Robbie Williams’ new biopic Better Man, which depicts the British singer’s life and career with the small difference that he’s a CGI monkey, is not quite resonating with American audiences. Per Variety, the film grossed a meager $1 million in the US in its opening weekend.
Despite Paramount’s promotional efforts in the US, which included an appearance from Williams on Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve, Better Man opened in 14th place at the box office. The film did fare slightly better in Williams’ native UK, but still faltered, grossing $1.9 million to start and $4.7 million to date. So far, Better Man has earned $10 million against a $110 million budget.
Despite underwhelming box office numbers in the US, Better Man has been met with critical acclaim. It holds an impressive 88% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with Consequence Senior Entertainment Editor Liz Shannon Miller heralding the film that “saved the music biopic.”
Still, the lukewarm reception from American audiences could be attributed to Williams’ relatively limited cultural impact in the US compared to his iconic status in the UK and elsewhere. While “Angels” and “Millennium” were global hits, they peaked at only 53 and 72, respectively, on the Billboard Hot 100, and his highest-charting US album, 2003’s Escapology, reached just number 43. It might also be that audiences are hesitant about a film featuring a CGI monkey as its lead—which, frankly, is an understandable reaction.
Revisit our review of Better Man.