Amber Heard & Billy Bob Thornton’s ‘London Fields’ Puts Up Second-Worst Box Office Debut In History

Normally, when we report the weekly box office results, especially in 2018, we tend to highlight the records being shattered by blockbuster films. Whether it’s “Avengers: Infinity War,” “Crazy Rich Asians,” or the recent “Halloween,” 2018 has been a banner year for record-breaking box office numbers. However, lost in the haze of all this good box office news is the occasional massive bomb.

No, we’re not talking about perceived bombs like “Solo: A Star Wars Story” that pull in hundreds of millions of dollars. We’re talking those box office bombs that make you cringe when you read about them. And this weekend, we had one of the worst all-time bombs that no one probably heard about.

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We’re guessing that not many people realized that “London Fields” hit theaters this weekend. The film, after a three-year behind-the-scenes battle to reach theaters, finally was released wide and put up historically bad box office numbers. In 613 theaters, “London Fields” grossed a total of $160,000. No, we didn’t miss a comma or put a decimal in the wrong spot. That’s one-hundred-and-sixty-thousand-dollars, which breaks down to a measly $261 per theater this weekend. According to Box Office Mojo, this makes “London Fields” the second-worst wide release (more than 600 theaters) in history.

And before you chalk this up to a small film that no one heard about featuring a cast of unknowns being released during October, hold on. Take a look at the cast list for “London Fields:” Amber Heard, Jim Sturgess, Billy Bob Thornton, Jason Isaacs, Theo James, Cara Delevinge, Gemma Chan, Jaimie Alexander, and Johnny Depp. Between them, we’re talking members of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the DCEU, the ‘Fantastic Beasts’ and ‘Harry Potter‘ franchises, ‘Divergent,’ and “Crazy Rich Asians.” Oh yeah, and Billy Bob Thornton, who has won an Oscar.

READ MORE: Producer & Director Feuding Over ‘London Fields,’ Johnny Depp & Other Stars Protest Helmer’s Removal

So, what led to “London Fields” putting up historically bad box office? Well, honestly, it was a couple of major factors. First and foremost, the film is bad. Like bad. Back when the film was scheduled to premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2015, we reviewed it and said, “…with an incredibly uninteresting lead female character who will drive feminists off the wall and an infuriating storyline, the film is an impossible recommendation.” And we’re not the only people saying that as “London Fields” sports a 0% on Rotten Tomatoes.

The second piece of the puzzle can be deduced by what we just said about the film’s premiere. You didn’t read that wrong — we reviewed the film back in 2015. At the time, “London Fields” was set to debut at TIFF, but was pulled right before release after behind-the-scenes trouble between the producers and director. This led to filmmaker Matthew Cullen departing the project and getting involved in a lawsuit. One lawsuit was followed by another, when the distributor and star Amber Heard began a prolonged legal battle over the content of the film, which the star said was against her contract. After all was said and done, three years have gone by and the film lost all its positive buzz, being released to a public that had either never heard of it or forgotten all about it.

Now, “London Fields” joins the ranks of those films that not only bombed at the box office, but blew up like a nuclear explosion, contaminating everything involved. And to end on a super depressing note, let’s bring up another box office debut this weekend — Luca Guadagnino’s “Suspiria.”

READ MORE: ‘Halloween’ Kills The Competition Again; ‘Suspiria’ Scores The Biggest Arthouse Opening Of 2018 [Box Office]

That horror film debuted in only 2 theaters. Yes, only two theaters. And after its first three days, the film earned just under $180,000. That’s right, in only 0.33% of the screens, “Suspiria” outgrossed “London Fields.” Eesh.

All that being said, if you want to watch “London Fields” on the big screen, drop what you’re doing and get out there now. It won’t be there for long.