Star-studded Hollywood film axed from cinemas after major box office flop

Despite calling in Oscar nominees and the scream queen herself Jamie Lee Curtis, Disney’s latest film has failed to make a splash.

Political comedy, Ella McCay, has reportedly been pulled from its French theatrical release date (January 7) after flopping at the box office.

Fronted by Sex Education’s Emma Mackey, the story follows a young woman as she takes over as governor of an unnamed state, only to be followed by scandal.

From her estranged father to her blackmailing husband, Ella’s world begins to collapse around her as she struggles to maintain her position.

Jamie Lee stars as her aunt Helen, while Kumail Nanjiani, Jack Lowden, Ayo Edebiri and Woody Harrelson round out the core cast.

Ella McCay is also directed by James L. Brooks, best known for directing Terms of Endearment and co-creating The Simpsons.

This marks his return to the directing chair for the first time in 15 years, but sadly, the film has been critically panned.

It first hit cinemas on December 12, but became one of the worst opening weekends of all time, recouping just $2.1 million of its $35 million budget.

The second week didn’t fare any better, with a drop off around 75%, according to Box Office Mojo, which puts it at one of the 100 worst second weeks in box office history.

It’s unclear why cinemagoers have been giving this a miss but the critics score on Rotten Tomatoes probably doesn’t help, as it sits at 24%.

The Financial Times’ Jonathan Romney called it a ‘woolly, self-congratulatory fossil of a film’, giving it one star.

John Nugent, from Empire Magazine, branded it an ‘odd, messy shambles’, noting: ‘You can’t fault the earnest tone or the plucky performances, but you can fault almost everything else.’

Meanwhile, the audience reviews have been kinder, landing at 54%, with viewer James D saying it is ‘too quirky and earnest for its own good.’

Potentially, this audience uptick could bode well for when the film inevitably arrives on streaming.

This is Emma’s first lead in a feature film since 2022’s Emily, where she starred as the titular Emily Brontë.

She was predicted to be a breakout star from Sex Education, having won the BAFTA Rising Star Award in 2023.

Even with a fairly stacked cast for a drama-comedy, it seems Ella McCay won’t be voted for a second term by audiences.

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