Ridley Scott Shares Blistering Take On Why The Last Duel Flopped

To say that director Ridley Scott's latest flick to hit theaters, "The Last Duel," was a box office flop would be to put it lightly. The movie has managed to rake in just $27 million worldwide (via BoxOfficeMojo) off a reported $100 million budget (via Variety), despite Disney doing a "fantastic" job promoting it according to Scott, who talked about the film's lackluster performance during a recent appearance on "WTF with Marc Maron."

"The bosses loved the movie," the legendary director explained. "I was concerned it was not for them." Unfortunately for Scott, it was moviegoers — specifically, those younger than 25 — who ended up having little interest in the film. According to The Hollywood Reporter, only 2% of the people who went to see "The Last Duel" in its opening weekend were 17 or younger, and only 17% were between the ages of 18 and 24. Meanwhile, over 80% of the film's viewing audience was said to be 25 or older. The film, notably, is based on Eric Jager's 2004 book "The Last Duel: A True Story of Trial by Combat in Medieval France," which focuses on the events that led up to the last reported trial by combat in French history.

While many will point to the film's subject matter as the reason why it failed to capture the attention of younger moviegoers, Scott believes there's another reason why "The Last Duel" didn't do so well at the box office.

Ridley Scott didn't mince words when asked why he thought "The Last Duel" bombed so badly at the box office, despite featuring an all-star cast and receiving largely positive reviews from critics (via Rotten Tomatoes). "I think what it boils down to — what we've got today [are] the audiences who were brought up on these f***ing cellphones," Scott said while appearing on the "WTF with Marc Maron" podcast. "The millennian, [who] do not ever want to be taught anything unless you told it on the cellphone." 

"This is a broad stroke, but I think we're dealing with it right now with Facebook. This is a misdirection that has happened where it's given the wrong kind of confidence to this latest generation, I think," the acclaimed filmmaker added. Scott, who has received three Oscar nominations for Best Director over the years, went on to admit that he was hesitant about making "The Last Duel" after the Disney-Fox merger happened, but said the studio was nothing but professional and equally passionate about the project. The problem is that people just didn't go see it. 

"We all thought it was a terrific script. And we made it," Scott said. "You can't win all the time. I've never had one regret on any movie I've ever made. Nothing. I learned very early on to be your own critic. The only thing you should really have an opinion on is what you just did. Walk away. Make sure you're happy. And don't look back. That's me."