Russell Crowe Candidly Explains What Went Wrong With Ridley Scott’s $321M Disappointment

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Russell Crowe explained what he believes led to the disappointing box office performance of his 2010 film directed by Ridley Scott.

Russell Crowe and director Ridley Scott had worked together a few times in the early 2000s, notably on the hit film Gladiator (2000). They teamed up again in 2010 for another large-scale historical movie. Unlike Gladiator, though, this film – a dark and realistic look at the beginnings of a famous story – wasn’t well-received by either critics or viewers.

I was reading Russell Crowe’s thoughts on X, and he explained why Robin Hood didn’t quite reach the same level of success as Gladiator. Apparently, a significant 17 minutes were cut from the final version that made it to theaters, and he believes that really took away from the emotional impact of the film.

Crowe explained that the director’s cut is the version of the film they originally intended to release. He noted that the theatrical release was trimmed by 17 minutes, and losing even a single minute can significantly impact a movie’s emotional connection with the audience. He encourages viewers to watch the director’s cut to experience the full, intended version of the film.

Crowe later revealed that the concept of ‘Robin Hood’ being a title passed down through families – a key element in Ridley Scott’s film – originated with him. He also indicated the movie was initially planned as the first installment in a three-part series, hinting at potential sequels he and Scott discussed.

That’s exactly what I hoped to achieve! I was really captivated by the history of Robin Hood when I started researching it, especially its connections to the Green Man legends. It’s amazing how the story has endured for centuries, and it made me think… what if Robin Hood wasn’t one person? That’s why I decided to tell the story as an origin tale, in three parts, showing that ‘Robin Hood’ was actually a title passed down through generations. It felt like the key to understanding how the legend lived on for so long.

You can now buy the extended, unrated version of Robin Hood online from popular stores like Apple TV and Amazon. It’s also included with some physical copies of the movie. This version is 156 minutes long and includes longer battle sequences and a more detailed look at the character of Marion, played by Cate Blanchett.

The original movie release was generally seen as a letdown. Despite costing around $200 million to make, it only earned $321 million worldwide. This was a significant underperformance compared to director Ridley Scott’s earlier hit, Gladiator, which made $465 million a decade prior.

Critics generally didn’t like the movie Robin Hood, finding it too dark and lacking in enjoyable characters or lightheartedness. Even with a strong cast including William Hurt, Mark Strong, Oscar Isaac, Matthew Macfadyen, and Max von Sydow, it received a 43% rating on Rotten Tomatoes (though audiences liked it a bit more, with a 58% score).

Notably, Robin Hood was the final film pairing for Russell Crowe and director Ridley Scott, following a decade of successful collaborations including A Good Year (2006), American Gangster (2007), and Body of Lies (2008). Although it’s uncertain if they’ll work together again, Crowe has expressed regret that so much footage was cut from their 2010 movie.

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2026-02-16 22:48