From the outset Cats looked like it could become a fascinating box-office story: the trailers hinted at something so-bad-its-good, with the potential for feline festive fun to be had at group outings to the cinema. Heck, the West End show didn’t run for decades for nothing. And then the reviews hit (you can read our ★★ review here), and it finally dawned on audiences that this might not be a cult-classic in the making, but a tedious affair in which it felt like you were sitting through your own nine-lives.
Now that statisticians have begun sifting through the box-office litter tray, Variety is reporting that Tom Hooper’s film could be headed for a loss in the region of $100 million.
The shock on Cat Taylor Swift’s face in the above photo can be put down to the fact that thus far the film has grossed only $36 million worldwide. This is on a reported budget of $95 million, as well as almost that same amount on marketing and promotion. Any hopes of a performance akin to that of the slow-starting The Greatest Showman, which opened with just over $8 million in 2017, but went on to post $174 million at the domestic box-office, have been put outside for winter.
Directed by Tom Hooper (Les Miserables, His Dark Materials), the film features a star-studded cast which includes James Corden, Judi Dench, Jason Derulo, Idris Elba, Jennifer Hudson, Ian McKellen, Taylor Swift, Rebel Wilson and ballet dancer Francesca Hayward in her feature debut. If you’re still intending to watch it, Cats is currently in cinemas, although based on this, not for much longer.