Who could have predicted the flop of the Knights of the Zodiac movie? A lot of people. The Saint Seiya live-action movie, Knights of the Zodiac, is a real wreck.
Act a little surprised, but it turns out that the new Saint Seiya movie is a flop. Both vis-à-vis the critics and at the box office level which risks compromising the great cinematographic projects of the franchise. The Knights of the Zodiac in PLS.
The Saint Seiya movie is a failure
The last images of the new film Saint Seiya foreshadowed the worst. And for now, the worst is happening. Since its release in Latin America, the United States and Japan, as well as other countries in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, the feature film Knights of the Zodiac has not attracted viewers .
According Box Office Mojothis live-action adaptation of Knights of the Zodiac garnered 5 152 786 the dollars worldwide. The bulk of the receipts having been made in a crucial territory: Latin America. There, the aura of the anime is extremely powerful, like in Europe, and the fans have obviously been there unlike other countries where Knights of the Zodiac is broadcast. Will the release in French cinemas save the furniture? It sounds very, very complicated. Yes, the license is ultra popular with us, as well as Dragon Ball (thanks to Club Dorothée), but the Saint Seiya film budget still amounts to 60 million dollars.
Initially, it will therefore be necessary to garner the missing 55 million dollars, and surely more so that the feature film is truly considered a success for the studios involved. In short, it is not won. Especially since the critics, overall, do not help the reputation of this Saint Seiya: the Beginning (the Western name of the film). For one of our colleagues across the Atlantic, we have one of the worst adaptations of this cult license. A disaster.
Killer reviews on Knights of the Zodiac
Currently at 29% on Rotten Tomatoes, the Saint Seiya movie can’t count on reviews to save it. For one of the editors of IGN US, it’s a horror. « Overall, I rate Knights of the Zodiac 2/10. A movie that should definitely be in the horror category, due to the embarrassment I felt watching it » (Izzatul Razali). The person in charge of rendering the official verdict was more lenient with a 4/10.
« It seems like the folks behind Knights of the Zodiac started out by taking inspiration from the worst in the franchise, then went on to make increasingly bad decisions. Knights of the Zodiac guts a beloved anime franchise into a dull movie » via Polygon.
« The Saint Seiya movie is the epitome of what goes wrong when an anime series, based on a manga, turns into a live-action feature film. An awkward film, with terrible acting, even for the most hardcore fans. There Are Bad Video Games More Entertaining Than This Boring Flop » (Culture Mix).
Barring a miracle, it looks bad for the future of the franchise in dark rooms. On paper, there should be six feature films including this one. But given the reception of this component and the first box office figures… If ever you are not put off, it will soon be time to give you an opinion. Knights of the Zodiac will be visible on May 24, 2023 at the cinema.
