The Northman's Box Office Failure Can Make Its Follow-Up Even Better
Robert Eggers' 2022 film The Northman, despite its star-studded cast and visual beauty, suffered a box office failure upon release — though this could still lead to a promising future for a follow-up film. Though The Northman bombed at the box office, director Robert Eggers made full use of his $90 million budget by ensuring that historical detail was attended to, and curated with the utmost care, intelligence, and reverence. However, a decent budget doesn't guarantee a monetarily successful movie, proven by the success of Eggers' The Witch and The Lighthouse, which both had more modest budgets and yet are considered financially great success for indie films.
The Northman tells the ancient Scandinavian legend of Amleth (Alexander Skarsgård), and his journey to seek to avenge his father, King Aurvandil, (Ethan Hawke) after he was murdered by his uncle Fjölnir (Claes Bang). But Amleth is not a superhero and, despite his immense strength, is often forced into situations of physical vulnerability, demonstrating Eggers' attention to the reality of the Viking world, making it brutal for even the strongest fighters. Being his third feature film to hit the mainstream cinema, The Northman maintained much of Eggers' directorial style and attention to detail; however, it did not make the profit that was expected in its release week, making only $23 million globally — far different from the projection estimations of $70-$90 million.
Related: Every Anya Taylor-Joy Movie Ranked From Worst To Best (Including The Northman)
Though The Northman did not receive the box office acclaim that was projected, this «failure» may pave the way for Eggers to pour himself into his next project without any studio interference, and perhaps on a more
Read more on screenrant.com
