The London Fields book author says he isn’t surprised that the movie adaptation flopped. Martin Amis, author of the murder-mystery novel London Fields, spoke this week on the new film adaptation of his book, and offered his own take as to why the movie is pulling such low box office numbers.
The film noir adaptation of Amis’ London Fields stars Billy Bob Thorton as author Samson Young, the film’s protagonist, who gets wrapped up with Nicola Six (played by Amber Heard), a femme fatale figure who plots her own murder at the hands of one of the many men in her life. The film opened in theaters this week to record-breaking low numbers, earning a mere $160,000, and receiving a whopping 0% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
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In an interview with The Guardian, author Amis had the chance to speak on the topic of London Fields, and give his opinion on why the film adaptation of his novel may have flopped. Amis explained, “The film is rather confusing as it opens, and it could’ve done with a lot more clarity in its first half or so. That’s all I can say. I mean, I never thought it would be a popular film.” Amis went on to reject the notion that his book was difficult to adapt, saying that, “I don’t think there’s anything particularly unfilmable about London Fields,” suggesting that the author may believe that director Mathew Cullen could've handled his source material better.
One element that could be troubling London Fields’ time at the box office is a controversy concerning one of its stars, Amber Heard. The spotlight has been on Heard more intensely as of late in relation to her accusations of domestic violence against ex-husband Johnny Depp. Heard married Depp just as London Fields began production and Depp even has a cameo in the film, so their ongoing lawsuit is casting a bit shadow over the project and its release, and may even be a contributor to its disappointing reception. It's also no surprise that London Fields wasn’t able to hold its own at the box office this month, going up against powerhouses like David Gordon Green’s Halloween.
Even though many are looking forward to watching Heard work side by side with Jason Momoa in Aquaman, certain estimates show that the film is actually projected to have the lowest box office numbers of the Justice League franchise. If this becomes the case, Heard would then see two back-to-back box office flops, something that has the potential to do some serious damage to her career. Hopefully Aquaman will be able to attract fans to the theaters and earn a healthy profit, lifting Heard out of her current box office slump.
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Source: The Guardian