Keanu Reeves, a name usually associated with iconic roles (John Wick, Neo), stumbled across a rock called 47 Ronin in 2013. The film, which cost over 170 million euros, became a financial disaster.
What is the movie about? 47 Ronin is a 2013 action-fantasy film that draws inspiration from the historical legend of the Ronin – a group of brave samurai in feudal Japan. A mix of historical folklore and action.
The story revolves around Kai, played by Keanu Reeves, a “half-blood” who is taken in by a samurai clan. When their leader is killed (driven to ritual suicide) by a power-hungry lord and their clan is scattered, the remaining ronin swear revenge. They join forces with Kai to avenge their master’s death and restore their honor.
You can watch the trailer here:
The concept and the execution
What’s behind it?47 Ronin was an ambitious project by Universal Studios that sought to bring to the screen the epic true story of Ronin, the masterless samurai of feudal Japan. With Carl Rinsch as director and Keanu Reeves in the lead role.
It’s a deep story about revenge, honor and loyalty. However, despite a promising premise and an impressive budget, the film failed to live up to expectations.
To what extent did the film flop? The film only grossed $150 million at the box office. Given the high production costs, the film would have had to gross a lot more to benefit from it.
Lack of identity and target group confusion
What was the problem? A main problem was probably the film’s lack of identity. Was it a historical drama, a fantasy epic or an action film? This ambiguity potentially negatively impacted the marketing strategy and confused potential viewers.
In addition, the target group was not clearly defined. Historical drama fans may be disappointed by the fantasy elements, while action lovers may be put off by the slow-paced narrative.
The true story of the 47 Ronin, a legend in ancient Japan, is very important to Japanese culture. But when it was adapted into a film to appeal to a global audience, many things were changed. The film was able to convey the story less authentically.
It currently has a rating of 6.2 on IMDb. You can read a detailed review of the film at FILMSTARTS by Christoph Petersen.
Strong competition
The samurai film was released in cinemas in the USA on December 25, 2013. This year’s holiday season saw the release of several big films that were wildly successful – making it difficult for Ronin 47 to break through (via ScreenRant).
These are the films we are talking about:
47 Ronin was an ambitious attempt to reinterpret an ancient legend and bring it to life with modern technology. However, despite the huge financial outlay and the star power of Keanu Reeves, the film failed to achieve the expected results.
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