‘Cats’ Is Tap Dancing Its Way To A Possible $100 Million Box Office Loss
The only thingCatscan’t drag in is more money.Tom Hooper’s pricey big-screen adaptation of theAndrew Lloyd Webbermusical is on track to lose up to $100 million at the box office, making the Universal film one of the biggest box office bombs of the year.
Catsjust can’t land on its feet. In the 11 days since it hit theaters,Catshas grossed only $38.4 million worldwide — a devastatingly meager box office return compared to the film’s reported budget of between $90-$100 million before marketing costs. According toThe Wrap, box office analysts estimate thatCatscould wrap up its domestic run with only $40 million and a worldwide gross of $100 million…and that’s if Universal is lucky.
With those numbers,DeadlinesaysCatsis on track to lose at least $71 million, but only if the film reaches a global box office result of $100 million. If it does not, thenCatscould end up with a $100 million theatrical loss, which would be a cat-tastrophe.
Catshas been coughing up hairballs since before it hit theaters over the holiday season. The star-studded feature film adaptation of the long-running Andrew Lloyd Webber stage musical cost Universal $100 million to produce and an additional $95 million to $100 million for global marketing and distribution fees, according toVariety. OnceCatshit theaters, the problems only snowballed from there. The film debuted with incomplete visual effects, leading Universal toissue updated printsof the movie to exhibitors. While the film is inexplicably still on the shortlist for the Oscars best visual effects category, Universal has apparentlyremovedCatsfrom its FYC page.
Universal had hoped thatCatswould be a holiday sleeper hit in the vein of Fox’sThe Greatest Showmanin 2017, but with the film opening to a disappointing $6.5 million domestically and continuing to fall quickly down the charts, it seems likeCatshas used up all of its nine lives.
