Andy Serkis, the director set to helm next year's The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum, just suffered a major box office blow. His animated adaptation of George Orwell's Animal Farm opened to a paltry $3.4 million domestically, against a reported $35 million budget — meaning it earned barely 10% of its production costs in its first weekend.
The film, which Serkis had been developing for years, originally envisioned as a performance-capture project at Netflix before budget cuts forced a shift to traditional animation, landed in sixth place at the domestic box office. It was outperformed even by fellow new release Hokum, which played in nearly 1,000 fewer theaters.
A Rare Misstep for Angel Studios
For Angel Studios, the niche distributor known for faith-based hits like Sound of Freedom, Animal Farm marked a couple of unwelcome firsts. The film earned the studio's lowest-ever CinemaScore grade: a C-. It also tanked with critics, scoring just 24% on Rotten Tomatoes. The studio has been expanding beyond its usual fare in recent years, but this adaptation clearly failed to connect with audiences.
Star-Studded Cast Couldn't Save It
The film boasts an impressive voice cast including Seth Rogen, Steve Buscemi, Woody Harrelson, Jim Parsons, Gaten Matarazzo, Kieran Culkin, and Serkis himself. Yet even that star power couldn't lure families away from streaming options. Over on Netflix, the animated comedy Swapped — featuring Michael B. Jordan and Juno Temple — took the top spot on the streamer's domestic viewership chart, suggesting audiences preferred to watch at home.
Meanwhile, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie continued its box office dominance, crossing the $900 million mark worldwide. The animated sequel was expected to slow down by now, but it still held strong, leaving little room for new theatrical releases to gain traction.
What's Next for Serkis?
Serkis is currently gearing up for The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum, a live-action project that will mark his return to Middle-earth. While Animal Farm's poor performance is a setback, Serkis remains a respected figure in the industry, particularly for his motion-capture work as Gollum and Caesar in the Planet of the Apes films. For fans of fantasy epics, check out our ranking of the most epic battles in Lord of the Rings.
As for Animal Farm, it joins a growing list of high-profile animated adaptations that failed to find an audience in theaters. The film's political themes — Orwell's allegory about totalitarianism and revolution — may have felt timely, but the execution clearly didn't resonate. Angel Studios will likely rethink its expansion strategy after this costly experiment.
Stay tuned to ShowtimeSpot for more box office updates and analysis.
