Director of the original The Crow movie shades new remake over box office failure

Back in 1994, exactly one million years ago, Alex Proyas released The Crow into theaters. A gothy, violent action spectacle about a rock musician who returns from the dead to take vengeance on the people who killed him and his fiancé, The Crow tapped into the budding emo spirit of the youth at the time. I personally know someone who has multiple Crow tattoos, so the movie meant something to people at one point.

Part of the movie's lasting legacy involves star Brandon Lee, the son of Bruce Lee, who died during production. The Crow had a lot of sequels, and Alex Proyas has long disapproved of all them, including the new remake starring Bill Skarsgård in the lead role, because he considers them made in bad taste. According to The A.V. Club, Proyas once wrote on Facebook about the new movie: "I really don’t get any joy from seeing negativity about any fellow filmmakers work. And I’m certain the cast and crew really had all good intentions, as we all do on any film. So it pains me to say any more on this topic, but I think the fan’s response speaks volumes.THE CROW is not just a movie. Brandon Lee died making it, and it was finished as a testament to his lost brilliance and tragic loss. It is his legacy. That’s how it should remain."

Well, the remake came out this weekend, and if the terrible reviews weren't enough to sink it, the box office returns should do the trick: according to Variety, the movie took in just $4.6 million domestically despite being in 2,752. The movie cost $50 million to produce, so unless there's a miracle, this is a megaton bomb.

Proyas took to Facebook to comment on the development, sounding a little less tactful this time. “Wow. Box office is a bloodbath,” he posted. And later: “I thought the remake was a cynical cash-grab. Not much cash to grab it seems.”

Proyas still works in film, although the last movie he directed was 2016's Gods of Egypt, which was also a big budget bomb. As for The Crow remake, I think we can safely predict it will soon fade from living memory. Deadpool & Wolverine, which has made over $1.2 billion at the box office so far, was back on top this past weekend. The Crow came in eighth place.

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