Jupiter Ascending Pitch Meeting
Summary Jupiter Ascending was a critical and commercial flop, holding the lowest critics score for the Wachowskis in the directorial chair on Rotten Tomatoes.
The film's rushed and overstuffed plot, lackluster writing, and odd character dynamics were humorously critiqued in the latest episode of Screen Rant's Pitch Meeting series.
While the Wachowskis' prior films found more success, Jupiter Ascending marked a disappointing final chapter in their directorial partnership as they've since moved on to solo projects.
As one of the duo prepares to return to the directorial field, Screen Rant's own Pitch Meeting series is looking back on the Wachowskis' Jupiter Ascending. The 2015 movie revolved around a woman who learns of her heritage as a royal for an intergalactic family and the rightful owner of Earth, only to swiftly be pulled into a war between another family of royal siblings who look to acquire the planet to harvest people to extend their life spans. Led by Mila Kunis and Channing Tatum, Jupiter Ascending was a critical and commercial flop on release, holding the lowest critics score for the directorial duo on Rotten Tomatoes.
Nearly a decade after the movie first hit theaters, Screen Rant's Pitch Meeting series has set its sights on Jupiter Ascending. The video, as seen at the top of this article, humorously pokes fun at the 2015 movie's various issues, including the simultaneously rushed and overstuffed plot, repetitive formula and lackluster writing. The episode also mocks Kunis' titular character, namely her lack of any actual agency and odd connection to Tatum's Caine.
Jupiter Ascending Marked An Unfortunate Final Chapter For The Wachowskis
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In the lead up to its release, there was a fair amount of anticipation for Jupiter Ascending from fans of the Wachowskis, as it marked the first original title from the filmmaking duo in over a decade after having put their focus on adapting both Speed Racer and Cloud Atlas for the screen. As they teamed with a variety of frequent collaborators from throughout their career and promised themes akin to those explored in their groundbreaking Matrix trilogy and the Star Wars franchise, it seemed the duo would once again dominate the sci-fi sphere.
Related 5 Reasons Why Jupiter Ascending Isn’t As Bad As People Say It Is (& 5 Reasons It Is) Here are some of the reasons why Jupiter Ascending isn't as bad as its reputation suggests and some of the reasons why its critics are right.
Unfortunately, Jupiter Ascending not only landed the duo their worst critical score on Rotten Tomatoes, but also failed to break the duo out of their box office slump. Grossing $184 million internationally, the movie not only failed to recoup its reported $210 million production budget, but also couldn't surpass its fellow competition of The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water and the holdover release of American Sniper in its domestic opening weekend, having to primarily rely on international territories. See how Jupiter Ascending compares to the Wachowskis' other movies on Rotten Tomatoes and the box office below:
Title RT Critics Score RT Audience Score Box Office Bound 87% 83% $7 Million The Matrix 83% 85% $467.6 Million The Matrix Reloaded 74% 72% $741.8 Million The Matrix Revolutions 34% 60% $427.3 Million Speed Racer 42% 60% $93.9 Million Cloud Atlas 66% 66% $130.5 Million Jupiter Ascending 28% 38% $184 Million The Matrix Resurrections (Lana only) 63% 63% $159.2 Million
While it may not have been the last of their efforts in the directorial chair, as Lana would return to co-write and direct The Matrix Resurrections without her sister Lilly, Jupiter Ascending did ultimately mark a disappointing final chapter in the Wachowskis' partnership in movies. With Lilly announcing earlier this year that she would be making an indie drama entitled Trash Mountain by herself, and Warner Bros. also moving ahead with a fifth Matrix installment with Drew Goddard writing and directing and Lana attached to executive produce without her sister, it remains unclear if the duo will ever be able to redeem the 2015 movie.
Source: Pitch Meeting
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