Why Did Margot Robbie Compare Babylon to The Shawshank Redemption?

When Babylon came out in 2022, it was supposed to be the movie of the year. Directed by Damien Chazelle, who made the award-winning La La Land, and starring A-list actors like Margot Robbie and Brad Pitt, it seemed like the perfect recipe for a box office hit.

But… it wasn’t. Instead, it became one of those movies that people couldn’t decide whether they loved or hated, and it didn’t make nearly as much money as expected. Even though the movie was packed with glitz, glamour, and big-name stars, Babylon didn’t get the love it deserved from critics or audiences.

It was way too long, too chaotic, and too intense for many people to handle. Critics didn’t know what to make of it, and moviegoers didn’t rush to the theaters. Robbie herself is still puzzled about why the film didn’t perform better.

She has even compared it to The Shawshank Redemption, a movie that was also a failure at first, but later went on to become one of the most beloved films in history. But does Babylon have a similar chance? Let’s dive in and explore the story of how Babylon met its disappointing reception and why Robbie still believes it has a shot at a comeback.

Why Babylon Met With a Bad Reception?

Let’s rewind to when Babylon first hit theaters. Everyone was excited about this movie. It had everything: an acclaimed director, a star-packed cast, a great story, and a lavish world of Hollywood during the 1920s.

The movie was set to tell the story of the transition from silent films to talkies, which was a huge moment in film history. With this much potential, it seemed impossible for it to fail, right? But fail it did.

The movie bombed at the box office, grossing only about $15 million in the U.S. and $65 million worldwide, despite a hefty budget of around $80 million (via Box Office Mojo). And if you check out Babylon’s scores on Rotten Tomatoes, things don’t look much better: a 57% “rotten” rating from critics and an even lower 52% score from audiences.

That’s not exactly the kind of reception a movie this expensive and high-profile was hoping for. Why did this happen? Well, many people just didn’t know what to make of it. Some felt the movie was way too long (over three hours!) and too chaotic. It had a lot of big moments, but they didn’t always fit together.

The story was hard to follow at times, and the crazy, over-the-top scenes made some viewers uncomfortable. The movie was trying to do a lot of things at once, and it didn’t always succeed.

Margot Robbie Reflects on Babylon‘s Reception and Hopes for Its Legacy

You’d think that after Babylon flopped, Margot Robbie might be ready to move on to the next project and leave the disappointment behind. But nope, she’s still thinking about it. In fact, she’s still hopeful that the movie will one day get the recognition it deserves.

During a recent interview on the Talking Pictures podcast, Robbie shared that she’s still “so confused” about why the movie didn’t do better. The actress said:

I am still saying that. I love it. I know I am biased because I am very close to the project and I obviously believe in it, but I still can’t figure out why people hated it. I wonder if in 20 years people are going to be like, ‘Wait, Babylon didn’t do well at the time?’ Like when you hear that Shawshank Redemption was a failure at the time and you’re like like, ‘How is that possible?’

Robbie made a pretty big comparison. She talked about how The Shawshank Redemption was also a huge failure when it first came out. The prison drama didn’t make much money at all and didn’t win any Oscars, even though it was nominated for several. But over time, people started to watch it again and again, and it became one of the most loved movies in film history.

The Shawshank Redemption is a Timeless Classic

Let’s talk about The Shawshank Redemption for a minute. If you ask anyone about the greatest films of all time, chances are Shawshank is on their list. But when it first came out in 1994, it was a total flop.

According to the Box Office Mojo, the movie didn’t do well at the box office, earning just over $16 million in the U.S. It wasn’t even a big hit at the Oscars, despite being nominated for seven awards. It was the kind of movie that people didn’t quite understand when it first came out.

So how did it go from being a box office failure to a beloved classic? Simple: people started to rediscover it. It got a lot of love from cable TV, and when DVDs came along, more and more people saw it and realized how amazing it was.

Slowly but surely, Shawshank became a movie that everyone loved and admired. It’s now considered one of the best movies ever made and is ranked #1 on IMDb’s list of the greatest films of all time. Could Babylon follow the same path?

Robbie certainly thinks so. She pointed out that movies sometimes need time to find their audience. Just because Babylon didn’t do well at first doesn’t mean it won’t be loved in the future. If Shawshank could make such a comeback, then maybe Babylon can too.

It’s a long shot, but you never know. Maybe in 20 years, people will be watching Babylon on repeat, quoting the best lines, and calling it a cinematic masterpiece. Movies have a funny way of growing on people, and it’s possible that Babylon could one day be remembered as a groundbreaking film that was way ahead of its time.

Babylon and The Shawshank Redemption are available to watch on Amazon Prime Video!