It’s shaping up to be a pretty bleak holiday season for Steve Carell and Robert Zemeckis after Welcome to Marwen flopped last weekend in spectacular fashion. The $40 million drama about a man’s attempts to overcome his PTSD is one of the biggest bombs of the year, debuting to a disastrous $2.4 million from 1,191 theaters. It stands to lose between $45 million to $50 million when marketing and distribution costs are taken into account, according to rival studio executives, an embarrassing result for both Carell and Zemeckis.
Welcome to Marwen is also the worst wide-release major studio debut of 2018 — tying with Johnny Knoxville’s dud “Action Point” for that ignominious distinction — and a career-worst wide-release start for the A-list actor and the director. Compounding the pervasive air of disaster, “Welcome to Marwen” is the second big turkey for Universal Studios in as many weeks. The studio also stands to lose $125 million-plus on “Mortal Engines,” a Peter Jackson fantasy that has grossed an anemic $54.3 million globally.
Universal did limit its exposure on Welcome to Marwen. The film is co-financed by DreamWorks and its slate financing partner Perfect World is an investor. Despite ending the year on a sour note, Universal has fielded a number of hits, including Halloween, Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch, and Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom.”
Welcome to Marwen is based on the 2010 documentary Marwencol and centers on the true story of Mark Hogancamp, a man who recovered from a brutal assault by creating a miniature World War II-era village and populating it with figurines. Reviews were not kind. The film holds a meager 25% “rotten” rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
