- Napoleon needs at least another $300 million to have a chance of breaking even.
- The film is suffering from a 58% score on the Tomatometer and a decline in theater screenings.
- Competing with other big releases, Napoleon is more likely to lose money rather than make any.
Despite reaching a significant milestone with a worldwide earning of $200.7 million, Napoleon, directed by Ridley Scott, still needs to make at least another $300 to $400 million just to break even. The historical drama ranks at number 25 among the top-grossing films of 2023, with Barbie at number 1 with $1.44 billion and The Super Mario Bros. Movie at number 2 with $1.36 billion.
This accomplishment is weighed down by its bloated production budget of reportedly $200 million, along with advertising and marketing costs. At the moment, it’s still far from making a profit. Adding to its difficult situation is a disappointing 58% score on the Tomatometer, which is affected by several negative critic reviews.
Napoleon first opened in theaters on November 22 and has been in cinemas for over a month. As of December 28, it’s only playing in 1,002 theaters domestically. Last weekend, the film made $765,000, with a per-theater average of only $763. Comparatively, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom made $7,474 at each theater.
The number of theaters screening Napoleon is expected to drop even further during the coming weekend. Before Christmas, it was playing in over 2,600 domestic theaters, but that number has now dwindled down to the current 1,002. With Wonka, Aquaman 2, Migration, and The Color Purple dominating the market, Napoleon must unfortunately face the reality that it’s more likely to lose money than make any during its theatrical run.