While ‘Reacher‘ on Prime Video did pretty well with fans when it was released as a series, the same cannot be said for its predecessor film starring Tom Cruise in 2016.
Though the original ‘Jack Reacher‘ film was a box office success, Cruise’s reprised role in ‘Jack Reacher: Never Go Back’ was far from successful. Here’s what the film’s director Edward Zwick has to say about the film’s response and how he blames himself for it.
Why Did Tom Cruise’s ‘Reacher: Never Go Back’ Fail At The Box Office?
When ‘Jack Reacher: Never Go Back’ came out, the film only managed to earn a worldwide $162 million which was way less than its predecessor that came out four years earlier.
No offense to Tom Cruise, who’s a brilliant actor who just wasn’t cut out for a role inspired by a book character. Most people complained that the similarities between Cruise and the book version of the character were extremely low. As ridiculous as it sounds, many complained that Cruise was too short. In the books, Reacher is 6’5 whereas Cruise stood at 5’7.
Moreover, many saw the film as a cheaper version of a Tom Cruise action-packed series– coming after successful film series like ‘Mission Impossible’ starring Cruise. His star power did nothing for the film as well as it seemed like he was just doing a cheaper, knock-off version of his other action series. Towards the end, it seemed like the makers took the wrong guy- a decision that Edward Zwick looks back on and has spoken about how he feels.
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Edward Zwick Blames Himself For ‘Reacher’ Failure
In his memoir ‘Hits, Flops, and Other Illusions: My Fortysomething Years in Hollywood‘, the director opened up on the film’s failure and how it had nothing to do with Cruise and everything to do with him and Don Granger.
“‘Jack Reacher: Never Go Back,’ which Tom Cruise and I made in 2016, fizzled at the box office,” he wrote. “I blame myself (and my willing accomplice, Don Granger) for thinking the audience might enjoy a mash-up of ‘Jack Reacher’ and ‘Paper Moon,’ when in fact they just wanted more red meat.
The director then touched on fans thinking Cruise wasn’t tall enough to be Reacher. He said, “I had a wonderful time working with Cobie Smulders, and I certainly don’t blame Tom for not being six two — as the novelist Lee Child described his protagonist.”
But even after the failure of the film, Zwick reveals he’s still open to making another film with Tom as Reacher. He added, “And should Tom happen to call about making a third movie together, I’ll definitely pick up.”
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