Hugh Jackman hits his lowest opening weekend in five years

Look, it's not every weekend you get to see an Oscar-nominated A-lister like Hugh Jackman flounder at the box office—especially with Robin Hood, of all British icons, at the centre of it. Jackman's new film, The Death of Robin Hood, just tripped out of the starting gate with numbers that would make even the Merry Men wince.

Off with a Whimper

A24's latest historical drama debuted in ninth place domestically, pulling in a grand total of $2.6 million. That's across 1,762 screens, which honestly makes it look even worse—you're talking an average of just $631 per cinema on Friday night. In this business, if the per-screen average falls below the price of a park bench, you know the studio's sweating.

To really drive the point home: after Friday's uninspiring numbers, Saturday dropped another 23.7% (£848,232 brought in, same screens), and by Sunday, receipts sank a further 22% to £661,621.

Crushed by the Big Guns

It's not like Robin Hood was the only act in town. The competition this weekend was absolutely ferocious: Disney Pixar's Toy Story 5 stomped all over the multiplex with a projected $140 million at the domestic box office—across 4,425 theatres, just to rub it in. Then you've got Steven Spielberg's Disclosure Day in its second week, still pulling a mighty $20 million. If you blinked, you probably missed Jackman and Jodie Comer slipping in at the bottom of the listings.

Jackman's Box Office Rollercoaster

• Reminiscence (2021): $1.9 million (at the time, Jackman's weakest wide opening)
• The Sheep Detectives (early 2026): $15.1 million (for context: much better)
• The Death of Robin Hood (now): $2.6 million opening—his lowest wide debut in five years

Can It Recover?

As if the numbers weren't brutal enough, the financials get even trickier. The production budget's sitting at $20 million, and from the usual Hollywood accounting, that means they probably need to clear at least $45 million just to break even, once you factor in marketing and assorted costs. A24 snapped up domestic rights for about $4 million, so they're not exactly betting the castle on this, but still.

As for the critics, they're not sharpening the guillotines just yet: Rotten Tomatoes has it at a respectable 70% fresh, but regular punters are a lot more undecided—audience approval is hovering around 64%. Over on CinemaScore, it managed a fairly underwhelming C+ from folks who actually showed up opening weekend.

'We shot on 35mm in Northern Ireland… and then this happened'

Director Michael Sarnoski opted to shoot the whole thing on 35mm film, using the Irish countryside for scenery and, let's be honest, generous film tax breaks. Northern Ireland's rebates run somewhere between 30 and 40% these days, and you can see why an indie label like A24 likes that maths.

Still, unless something miraculous happens with word of mouth, The Death of Robin Hood's only real shot at crawling into the black will be from streaming and afterlife deals—theatre audiences just aren't showing up for sad archers this summer.