Anthony Mackie's Desert Warrior Is One Of The Biggest Box Office Flops Ever

Key Points:

• "Desert Warrior," a $150 million Saudi-funded historical epic starring Anthony Mackie and directed by Rupert Wyatt, had an abysmal North American box office opening, grossing only $487,848 across 1,000 screens with a $483 per-screen average.
• The film, which faced years of post-production delays and creative conflicts, is on track to become one of the biggest box office bombs ever, especially compared to other notorious flops like "The Adventures of Pluto Nash" and "The 13th Warrior."
• Vertical Entertainment, a small distributor, handled domestic rights, limiting the film's exposure in the U.S., and the movie was minimally marketed, contributing to its poor reception and 27% Rotten Tomatoes score.
• The film's ultimate financial fate hinges on its international performance, particularly in Saudi Arabia and other markets, as it was produced outside typical Hollywood frameworks and aimed at non-American audiences.
• Production challenges included Rupert Wyatt temporarily leaving the project over creative differences and a significant portion of the budget being spent on building production infrastructure in Saudi Arabia, complicating the film's development and release.