The Alto Knights was a highly anticipated mafia drama starring the legendary Robert De Niro. The two-time Academy Award winner is no stranger to mafia movies, and Warner Bros. hoped this would bring a box office bump. Unfortunately, the trend of lackluster box office results continued. The movie had a disastrous debut, barely earning anything in the opening weekend.
Robert De Niro’s The Alto Knights Struggles At The Box Office
Directed by Barry Levinson, known for his work on Rain Man and featuring Robert De Niro in a dual role portraying iconic mob bosses Frank Costello and Vito Genovese, The Alto Knights seemed like it could be a box office darling. However, despite its stellar cast and storyline, the film faced stiff competition from Disney’s live-action remake of Snow White, which swooped in to claim the No. 1 spot at the box office, debuting with a respectable $45.5 million. According to Deadline, The Alto Knights has a projected opening weekend gross of a mere $3 million, landing it at No. 6, not even in the top five.
How bad was this for The Alto Knights? With a production budget of $50 million, the film faces an uphill battle to recoup its costs. Generally, a movie needs to earn back two and a half times its budget to break even, factoring in production costs and marketing expenses. For this film, this means a target of $125 million, which seems increasingly unattainable given its current trajectory. Not even cracking the top five for the weekend doesn’t give much hope for a second-weekend bump.
Second Life In Streaming?
While its theatrical performance may leave much to be desired, there is still hope for “The Alto Knights” to find its audience beyond the cinema halls. We’ve seen many movies become popular once they hit streaming services. Better Man, the biopic movie about Robbie Williams, flopped at the box office but has been one of the most watched movies on Paramount+. This is the second straight movie that has underperformed for Warner Bros. Mickey 17 had a lackluster performance and is reportedly headed to digital soon.
This movie could have a similar fate. The film’s cast, featuring acclaimed actors like Debra Messing and Cosmo Jarvis alongside De Niro, could attract fans eager to see their favorite stars in action. While critics have given the movie a lukewarm reception with a 39% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, audience reception may differ, and sometimes, it’s the audiences that ultimately decide a film’s fate. Many movies become cult classics years later after people rediscover the film years later.
Final Thoughts
While The Alto Knights may have stumbled out of the gate, in today’s day and age, it is far from a forgotten film. Its potential success might just be waiting in the hands of streaming audiences across the globe. Is this the new future for movies?
