The fantasy adventure flick Mortal Engines is set to lose upwards of $100 million dollars at the box office, Variety reports. The Universal Pictures movie, based on a Young Adult novel and co-written by Lord of the Rings’ Peter Jackson, reportedly had a budget of just over $100 million along with “tens of millions in global marketing costs.” After openings in the U.S., U.K., Russia, Australia, and Korea, the movie has only made $42 million globally. Variety reports the movie’s upcoming release in China and a few other international markets is not expected to turn things around too much. The film reportedly adapts the book’s complex plot onto the big screen, telling the story of mobile cities on wheels—called “predator cities”—that compete for resources. The plot was reportedly one reason studios like Warner Bros. and Fox passed on the project. Critics also reportedly poked holes and took issue with the movie’s plot. “This is a true Christmas disaster and a lump of coal for Universal,” Jeff Bock, an analyst with Exhibitor Relations, told Variety.
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