Robbie Williams biography Better manwhich stars a CGI chimpanzee in the role of the British pop star, bombed at the US box office, grossing just $1 million in its opening weekend.

The film, by The greatest showman Directed by Michael Gracey, it was produced independently for about $110 million and then acquired by Paramount for $25 million.

The film fared slightly better in the United Kingdom, where it grossed $1.9 million in its opening weekend and has grossed a total of $4.7 million to date.

David A Gross of film consultancy Franchise Entertainment Research saiddiversity that the film was probably doomed to become a bomb due to its high production costs.

“Robbie Williams, played by a digitally animated chimpanzee, is an odd choice,” Gross said. “For everyone who complains about the industry playing it too safe: This is your film. The risk appetite is excellent, but $110 million is not realistic for the genre and this music artist. $25 to $30 million would have made more sense.”

On social media, many Americans have pointed out that they simply don’t know who Williams is, even though he has one of the highest popularity songs in the UK. Some have defended the film, with one fan writing: “I had no idea who Robbie Williams was before I saw it Better manbut it’s a biopic that actually has passion behind it. It deserves more attention and praise.”

Although the film has so far underperformed at the box office, it has been widely praised by critics.

In a four star review for The IndependentClarisse Loughrey wrote: “If Superman made us believe that a man could fly Better man makes us believe that a CGI chimpanzee can convincingly convey the agony and ecstasy of pop star Robbie Williams. At first it reads as little more than a self-deprecating joke – when The greatest showman When director Michael Gracey initially spoke to Williams about bringing his life to the screen, Williams remarked that he had always seen himself as a kind of “playing monkey.” But it works. Not despite the gimmick, but because of it.

“Williams was, to quote the film, the ‘naughty little bastard’ of ’90s boy band Take That, with an instinctive hunger for attention. His split from the group in 1996 to perform as a solo artist only pushed him further into the role of showman, while his troubled personal life became constant fodder for the tabloids, happy to point the finger at a celebrity they considered had thought of nothing else as they looked at her as an indulgent mess. The CGI chimpanzee Williams’ vocals come from the man himself, but he’s otherwise brought to life by actor Jonno Davies using mo-cap (motion capture) magic and the talented digital effects artists at Wētā FX, who together spent so much time on animation awakens primates to the current Planet of the Apes film series that it must now come naturally to them.”