There’s no doubt that Joaquin Phoenix is one of the most important Hollywood stars of the 21st century. The Oscar winner for Joker has shown his great acting skills in numerous movies, rapidly becoming one of the faces in the industry associated with quality and good taste.
This year was supposed to mark a new cycle for Phoenix. The actor had two movies in theaters that were expected to propel him to the top: the recent Napoleon and Beau is Afraid. However, what seemed to be immediate gems have collided both critically and at the box office. Suddenly, Phoenix has become one of the most criticized actors of 2023.
Joaquin Phoenix is feeling down
In the midst of the Hollywood crisis, with the strikes of actors and screenwriters just ended and Marvel Studios unsure about its future, the good Joaquin Phoenix was seen as one of those saviors of the moment. However, it hasn’t all been smooth sailing, and his career has been derailed by two highly anticipated movies.
The case of “Beau Is Afraid” is discouraging. Ari Aster’s third movie promised to be something unique; a personal story that the director had in his mind for a long time and seemed incredible considering his track record with “Hereditary” and “Midsommar.” But the film only made $11.5 million at the box office, against the $35 million it cost for A24. An absolute disaster.
But what wasn’t expected is that the drama would repeat itself with “Napoleon.” Ridley Scott’s film aimed to be a new “Gladiator,” and it had all the potential to achieve that. However, although it’s not performing as poorly at the box office as the previous one, its issue lies with the critics: it barely holds a 60% critical approval and a 59% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes.
However, Joaquin Phoenix’s future doesn’t seem so bleak. He’ll soon premiere “Joker 2” alongside Lady Gaga, the role that earned him an Oscar, and he has other very intriguing projects on the horizon.
