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Although film production appears as a money-stamping business, studios can face major losses which can at times turn out to be unrecoverable ones. Universal faced something similar when they witnessed a $10M loss following Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt’s vanity project,By The Sea.
Despite critics and audiences slamming the movie, Universal backed the project with the hope that Angelina Jolie would star inBride Of FrankensteinorWanted 2.Considering their loss as a potential way of making money, the production company took the loss on themselves, only to find the actress refusing the $342MWantedsequel, starring Chris Pratt.
Also read:“I couldn’t get out of the bathtub”: Angelina Jolie Had a Hard Time Filming S-x Scenes With Ex-Husband Brad Pitt in $10M Movie During Their Actual Honeymoon
Angelina Jolie And Brad Pitt’s Movie Suffered Disastrous Loss
Following Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt’s 2005 hit movieMr. & Mrs. Smith,where the real-life couple met for the first time, the duo reappeared with their romantic dramaBy The Seain 2015. Making a limited debut at the box office, the movie brought in average revenue, grossing $3.3M. Despite having potential, Jolie and Pitt’s passion project failed to earn the budget of the movie.
“Passion projects are most often films that are ‘off the beaten path’ for the stars who use these productions to tell a story that they are passionate about, but not necessarily aimed at a mass audience.” critics stated aboutBy The Sea.
Although it was believed that a payoff was likely to come in the future, Universal still suffered a disastrous $10M loss following the film’s release. However, they still backed Angelina Jolie andBrad Pitt‘s movie, considering the actress’ appearance inBride Of FrankensteinorWanted 2as a potential way of recovering from their financial loss.
However, things didn’t go as planned, since Universal faced a major betrayal from Angelina Jolie. Irrespective of how Universal backed her and Pitt’s sunken movie at the box office, Jolie refused to make a payback with her appearance in theWantedsequel.
Also read:“I didn’t know if I had more to offer”: Angelina Jolie’s Role in ‘Gia’ Pushed Her To the Limits, Reflected $160M Actor’s Own Dark Origins
Angelina Jolie Refused Starring In The $342MWantedSequel
The 2008 action thrillerWanted, starringAngelina Joliewas an instant hit following its release. Loosely based on Mark Millar and J.G. Jones’ comic book, the film packed with great storytelling changed the way people looked at comic book movies. Made with a budget of $75M,Wanted(2008) earned $342M worldwide. Surprisingly, even before, the prequel made millions at the box office, the filmmakers and Universal had planned for its sequel,Wanted 2.
However, despite shared excitement and creative involvement, the sequel ultimately never materialized. There were several factors that played a significant role, but Angelina Jolie’s refusal to play Fox was one of the biggest reasons why the film was never made. Although Jolie’s character met her end inWanted, Fox was planned to be resurrected inWanted 2. But, the actress was simply disinterested in returning to the planned franchise.
“Being dead makes it difficult. They were (trying to bring me back) but I kind of feel like if I die in a movie, I should die actually. I’m that way, and that character is not as complex as Salt. It would just be doing the exact same thing in another movie, so it’s not that interesting to me.” Angelina Jolie shared.
It is interesting how, despite making millions off theChris Prattstarring prequel, Jolie still refused to appear in the second installment. Although the actress ethically owed it to Universal, especially after them losing millions in her 2015By The Sea, Jolie still adamantly refused to appear inWanted 2.
WatchBy The Sea(2015) on Amazon Prime Video and streamWanted(2008) on Netflix.
Read more:“I’m still mad at Brad Pitt”: George Clooney Tried 5 Times Yet Failed to Beat Brad Pitt Who Stole a Movie That He Desperately Wanted
Source:IndieWire,Movieweb
Krittika Mukherjee
Senior Writer
Articles Published :3219
Krittika Mukherjee is a Senior Entertainment Writer at FandomWire, majorly focusing on films, TV shows, and celebrity news with over 3,000 articles published. With an educational background in Journalism, and a keen interest in filmmaking, Krittika blends factual precision with creative flair, when crafting her editorials, or dissecting fan theories.Her coverage often includes news and analyses of critically acclaimed films, celebrity news, and franchises like the Wizarding World, LOTR, DC, and MCU—particularly Harry Potter, Fantastic Beasts, Superheroes, and fan theories. As a Wizarding World aficionado, Krittika has spent countless hours exploring hidden backstories, unadapted book moments, spells, and trivias surrounding J.K. Rowling’s lore.An imaginative writer with a way with words, Krittika has worked as an entertainment journalist for the past two years and a web content writer for a year. She brought her experience and expertise to FandomWire to pursue her desire for sipping coffee while dissecting films and tracking celebrity drama.
