Ben Affleck's Latest Directorial Stint 'Live By Night' Fails At The Box Office

Academy award-winning actor-director Ben Affleck latest directorial venture Live By Night seems to have failed at the box office, this is his first failure as a director. The project is an ambitious pulp fiction set in the 20s-adapted from Dennis Lehane's 2012 novel of the same name.

The film is crime drama written, directed, co-produced and starring Ben Affleck, also co-starring Elle Fanning, Brendan Gleeson, Chris Messina, Sienna Miller, Zoe Saldana and Chris Cooper. Produced by Warner Bros, the story follows a Ybor City bootlegger Joe Coughlin (Affleck), a World War I veteran, who becomes a notorious gangster.

According to a report on The Strait Times, the film has opened to average response in the United States earning less than US$10 million (S$14 million) against its US $65 million budget and is also performing poorly internationally, debuting to just $3.3 million overseas.

In an article titled, "WHY, Ben Affleck? Why did you make this movie?" News.com opined, "Unfortunately, this serious misstep by Affleck is a bad omen for his next big project, the standalone Batman movie in the DC superheroes franchise." It also further stated that Affleck is the only savior of the so far odious DC franchise with his directorial touch, but Live By Night has seriously taken it back. However, the report also appreciated Affleck's exceptional visuals and stated that he "has a great eye - his textured mise-en-scene and framing are undeniably beautiful to watch." 

Well, this is not the first time Affleck is making an adaptation of a pulp fiction novel. His directorial debut Gone Baby Gone in 2007 was adapted from a novel by Boston crime fiction scribe Dennis Lehane. While his last directorial venture Argo-which won the prestigious Oscar and Golden Globe was also an adaptation. And coincidentally, all his works have had a blend of pulp with prestige.

TagsBen Affleck, Live By Night