The amount of work that goes into making a movie is something that few people truly understand. There are lots of moving pieces and unseen work that make movie magic happen on each project, and after months, sometimes years, of hard work, a movie can finally hit theaters to find an audience.
Nicole Kidman is one of the biggest movie stars in history, and she has found lots of success. However, the star has also had some flops, one of which caused the performer to speak out in an interview and open up about her inability to connect to the movie.
So, which flop got this reaction out of Nicole Kidman? Let’s take a closer look and see how it flopped and what she had to say about the movie after seeing it for the first time.
Australia Had A Huge Budget And Cast
On paper, Australia should have been a huge hit for the studio, and it is pretty surprising that things didn’t end up working out well. By the time the film was gearing up for release in 2008, its primary cast had all been movie stars for years and the film’s director, Baz Luhrman, was already established in the business.
However, the film wound up serving as more of a cautionary tale for other studios. The cast, which boasted Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman, had more than enough drawing power to get people into theaters. Sure, it was not a major ensemble production, but Kidman and Jackman were legitimate A-list stars.
If there was a major thing working against the film, it was its huge budget. Sure, big-budget projects can perform well on the big screen each year, but sometimes, these projects wind up being a huge problem. Just ask Disney what happens when a budget comes to be a problem with flops like John Carter and The Lone Ranger.
Nevertheless, the studio must have felt confident that Luhrman could direct Kidman and Jackman to box office glory. Unfortunately for all involved, this film would not play out in the way that most had hoped.
The Movie Was A Huge Flop
Australia was released back in 2008, and the film was unable to find much in the way of success. Even though it seemed to have all the ingredients for success, the movie was ultimately a failure that most have forgotten about.
As it stands now, the film currently holds a 55% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. This is a paltry number that shows how criticized the film was upon its release. To make things worse, the audience score for the movie is only 65%, meaning that people who paid to see the movie also had less than stellar things to say. Word of mouth is powerful, and there was a seriously lack of positivity around this movie, which did it absolutely no favors.
According to The-Numbers, the movie was only able to gross $215 million at the global box office. When compared to its massive budget, this must have felt like a huge disappointment for everyone involved. It was just proof that a talented cast and a proven director aren’t enough to boost any project to the top of the box office.
Kidman Can’t Connect To The Film
Now, just because a movie flops does not always mean that a performer has regrets, but it sure seems like Nicole Kidman has some second thoughts about starring in Australia. When speaking to a radio station in Sydney, Kidman would open up about the film and her feelings about it. Fans soon learned how the star truly felt about the movie, which certainly opened some eyes.
“I can't look at this movie and be proud of what I've done. I sat there and I looked at Keith and went ‘Am I any good in this movie?’ But I thought Brandon Walters (an 11-year-old Aboriginal boy) and Hugh Jackman were wonderful. It's just impossible for me to connect to it emotionally at all,” the star revealed.
These were some harsh words from the star, who clearly felt some type of way about how things played out. Kidman did mention that she doesn’t normally watch her own movies and that she ultimately took off.
“We ran because I didn't want to read anything. I didn't want to know. I saw my sister and my family and we saw Keith's family and then we were straight on a plane,” she said.
It sure seems like Kidman regrets her decision to appear in the movie, but considering that she is always paid well for her roles, we imagine that it was still worth it.