Summary
AlthoughDenzel Washington’s impressive career included a number of movies that under-performed, his biggest recent failure wasn’t one of the star’s acting roles. As surprising as it might seem, the deservedly acclaimed Denzel Washington has a long history of movies that underperformed financially. His movie debut, 1981’sCarbon Copy, failed to meet expectations, while one ofDenzel Washington’s best movies lost over $20 millionat the box office whenFallenwas released in 1998. Despite the failures, Washington’s generational talent ensures that the actor’s reputation has never taken a hit. That said, his directorial career is another story.
Washington’s directorial debut, the dramaAntwone Fisher, was a minor financial hit and a critical success. 2007’sThe Great Debaterscemented Washington’s status as a reliable filmmaker, earning double its budget and stellar reviews. However, it was2016’s real-life inspired dramaFencesthat proved Washington’s true potential as a director. An adaptation of the Pulitzer-Prize-winning play of the same name,Fencessaw Washington earn the best reviews of his directing career, as well as an Oscar nomination for Best Picture. Washington’s next movie seemed guaranteed to be another hit but, surprisingly, this wasn’t the case.
Michael B. Jordan’s Under-The-Radar 2021 Movie Praised For “On Point” War Scene By Expert
Michael B. Jordan’s under-the-radar Denzel Washington-directed 2021 movie is praised for its on-point war scene by an Iraq War veteran and expert.
2021’s A Journal For Jordan Was A Box Office Disaster
Denzel Washington’s Fourth Movie Earned Only $6 Million
With a budget of $25 million and megastar Michael B. Jordan in the lead,A Journal For Jordanseemed set to be another huge hit after the success ofFences. Based on a true story like Washington’s debut,A Journal For Jordanchronicled the story of Jordan’s character Charles Monroe King, a Sergeant stationed in Iraq who wrote a journal for his young son.A Journal for Jordan’s overwhelmingly negative reviewscame as a surprise to anyone familiar with Washington’s directorial output, bringing his string of successes behind the camera to an end. Unfortunately, the worst was yet to come.
A Journal For Jordanearned only $6.7 million on a budget of $25 million, resulting in Washington’s biggest box office failure in decades. Washington’s early career was filled with risky choices that sometimes paid off and sometimes didn’t, with the actor appearing in a string of underrated financial failures as well as plenty of big hits throughout the ‘80s and ‘90s. However, by the 2020s, Washington’s established star power made him a reliable box office winner. Thus,A Journal For Jordanfailing, despite its starry cast, famous director, and inspirational true story, came as a major surprise in 2021.
Why Denzel Washington’s A Journal For Jordan Flopped
The Military Melodrama Never Found An Audience
AlthoughA Journal For Jordan’s failure was a disappointing surprise, there were various factors that made the movie’s underperformance inevitable in retrospect. For one thing,A Journal For Jordan’s bad review likely impacted public interest in the movie. For another, the fact that Jordan is better known for big-budget blockbusters likeCreedandBlack Pantherthan worthy dramas like Washington’s movie didn’t help. Finally,A Journal For Jordan’s overly familiar premise made the movie seem predictable and sentimental, something that many critics confirmed in their takedowns of the movie. Thus,Denzel Washington’s 2021 flop was unfortunate but inevitable.
