Earlier this year, director Yorgos Lanthimos followed up the biggest hit of his career, Poor Things, with a film that massively under-performed at the box office — Kinds of Kindness. Mere moths later, another European arthouse filmmaker has followed up his biggest hit with what appears to be a box office disappointment. Director Luca Guadagnino experienced mainstream success earlier this year with the sports drama Challengers, and some weeks ago, debuted his latest film, the period film Queer. Starring Daniel Craig, the movie is having a difficult time at the box office, while still playing in limited release.
Distributed domestically by the indie outfit A24, Queer is based on the book by William S. Burroughs and follows an American expatriate’s relationship with a younger man in 1950s Mexico City. The film has grossed $2.8 million domestically and around $300,000 in overseas markets, for a cumulative global haul of $3 million. Queer was produced on a reported budget of $50 million. It’ll be released by the streaming service MUBI in several key regions around the world.
Positioned as something of an awards contender, Queer has divided audiences. The movie holds a 76% “fresh” approval rating on the aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, but the platform’s audience score is languishing at 58%. In his review, Collider’s Ross Bonaime praised Craig’s performance, and described the film as “an audacious adaptation and yet another remarkable film in Guadagnino’s increasingly impressive filmography.”
‘Queer’ Marks a Departure From Franchise Films for Daniel Craig
It is, however, one of Craig’s lowest-grossing films. By comparison, even the Netflix release Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery earned five times as much in its limited theatrical run. Queer opened in seven domestic locations, and was expanded into 47 theaters in its second week. It received a further expansion into over 450 theaters in week three, but was downgraded to around 380 locations in week four. This isn’t a promising sign. The movie will need significant awards attention to bounce back. Also starring Drew Starkey, Lesley Manville and Jason Schwartzman, Queer premiered at the Venice Film Festival. You can watch the film in theaters, and stay tuned to Collider for more updates.
Set in 1940s Mexico City, it follows an American expat named Lee (played by Daniel Craig) who becomes infatuated with a younger man, Eugene Allerton (played by Drew Starkey). The film explores themes of longing, isolation, and obsession.
