Angel Studios’ ‘Animal Farm’ Gamble Is a Massive Bust
Angel Studios bought the “Farm” on this one. They bet on Andy Serkis’s free and loose adaptation of a George Orwell novel that stripped away everything that gave the story its essence, and wound up with all the egg in the hen house on their faces.
Their bold gamble with Animal Farm fell well below expectations, raking in a measly $5 million on its opening weekend at the beginning of May. In its second weekend, up against Mortal Kombat II and The Devil Wears Prada, it came crashing down further beneath the $1 million mark.
Last weekend’s haul was only $700,000, an 80 percent drop of an already basement total on a $35M budget. At this rate, whatever the animated film manages to scrape in won’t cover marketing costs. Mortal Kombat, on the other hand, more than tripled Animal Farm’s numbers in one weekend.
Critics haven’t been kind either. The attempt at balancing a kid-friendly atmosphere with immature humor leaves a sour taste. What is dubbed Serkis’s “passion project” is batting zero.
On Rotten Tomatoes, it sits at a putrid 25 percent. The audience score (61 percent) is much kinder, but still low for what is meant to be a family affair. Everything else out right now, especially MKII, is effortlessly winning everyone over.
Andy Serkis spent 15 years developing his version of Orwell’s tale, but despite the time he invested, he proved he wasn’t up to the task. While decorated for his acting and motion-capture work, he hasn’t boosted his reputation as a director.
Serkis tackles big projects such as Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle and Venom: Let There Be Carnage, but they don’t meet high praise. Among the three films of his mentioned, Animal Farm has to be his biggest disappointment.
Angel showed ambition by picking the movie up for distribution, but it’s done them — and their growth — more harm than good as well.
