2025 is already off to a better start at the box office than it is at this point in 2024. Late years such as Mufasa: The Lion King, Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and Robert Eggers' Nosferatu is doing big business at the box office. We also just had our first new hit of the year in the form of Den of Thieves 2: Pantera (check out our interview with that film's writer/director here). Unfortunately, it wasn't fun for everyone. Namely, anyone with even a dime invested in the Robbie Williams biopic A Better Man could probably use a drink, because that movie is now a certified, colossal flop.

For those who may not be aware of the film, it is a musical biopic documenting the story of pop star Robbie Williams. The catch? Williams is portrayed by a CGI monkey. Despite the wild hook, the audience doesn't seem to care much. "A Better Man" expanded to nearly 1,300 screens this weekend and earned just over $1 million. It's a disaster for Paramount Pictures, which picked up domestic rights in North America, France and Japan for $25 million. Although it technically opens in 2024, the film's fate was sealed after its domestic expansion this year.

However, that is only the tip of the iceberg. The biopic, directed by Michael Gracie ("The Greatest Showman"), has a budget of $110 million. To make matters much, much worse, it has already disappointed in the UK, where Williams is a much bigger star. How bad is it? With just $8.8 million overseas, the film has grossed $10 million worldwide. There is virtually no chance of a turnaround at this point and various investors will be left holding the bag - and a big bag at that.

For what it's worth, critics side with the film. Currently there are 88% of Rotten tomatoes after its festival run last year. /Filmmaker Jacob Hall watched the film at Fantastic Fest and called A Better Man an "unclassified swinger that I can't help but admire" in his review.

The film is based on the true story of the rise, fall and resurgence of British pop star Robbie Williams. It's told from Williams' perspective, following his journey from childhood to being the youngest member of the chart-topping boy band Take That, through his comeback as a solo artist, all while showing the challenges that come with fame . And yes, he is depicted as a CGI monkey.

It's hard to say who will be the worst bruiser here. Sina Studios, Facing East Entertainment, Rocket Science, Lost Bandits and Footloose Productions were all involved, with various distributors buying rights around the world. What is clear is that A Better Man will recoup only a fraction of its massive budget. It is now in serious danger of becoming one of the biggest bombs of all time, no hyperbole. That doesn't mean the movie is bad. because many box office bombs are great movies worth watching. However, this means that a lot of money will be lost in the short term.

In terms of comparisons, the film is in lousy company. Eddie Murphy "The Adventures of Pluto Nash" is probably the biggest box office bomb in historytaking in a tragic $7 million against a whopping $100 million budget. As it stands, A Better Man is in similar budget/box office territory. The biopic is pretty much ready at home. Barring a remarkable turnaround overseas, the outlook will not improve.

So what went wrong here? For one thing, many Americans have never even heard of Robbie Williams, which makes it a tough sell. Musicals, other than animated musicals, even under the best of circumstances, have a hard time turning into hits anyway. "Wicked" and "Wonka" are more the exception than the rule. In the end, this was an absolutely baffling way to spend $110 million. I talked a little about this on today's episode of the /Film Daily podcast, which you can listen to below:

A Better Man is in theaters now.