In a way, both the crime thriller Killing them Softly and the sports drama F1 are about capitalism. One of them features a central character who isn’t in it for the riches, while the other film ends with the protagonist literally demanding the money that’s owed to him. Both movies star Brad Pitt in the lead role, but only one of them has been successful. This weekend, F1 generated nearly $150 million at the global box office, on the back of positive reviews and near-unanimous praise from audiences. At the same time, it ended up lapping Killing them Softly‘s entire box office haul four times in just three days. The crime thriller debuted back in 2012, received straight-up hate from audiences, and concluded its run with less than $40 million globally.
It was, however, a film of uncommonly high pedigree. Directed by Andrew Dominik, Killing them Softly competed for the prestigious Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival before being launched commercially during the awards season of 2012. It was one of the first major projects to be blessed by the participation of cinematographer Greig Fraser, who went on to shoot Dune, The Batman, and the upcoming Project Hail Mary. The movie also featured a stacked supporting cast that included Scoot McNairy, Ben Mendelsohn, Richard Jenkins, and a trio of late greats: Sam Shepard, Ray Liotta, and James Gandolfini.
However, Killing them Softly is perhaps most remembered now for being one of the 23 movies in history to have earned an F grade on the polling platform CinemaScore. This puts it in the same bracket as the infamous Nicolas Cage-led horror remake The Wicker Man, the 2019 remake of The Grudge, and Darren Aronofsky‘s Mother!. Killing them Softly currently holds a 74% “certified fresh” score on Rotten Tomatoes, although its audience rating is more in line with its CinemaScore grade, at 45%.
‘F1’ Earned an A CinemaScore
Meanwhile, F1 opened with a bang over the weekend, grossing $55 million domestically and $144 million worldwide. Produced on a budget that has been reported to be as high as $300 million, the movie is directed by Joseph Kosinski, and is set in the high-stakes world of Formula One racing. F1 holds an 83% score on Rotten Tomatoes, with praise going to Kosinski’s direction, Pitt’s performance, and the thrilling racing sequences. It also earned a near-perfect 97% audience score on the aggregator website, and an A grade on CinemaScore. Featuring Damson Idris, Javier Bardem and Kerry Condon in supporting roles, the movie is playing in theaters. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates.
