Cats has flopped at the box office, despite an A-list cast and $100 million production budget. The big-screen adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical has made just $38 million globally, according to Variety, after a disappointing two weeks in cinemas. Executives at rival studios told the industry publication that could put it on track for a $100 million loss.
Separately, Universal Pictures has reportedly abandoned its Oscars campaign for the film. According to Buzzfeed News, the film is no longer part of Universal’s line-up of award season contenders – and has been removed from its ‘For Your Awards Consideration’ page.
The disappointments come after a slew of less than glowing reviews for the film, which has faced scepticism ever since trailers revealed its singing cats - among them Taylor Swift, Idris Elba, and Dame Judi Dench - appeared uncomfortably human, down to their teeth and even breasts.
Critics were not much more impressed by the 'digital fur technology' - or the rest of the movie - when the full-length feature was unveiled, pointing out inconsistency in the cats' sizes compared to other objects, and a lack of plot.
'Cats is a baffling, humourless CGI nightmare – and the people deserve an explanation,’ was the verdict from Prospect Magazine. 'History books of the future will tell of the twin disasters in December 2019. The first, the Labour Party’s results in a pivotal general election. The second, Cats.'
The Evening Standard called Cats 'nearly as obscene as the Human Centipede', adding, 'There are moments when this film seems not so much an adaptation of a nonsense classic as a horror story.' The Independent, meanwhile, asked: 'What can you say when faced with Sir Ian McKellen, CGI-ed into a cat-person body, gingerly licking milk out of a bowl?’
That said, Jennifer Hudson's perfomance of the song Memory has been singled out for praise - while some are already calling the film a 'cult classic'.
READ MORE: The Reviews For Cats Are In And They Are Not Good
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