Why 'Richard Jewell' Could Become Clint Eastwood's Worst Movie Ever
There is nothing more frustrating than to see a movie crash and burn on its own terrible merits.
Warner Bros. announced the theatrical release of "Richard Jewell", wherein Paul Walter Hauser was chosen to play the lead role.
Clint Eastwood's "Richard Jewell," previously known as "The Ballad of Richard Jewell," is based on the story of a security guard who got incorrectly accused in the bombing that happened during the 1996 Summer Olympics at Atlanta's Centennial Park.
The screenplay written by Billy Ray based it on the 1997 Vanity Fair Article by Marie Brenner. This described what Jewell felt from being recognized as a hero by the people for alerting the forces about the bomb in the park to becoming a defendant for a crime he never did.
Hauser is taking the lead role together with Olivia Wilde, who will play as Kathy Scruggs -- the reporter who covered the event as the truth unfolded.
Though the National Board of Review crowned Hauser as this year's "Breakthrough Performance" for his "chivalrous and gentle" role as Jewell, it did not cover up the fact that the movie is flopping (something that they never expected to happen).
Per Hollywood Reporter, "Richard Jewel" is lolling its box office performance after it only garnered around $1.6 million sales on Friday. They also stated that the film might only cash in around $5 million over the weekend, which is only 11 percent of its $45 million budget.
Why Are Sales Declining?
Clint Eastwood's movie received backlash before it even premiered on Dec. 13, 2019.
In the "Richard Jewell," they unveiled how journalist Kathy Scruggs had sex with an FBI agent in exchange for information regarding Jewell's case.
To defend the late journalist, its former employer -- the Atlanta Journal-Constitution -- demanded that they should add a disclaimer to the film for the disagreeable portrayal of her.
AJC published a letter through Los Angeles-based law firm Lavely & Singer to safeguard Scruggs.
"The AJC's reporter is reduced to a sex-trading object in the film. Such a portrayal makes it appear that the AJC sexually exploited its staff and/or that it facilitated or condoned offering sexual gratification to sources in exchange for stories."
Meanwhile, Wilde appeared in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter in an attempt to defend her character. She also thought that "that one inferred moment" in" Richard Jewell" unfairly condensed a part of Scruggs' personality.
"I do think it's interesting that when audiences recognize sexuality within a character, they immediately, when it's a woman, allow it to define her, and I think we should stop doing that and allow for nuance," Wilde continued. "It's sort of a misunderstanding of feminism to expect women to become pious and sexless."
Moreover, the studio behind "Richard Jewell," Warner Bros., disputed back by saying that the claims made by AJC are untrue and groundless, and they will continue the fight against the publication.
"The disclaimer at the end of the film is: 'The film is based on actual historical events. Dialogue and certain events and characters contained in the film were created for the purposes of dramatization," the studio went on. They added that they created the film out of "highly credible sources," making them defend the "Richard Jewell" movie even more.
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