Acclaimed director Damien Chazelle is facing tough career consequences after his latest film Babylon bombed at the box office, despite featuring A-list stars like Margot Robbie and Brad Pitt.
As reported by industry site Deadline, Babylon cost around $80 million to make but only managed to gross $15 million domestically in the US. Reviews from critics were mixed at best. And during awards season, Babylon was completely shut out, garnering zero nominations.
This major flop apparently leaves Chazelle in a precarious position when it comes to funding his upcoming projects. As he candidly admitted in a recent interview with TCM’s Talking Pictures podcast, “I won’t get a budget of Babylon size any time soon, or at least not on this next one.”
Even though Chazelle has an impressive track record that includes critical darlings like Whiplash and La La Land, the failure of Babylon has damaged his commercial prospects. As Chazelle put it, “I have no illusions. I certainly, in financial terms, Babylon didn’t work at all.”
Chazelle tries not to let box office disappointments affect his creative process. But he acknowledges that, on some level, the harsh financial realities can’t help but influence what directors can get made following a high-profile bomb.
For now, Chazelle has been busy writing his next screenplay, though he remains unsure if he’ll be able to secure financing for it in the aftermath of Babylon’s rejection by audiences and awards voters. Despite being a world-class filmmaking talent, even Chazelle can’t escape the industry fallout that comes with making a costly misfire.