Johnny Depp’s blockbuster hit has joined his rave reviews: in the gutter.
The once-revered actor’s new film, ‘Minamata’, had a bleak opening weekend after it hit US theaters on Friday, February 5. While the 57-year-old was previously able to bring in more than $ 10 million for a single scene, his name no longer seems like a reliable promise of profitability as the new movie has fetched less than $ 15,000 so far, according to IMDB Pro’s Box Office Mojo.
While the ongoing coronavirus pandemic has negatively impacted industry-wide movie revenues, ‘Minamata’ failed to make even the top 18 domestic gross films over the three-day period, losing to Serbian historical drama ‘Dara from Jasenovac ‘, which reportedly raked in just $ 15,011, as well as the slasher comedy “Freaky,” which hit theaters 13 weeks ago and made $ 25,000 on weekends.
“Minamata” is based on the eponymous book about war photographer W. Eugene Smith from Life magazine, whose travels in Japan documented the effects of mercury poisoning in a small town. When playing Smith, Depp looks nothing like himself and is “anything but unrecognizable behind sun damage, liver spots and a thin, speckled beard – in what feels like an extension of the gonzo Hunter S. Thompson rendition he delivered in ‘Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, ”said Variety’s review of the film.
The film premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival in February 2020 and was a major Depp creation, the director told Deadline last year. “This is Johnny’s concept, Johnny’s idea, something that he was pretty passionate about,” said Andrew Levitas.
While COVID-19 undeniably continues to be a huge financial blow to new releases, so is Depp’s recent legal fallout after losing a libel case with a UK newspaper over allegations of repeatedly beating his ex-wife, Amber Heard. “You just can’t work with him right now,” a studio head said of Depp after the court decision. “He’s radioactive.”