5 Reasons Why Scarlett Johansson and Channing Tatum’s “Fly Me to the Moon” Bombed at the Box-Office

It was refreshing to see Scarlett Johansson and Channing Tatum come together on screen for a movie. They worked together on a project for the first time and fans were excited to witness their chemistry with each other. The popular actors had numerous projects under their belt but with Fly Me to the Moon, they were trying their hands at something different.

However, the movie didn’t land as well as the stars hoped and it failed to garner popular support at the box office. The movie stands at an approval rating of mere 65% on Rotten Tomatoes which is way lesser than other enterprising ventures of Johansson and Tatum. But why did this happen? Let’s find out.

Mixed up Narrative of Fly Me to the Moon

Fly Me to the Moon talks about the space race of the 1960s when countries were trying to get the better of each other with moon landings and space travel. The movie features a marketing executive Kelly, brought to life by Scarlett Johansson, who falls for Nasa’s launch director Cole Davis, played by Channing Tatum.

This romance set against the backdrop of the space race tends to confuse the viewers as there’s a lot happening in the story. The mixed up narrative of high stakes space travel and the budding romance doesn’t land quite as well as the makers hoped, thus contributing to the movie’s overall failure at the box office. It also conveys that the movie is not entirely sure of its own footing and cannot decide if it wants to be a drama or a full throttle romance.

More than that, with a whopping $100 million budget, the movie only managed to collect less than half- $42.4 million at the box office.

Lack of Prominent Themes

Greg Berlanti’s Fly Me to the Moon appears to be a poignant tale of thrill and romance, promising the inclusion of various big themes that can help lift off the narrative. However, the movie falls short of bringing these themes to life as the viewers keep seated to watch them unfold. This glaring inconsistency makes the movie harder to accept and admire.

For instance the dramatic back stories of both Cole and Kelly are told in a fashion that doesn’t let them sink in.

The stories seem on the surface with the emotions hanging in the balance for the audience to deduce and feel. It seems as if the themes are a part of the script but got lost somewhere in the execution.

Characters are Exaggerated Beyond a Point

The movie tries its best to present the lead characters in such a light that they become instant classics. Tatum’s Cole is shown as a highly pragmatic and earnest launch director who sees and accepts nothing but the whole truth. On the other hand, Kelly’s job as a marketing executive needs her to put a spin on things and make them sell, her witty persona more talked about that displayed.

The audience failed to resonate with these exaggerated character traits that seemed to be far beyond what was shown in the film. At the same time, the movie could not present a holistic view of the characters either. Their home life, personal habits, or even any life outside work was never shown, making fans see the characters as one dimensional people.

Missing Tipping Point of the Movie

Fly Me to the Moon is a tale of romance in the midst of high stakes since Cole and Kelly form a romantic relationship while working together on the moon landing project. Much like every movie, we expected Fly Me to the Moon to also have a tipping point that acts as a point to jumpstart the thrilling climax and bring lose ends together.

Sadly, the movie entirely skips over the tipping point and the budding tension of the project and its marketing efforts never come together as effortlessly. This makes the performances of the actors as well as the narrative of the movie disjointed and convoluted. Had a tipping point been executed in the flick, it surely would have helped combine the various threads of the story and give it a more comprehensive feel.

Disconnected from Reality of the 60s and 70s

One major drawback of Fly Me to the Moon is indeed its inability to root itself in the reality of the era in which it’s taking place. Berlanti seemingly hints at the underlying political and cultural conflicts of the 1960s and the 70s but they never come into the forefront of the story. From Nixon’s policies of that time to the Vietnam War and the racial struggles, nothing of note finds prominence in the movie.

Whether it was fear of getting cancelled or just a firm decision to not talk about the serious issues, this lacking cost heavily to the film and eventually led to its downfall. A movie that talks a big game of bringing true events to screen should atleast try to include realistic facets, but Fly Me to the Moon falters in doing justice to the same.