Directed by Kogonada and penned by Seth Reiss, “A Big Bold Beautiful Journey” centers on David (played by Colin Farrell) and Sarah (played by Margot Robbie), who serendipitously cross paths at a wedding. What seems like a fleeting encounter is extended as their rented cars’ GPS systems keep leading them back to one another. This unforeseen connection propels them on a journey through a series of mystifying doors that transport them to their troubled pasts. By facing issues such as David’s old high school heartache and Sarah’s grief over her mother’s death, they may kindle a new romantic relationship.

Following the massive success of “Barbie” in 2023, “A Big Bold Beautiful Journey” was Robbie’s next major film but failed to capture audience attention during its theatrical release. It debuted with just $3.25 million across 3,330 venues, a disappointing start for a movie with a $45 million budget. Contrary to this, recent romantic films like “It Ends With Us” have shown that love stories still hold financial promise in cinemas today. So, why did “A Big Bold Beautiful Journey” fall flat despite its high-profile stars?

The promotional trailers indicated that the film involved Farrell and Robbie’s characters exploring doors that revisit their pasts. Nonetheless, what the primary conflict was wasn’t clearly conveyed. Classic romantic dramas historically clarify their central struggles in their promotions. For example, “Brokeback Mountain” highlights the societal pressures and threats that burden the protagonists’ relationship, while “Casablanca” focuses on Rick’s disillusionment and the tension of the Nazi occupation. Similarly, romantic comedies like “Sleepless in Seattle” emphasize geographical separation as the main barrier, urging audiences to ponder over a potential romance.

In contrast, “A Big Bold Beautiful Journey” struggled to project any palpable conflict, leaving viewers to wonder about the real stakes of the characters’ love story. The marketing hinted at an inevitable romantic destiny without any apparent obstacles to overcome— a key aspect in attracting romantic drama enthusiasts. Successful romances often depict love triumphing over significant challenges, a component this film seemingly overlooked, affecting its box office turnout.

In August 2003, The Numbers published an article titled “Will ‘S.W.A.T.’ Finally Make Colin Farrell a Superstar?” This questioned why, despite Farrell’s widespread presence following roles in movies like “Phone Booth” and “The Recruit,” he hadn’t transformed into a blockbuster magnet. Over time, Farrell didn’t evolve into a major box office powerhouse but found acclaim in independent and arthouse projects such as “In Bruges” and “The Lobster.”

Farrell not becoming a box office titan did not halt his career; it simply redirected him towards ventures where his creative talents flourished. Despite his acting prowess, Farrell isn’t necessarily a huge draw for the general moviegoer when featured prominently on promotional materials. This was evidenced when he starred in “Dumbo,” one of the few live-action Disney films that didn’t perform well pre-pandemic. With Hollywood having moved on from trying to position him as an A-list leading man since the 2014 box office disappointment “Winter’s Tale,” it was curious to base a romantic film like “A Big Bold Beautiful Journey” on Farrell’s star power.

Even if you encountered the marketing campaign Sony Pictures Releasing mustered up for “A Big Bold Beautiful Journey,” chances are it didn’t stick around in your memory. The first U.S. poster just featured Robbie and Farrell standing against a dark blue background holding yellow and blue umbrellas, respectively. There was no indication that this was a fantasy feature or what time period it was set in. A second U.S. poster didn’t help illuminate matters and simply swapped out the vague background with a bunch of clouds. 

Bizarrely absent from any of these U.S. posters and billboards were the central doors that spurred the entire plot. Only on a U.K. poster did the doors and a more fantastical ambiance finally appear. In the U.S., though, “A Big Bold Beautiful Journey” had uninspired posters that looked more like cologne ads, not posters for a must-see motion picture featuring one of Hollywood’s biggest stars in Margot Robbie. Generic TV spots only compounded the film’s marketing problems. 

While fellow 2025 romantic drama “Materialists” was preceded by cute promotional concepts like a parody of those classic Mastercard commercials, “A Big Bold Beautiful Journey” went with commercials that just faded into the background. Perhaps in an attempt to not scare away viewers who could be wary of a somewhat outlandish concept, “A Big Bold Beautiful Journey” hit theaters on the wave of a generic marketing campaign that sealed its box office fate.

Mainstream movies offering surface-level spectacle and pleasures can overcome bad write-ups if they deliver big explosions, romantic melodrama, or other crowd-pleasing elements. In the era of superhero movies and mega franchises, that’s the new normal. Adult dramas, however, are a different story. These movies require positive reviews to gain momentum and grab the attention of movie-goers. If such films get bad reviews from the get-go, then it’s basically game over. When prestige is the name of the game, positive word-of-mouth is vital.

“A Big Bold Beautiful Journey” landed some scathing early reviews. Critics were quick to point out that there weren’t any exciting surprises or twists in the story. With that pre-release consensus, any movie-goers on the fence about seeing this original romantic drama were undoubtedly compelled to spend their time and money elsewhere. Things only seemed to get worse as more and more reviews rolled in (the film’s Rotten Tomatoes score settled on an underwhelming 36%, and the audience score of 58% wasn’t exactly inspiring), and the film’s box office fate was sealed.

The September 2025 box office took off like a rocket with “The Conjuring: Last Rites” blowing everyone away. The horror flick opened to a whopping $83 million, with 51% of its opening weekend revenue made up of female movie-goers. One week later, “Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle” raced past all expectations for how big an anime film could debut in the United States. Both features drew in lots of women and young people, which inevitably included lots of date night moviegoers. If you were a young couple looking for a movie to see in theaters in mid-September 2025, then you had lots of options. That pretty much cut off the only market “A Big Bold Beautiful Journey” (which dropped on September 19) was aiming to exploit. 

In a vacuum, an action-packed anime film and a horror feature shouldn’t have directly competed with a romantic drama about grappling with trauma. However, both of those competing titles promised much more enthralling times at the movies than the downbeat, buttoned-up material offered by “A Big Bold Beautiful Journey.” Additionally, the latest “Conjuring” film likely felt more timely as a date night offering, given that September is the start of the spooky Halloween season. With “Last Rites” and “Infinity Castle” conquering the box office, it was clear which movies would come out on top in September 2025’s date night moviegoing competition. “A Big Bold Beautiful Journey” never had a chance.