Ridley Scott’s ‘Napoleon’ Conquers French Box Office Despite Vitriolic Reviews
variety.comElsa Keslassy International Correspondent Despite being plagued by harsh reviews from French critics and a derisive retaliation by director Ridley Scott, “Napoleon” had a strong opening in France on Wednesday, grossing an estimated €868,000 ($946,000) from approximately 120,000 admissions.
The figure, unveiled by Comscore France, includes about 8,000 tickets sold at preview screenings across France, notably in Paris where Sony Pictures held a lavish world premiere of the historical epic on Nov.
14, a few days after the end of the SAG-AFTRA strike. “Napoleon,” which stars Joaquin Phoenix as the infamous French emperor and Vanessa Kirby as his wife, Joséphine de Beauharnais, has been panned by French critics over its alleged historical inaccuracies and anti-French stance.
Additionally, Phoenix’s performance triggered some scoffing from reputable outlets, such as radio station France Culture which compared the actor’s Napoleon look to a “dusty wax figure.” The harshest review came from the national newspaper Le Figaro, which wrote that the film could be renamed “Barbie and Ken Under the Empire.” On TV, meanwhile, the polarizing movie has been hotly debated on talk shows, as well as on news channels such as BFMTV where politicians have weighed in on the movie.
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