‘Charlie’s Angels’ Reboot Flops at the Box Office

Charlie’s Angels is not flying high after its first weekend at the box office. The film, a sequel of sorts to the original TV series and the early 2000s movie adaptations, grossed an estimated $8.6 million in the U.S. against a reported budget of $48 million, according to The Numbers. Things weren’t much better internationally, as it grossed $19.3 million elsewhere.

This brings its total thus far to $27.9 million worldwide. While the movie will have the Thanksgiving holiday weekend coming up, it will still not be enough for the the movie to make up the ground it needs. Especially since the $48 million budget does not include marketing costs for the project. Marketing costs for a big studio film such as Charlie’s Angels, produced by Sony’s Columbia Pictures, can often equate to the film’s budget meaning the movie would need to gross at least twice its production budget to break even.

For context, the 2000’s Charlie’s Angels made $264 million against a $93 million, according to Box Office Mojo. Its direct sequel, 2003’s Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle, made $259 against a $120 million budget. While the new movie was produced for much less, it will still need a miraculous turnaround at the box office to be equally as successful as the previous outings.

As for why the movie, which continues the Angels’ mythology with a new cast, is flopping, director and star Elizabeth Banks, who plays Bosley in the movie, is pushing back against the argument that it falls in line with other unnecessary reboots.

“You’ve had 37 Spider-Man movies and you’re not complaining!” Banks recently told WSJ Magazine. “I think women are allowed to have one or two action franchises every 17 years — I feel totally fine with that.”

She added, “Being in a big franchise allows you to have it all. I recognize the same thing, it’s almost unfair for women. The best roles are usually in small movies, but then you don’t make any money. It’s OK to want to make money.”

Aside from Banks, Charlie’s Angels stars Kristen Stewart, Naomi Scott, Ella Balinska, Elizabeth Banks, Djimon Hounsou, Sam Claflin, Noah Centineo and Patrick Stewart. It is currently playing in theaters nationwide.

Photo Credit: Albert L. Ortega/Getty Images