The encyclopedia · Product & Design · Product decision · 2021–2024
The Book of Clarence: a $40M biblical epic that flopped to a $6.2M gross
Jay-Z-backed The Book of Clarence cost roughly $40M plus $20M in marketing, grossed $6.2M worldwide, and flopped out of theaters in weeks.
Legendary Pictures · TriStar Pictures · 2024-01-12
What happened
The Book of Clarence, a biblical comedy-drama from writer-director Jeymes Samuel and produced by Legendary Pictures' Kilburn Lane with Jay-Z among the producers, was budgeted at about $40 million, with an estimated $20 million more spent on marketing. It was released by TriStar on January 12, 2024.
The film opened in ninth place with only $2.6 million, then dropped 57% in its second weekend and finished its run with about $6.2 million worldwide. Even accounting for the global box office, the film needed a reported $120–150 million to break even.
MovieWeb called it one of the least profitable wide releases of the decade, and the film vanished from theaters within weeks. A high-minded biblical epic aimed at a broad audience found almost no one willing to buy a ticket.
Why it happened
- Legendary and TriStar spent $40M on production plus ~$20M on marketing for a biblical epic that had no marquee draw to carry a crowded January frame.
- The film's $2.6M ninth-place opening and 57% second-weekend drop showed the audience never arrived, and word of mouth never had a chance to form.
- At a $6.2M worldwide gross against a ~$120–150M break-even, the film lost nearly all of its investment, and MovieWeb ranked it among the decade's least profitable wide releases.
The lesson
A message movie still needs an audience: The Book of Clarence cost $40M plus $20M in marketing and grossed $6.2M — production values and a producer's name do not replace a reason to buy a ticket.
Sources
- Wikipedia — The Book of Clarence
- MovieWeb — The Book of Clarence Box Office: One of the Least Profitable Wide Releases of the Decade
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