Paramount knew what it was getting into with directorDarren Aronofsky’smother!. StarringJennifer Lawrencein the titular role, the movieearneda rare F grade according to CinemaScore, which implies extreme dislike among audiences who checked it out on its first day of release. Generally, movies that score this poorly on the polling platform become objects of curiosity, which is exactly what happened withmother!The fact that the film starred A-listers such as Lawrence andJavier Bardemonly made it more intriguing. This fascination will follow it for eternity, which is why the movie keeps popping up on streaming charts regularly.
According toFlixPatrol,mother!was theninth-biggest film on Paramount+ on June 12, earning a total of 41 points on the platform. The list was led, as it has been for weeks, byRidley Scott’sGladiator II.Joseph Kosinski’sTop Gun: Mavericktook the number two spot, with theMads Mikkelsen-led period dramaThe Promised Landclaiming the number three spot.
Released in 2017,mother!wasinstantly divisive. The movie holds a 68%Rotten Tomatoes score, with the aggregator website’s consensus reading, “There’s no denying thatMother!is the thought-provoking product of a singularly ambitious artistic vision, though it may be too unwieldy for mainstream tastes.” The film’s audience score on the website sits at 52%.Mother!wasproduced on a reported budget of $30 million. Itgrossed around $45 million at the worldwide box office, which is well below its assumed break-even point of $60 million.
Paramount stood in solidarity with Aronofsky, anddefended the film in a statementfollowing its subpar box office performance. “This movie is very audacious and brave. You are talking about a director at the top of his game, and an actress at the top her game. They made a movie that was intended to be bold. Everyone wants original filmmaking, and everyone celebrates Netflix when they tell a story no one else wants to tell. This is our version. We don’t want all movies to be safe. And it’s okay if some people don’t like it,” the studio said.
Aronofsky and Lawrence Both Have Movies Coming Out this Year
Mother!was Aronofsky’s first film after his Biblical epicNoah, which grossed $350 million worldwide. He followed it up with the psychological dramaThe Whale, which won Brendan Fraser an Oscar and grossed over $50 million worldwide in 2022. His next film is the thrillerCaught Stealing, starringAustin Butlerin the lead role. Lawrence, on the other hand, will next be seen inLynne Ramsay’sDie My Love, which also featuresRobert Pattinson. You can watchmother!on Paramount+, and stay tuned to Collider for more updates.
