pushback. Finally, fatally, the film came out in 2013 and starred Keanu Reeves.
The world is still celebrating the fated "Keanussaince". The star that made a name for himself in beloved 90s classics like Bill & Ted and The Matrix had a very difficult decade immediately thereafter. People liked him as Ted Logan and Neo but disliked him as almost anyone else. His acting style, his strange accents, and his dim expressions were objects of mockery for a long time. The role that changed everything is and will always be John Wick. When Reeves found Wick, the world completely turned around on everything he'd done before. He embodies that character so effortlessly and so perfectly that all of his past trespasses are forgiven. He found the role he was born to play, and the world was happy to finally love him again. Yet, just one year earlier, in another role he wasn't born to play, he was an anchor around 47 Ronin's neck.
We all know where Keanu Reeves is now. He'll even be reconnecting with his 47 Ronin co-star Hiroyuki Sanada in the upcoming John Wick: Chapter 4. Director Carl Rinsch is set to direct a percentage of an upcoming TV series called Conquest. Perhaps the least believable aspect of the film's legacy, it got a sequel. Blade of the 47 Ronin is available to watch now on Netflix. A third film is in development. Though the original film was one of the most notorious bombs of all time, the sequel was fairly popular as a streaming offering. Sometimes, all a bad film needs to succeed is a new star, premise, director, and distribution method. 47 Ronin may have been the darkest moment of Keanu Reeves' career, but it only served to make the Keanussaince that much more powerful.