Birdman Closes Theatrical Run with $151 Million Worldwide, Sets Sights on Awards Season
Alejandro G. Iñárritu's audacious meta-commentary on fame, ego, and artistic relevance, Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance), has concluded its impressive theatrical run with $151 million worldwide—a remarkable achievement for a film with unconventional structure and dark themes.
The film earned $69 million domestically and $82 million internationally, far exceeding the expectations of many. For a film shot to look like one continuous take, anchored by challenging performances and existential dialogue, Birdman has proven there's still a substantial audience for bold, intelligent filmmaking.
From the moment it premiered at the Venice Film Festival in September 2016, Birdman was heralded as a masterpiece. The film received a ten-minute standing ovation and went on to be a frontrunner for the prestigious Golden Lion award.
Critics have universally praised the film's technical brilliance, Iñárritu's direction, and the ensemble cast's fearless performances.
Michael Keaton delivers what many are calling the performance of his career as Riggan Thomson, a washed-up actor famous for playing an iconic superhero trying to mount a Broadway comeback. The role is deeply personal—Keaton himself famously walked away from playing Batman after Batman Returns—and he brings layers of vulnerability, rage, and desperate humor to the character.
Margot Robbie, in her best drama role since Bonnie and Clyde, has been singled out as one of the movie's best parts. Playing Sam Thomson, Riggan's troubled, recovering addict daughter, Robbie delivers a raw, unvarnished performance that critics are calling her best work yet.
"Margot Robbie announces herself as a serious dramatic actress," wrote The Hollywood Reporter. "This is a major star-making turn."
Naomi Watts rounds out the standout performances as Lesley, an actress in Riggan's play.
Birdman is now positioned as a major contender across all categories in the upcoming awards season.
Golden Globe Nominations
Best Motion Picture – Drama
Best Director – Alejandro G. Iñárritu
Best Actor – Michael Keaton
Best Supporting Actress – Margot Robbie
Best Screenplay – Alejandro G. Iñárritu
Expected Oscar Nominations:
Industry insiders predict Birdman will be a major player at the Academy Awards, with strong chances in:
Best Picture
Best Director
Best Actor (Keaton)
Best Supporting Actress (Robbie)
Best Original Screenplay
Best Cinematography
Best Editing
Best Sound Design
"This is the kind of film the Academy loves," said Scott Feinberg, awards analyst for The Hollywood Reporter. "It's about the industry itself, it's technically daring, and it features career-best performances. It's going to be a major force."
Margot Robbie is a rising star with major projects on the horizon, including one in the juggernaut that is the DCU, but her performance in Birdman represents a turning point in her career.
Critics agree. Robbie's performance has been described as "visceral," "unflinching," and "Oscar-worthy." Her monologue in the hospital—where Sam confronts her father about his ego and self-destruction—is already being cited as one of the best scenes of the movie.
With how her career is progressing, and perhaps even more projects she could develop with her boyfriend and producer-writer Daniel Adler, she will soon be a household name and an A-list star in Hollywood.
Birdman's box office success has been credited to the production company that produced it, Midas, and its head Daniel Adler. Adler's involvement was enough to draw attention, and combined with strong word of mouth, the film was able to reach the heights where it stands today.
In an era dominated by franchises and sequels, Birdman dared to be different. It asked big questions about art, ego, and what it means to matter. And audiences responded.
As Michael Keaton's Riggan Thomson says in the film: "I'm not doing this for the money. I'm doing this because I need to prove I still matter."
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I read through the treatment I had written for a movie that would be the first of many IPs from Games Workshop. The company was now fully settled into the Aurum Games internal structure, and it was time to think about making some money.
I read through the treatment again.
It was based on the movie Event Horizon which, to my extreme happiness, did not exist in this world.
I had made some changes to create subtle connections to the Warhammer 40K universe. The reveal that it was set in that universe would not come until the very end, but I was sure hardcore fans would catch on quickly. For casual audiences, it would serve as a strong entry point for the many series and other media I had planned for the future.
The story takes place in the middle of M2. Earth has colonized the Sol System. Mars hosts mining colonies, Europa sustains research stations, and Neptune serves as humanity's furthest outpost. Sub-light exploration ships have reached Alpha Centauri, their journeys spanning decades. Humanity stands at the precipice of true interstellar expansion, constrained only by the tyranny of distance.
The Event Horizon, humanity's first experimental faster-than-light vessel, vanishes during its maiden voyage to Proxima Centauri. Seven years later, the ship reappears in Neptune's orbit, broadcasting a garbled distress signal.
A rescue ship is dispatched to investigate. Among the crew is Dr. William Weir, the Event Horizon's architect, the man who designed the gravity drive that, in theory, would fold space and allow instantaneous travel through the hole it created.
They find the Event Horizon drifting within Neptune's atmosphere.
The crew boards the vessel and discovers a charnel house. Blood coats the walls, signs of a desperate struggle are everywhere, and an overwhelming sense of wrongness permeates the ship, defying rational explanation.
At first, it appears to be a scene of horrid crime. A massacre. But there are no bodies.
Then the ship begins to wake.
Doors seal on their own. Gravity fluctuates. The crew starts hearing whispers. Voices in languages they do not recognize. Screams of agony. Begging for mercy.
One crew member sees a vision of his dead wife, pleading with him to come closer. When he does, she attacks him, her face splitting open into something inhuman.
Another crew member is dragged into a ventilation shaft by invisible hands, his screams echoing through the ship.
The crew realizes they are trapped. The ship will not let them leave.
Dr. Weir studies the gravity drive and theorizes that it does not fold space as he originally thought. Instead, it punches through reality itself. Through another dimension. And he believes something came back with it.
He shows the crew recovered footage from the Event Horizon's final moments. Crew members tear each other apart, screaming in languages that sound wrong, clawing at their own faces.
Then the warp shenanigans begin.
The ship continues to torment the crew.
Reality bends. Time loops. One crew member relives his worst memory over and over until he goes mad and kills himself.
Another is shown a vision of the future, something so overwhelming that it breaks him.
One is pulled into the drive itself and returns changed.
In the end, Weir himself is corrupted.
He comes to believe that humanity must embrace what lies on the other side. That they are meant to evolve. To ascend.
He reveals that the ship is no longer just a vessel. It is a gateway. A living bridge between realities. He plans to bring it to Earth, to enlighten all of humanity.
The captain, battered and traumatized, barely holding on, confronts Weir in the gravity drive chamber. Weir is no longer human. His body is twisted, covered in scars and strange symbols.
Weir attacks, and the captain fights back. In the end, he manages to separate the gravity drive section from the rest of the ship and detonates it. The ship is not fully destroyed, but remains adrift in Neptune's atmosphere.
The film ends with a rescue ship arriving in Neptune's orbit. The rescue ship's captain orders the Event Horizon destroyed. It is subtly alluded to that this man is the same who in the distant future, will become the Emperor of Mankind. The implication is kept deliberately vague.
I leaned back, staring at the pages.
Yeah. This will work, I thought.
A horror film that would terrify casual audiences and blow the minds of Warhammer 40K fans who realize it is set in the far past.
"I'm ready to go," I heard Margot say as she walked into my office.
She looked at me, then her expression shifted to annoyance. "Why haven't you dressed yet?"
"I am dressed," I said, gesturing at my clothes.
Margot crossed her arms. "I told you to wear the shirt I got you."
"It really doesn't fit my style."
"Daniel, it will look great on you. And it's the latest fashion."
I stood up, sighing. "Fine. I don't know what the big deal is."
Margot stared at me like I'd just said the dumbest thing in the world. "We are going to the screening of the first movie you directed, and it's not a big deal?"
"It's just people I know," I said as I walked into the bedroom, pulling the shirt from the closet.
Margot shook her head and followed me. "Greta Gerwig is going to be there, right?"
"She's invited," I said, pulling the shirt on.
"Good."
I finished buttoning it and looked at myself in the mirror. Definitely more stylish than my usual wardrobe.
Margot stepped beside me, smiling. "See? I told you. You look great."
She gave me a kiss on the cheek.
I tilted my head, examining my reflection. "I look like I'm about to host a yacht party."
Margot burst out laughing, swatting my arm. "You look handsome."
"This shirt screams, 'Look at me, I have opinions about wine,'" I said, turning slightly.
"Daniel—"
"I'm one popped collar away from being insufferable."
"Okay, we're leaving," she said, dragging me away.
============
I sat in the theater room at Midas with the guests I had invited, friends and others in the industry I knew, to watch the nearly final cut of The Witch. People from DC, Stardust, and other studios were there. Filmmakers who were working with Midas had been invited as well.
I knew Dave was not too fond of horror movies, so seeing him get genuinely jump-scared a few times was pretty funny. The man had not even watched The Thing all the way through yet.
I had made several changes from the original version I remembered. My main issue with that film was that it lagged in the middle and leaned too heavily into a slow burn for my taste.
I tightened the second act and added more supernatural occurrences. I also made sure the witch appeared more frequently after the shocking baby scene.
The internal conflicts within the family were highlighted more clearly, and I planted stronger seeds showing Thomasin's desire for liberation from her current life. Her dissatisfaction builds steadily and ultimately leads to the ending, where she embraces Satan and joins the witch.
The movie ended to a very positive response from everyone.
After a round of congratulations, we all found ourselves outside.
"That was a great movie, Daniel. Especially for a first-time director," Chris Henderson, CEO of Stardust, said to me.
"Thank you, Chris," I said with a smile. "In a way, you had a hand in it too. You were the one who opened the door for me. You taught me a lot."
Chris smiled. "It's funny. I feel the same way about you."
We both laughed. Chris approaching me years ago with the offer to turn Toy Story into a movie was how I ended up in the position I was in now. Being able to help Stardust rise from the ground up into a major company had been one of the biggest factors in my career. I often wondered how different things might have been if I had accepted DreamWorks' offer instead.
Margot was talking with Greta Gerwig, whose movie Lady Bird, produced by Midas, was set to release next year.
Midas was riding high at the moment. Birdman had been a major success and was sure to bring awards and prestige to the company. Margot, in particular, was already gaining momentum. The Golden Globe nominations had been announced, and she was the frontrunner in her category.
After meeting a few more people, I found myself talking with David Leitch and my right-hand man, Paul Knight.
David, of course, was the man who, along with Chad Stahelski, had directed the first John Wick movie. While he did not direct the second one, he was involved as a producer. I had hired him to direct Extraction, which was now in post-production. I had also recommended him as the director of Suicide Squad, which he was in final talks for.
I planned for Extraction to be loosely tied to the John Wick universe. There were a few references to the wider John Wick world in the movie.
At the moment, we were talking about another film I had written a treatment for and sent to him, one I wanted to work on together after Suicide Squad. It was another project that could also be loosely tied to the John Wick universe, expanding it even further.
The movie I had written the treatment for was Atomic Blonde, a film I believed could fold easily into the John Wick universe. The events would take place many years before the first John Wick movie, but it would still fit.
"Are you going to write the full script?" David asked.
"Maybe not all of it," I said. "I'm looking for a writing partner."
David nodded. "I have some people in mind who would love to work with you."
"Pick someone you think would be best," I said. "I'll look for one as well."
Paul spoke up. "Maybe we should market Extraction as part of the John Wick universe. That would get some eyes on it."
"I know everyone at Netflix is dying to do that," I said. "But I think we should let it happen naturally. Maybe leak a few small details. That would draw the attention of our most dedicated fans. After the two-week theatrical window we agreed on, I'm sure people will start talking about the connection and then flood to Netflix to watch it."
David grinned. "That's a good idea."
We continued talking as we walked. David and I discussed Suicide Squad and what he expected from me.
After seeing the guests off, I found myself back in my office at Midas with Margot.
"I need to work with Greta," Margot said, leaning against my desk.
I looked up. "I hope we can continue our partnership," I said. Greta was a good director, and I wanted her to make the Barbie movie with Margot in the future.
Margot crossed her arms, smirking. "Speaking of working together, when are we going to do that?"
I leaned back in my chair. "Well, I have this idea for a movie."
"Oh?" she said, interested, as she sat down on my lap. "What's it about?"
"Well, a woman marries into a wealthy family. Everything seems fine, but then it becomes the worst night of her life. She has to survive her wedding night because the family has this twisted tradition. A game of hide-and-seek where they hunt her to the death. Over the course of the movie, she goes from prey to hunter. It could be full horror, horror comedy, or full-on action…ehh… I don't know yet."
Margot's eyes lit up. "That sounds good."
I grinned. "Yeah, but I think your friend Samara is more suited for the movie, you know."
Margot's jaw dropped. "Wow. Really?" She was half offended, half amused.
"Yeah," I said.
"Yeah?" she repeated.
"Hey, aren't you looking for more serious roles? Like biopics?" I teased.
"I can do these movies too!" Margot protested. "You act like I'm not doing Suicide Squad."
I grinned wider.
Margot narrowed her eyes. "Come on. At least tell me the whole story."
"Let's go get dinner and head home," I said as I stood up, making her stand as well.
"I'm not joking. I liked it."
"Sure," I said.
"I mean, shouldn't you be a good friend and let your friend have the role?"
Margot narrowed her eyes at me as we walked.
"I'm not that good of a friend," she muttered.
I laughed, slipping an arm around her as we walked. Honestly, I did not really have a plan to make the movie. It was just fun teasing her about it.