Release: Falling on the Cross

 

Falling on the Cross

Genre: Sports/Drama

Director: Stephen Merchant

Writer: Jacob Jones

Cast: Jodie Comer, Leo Woodall, Calam Lynch, Daniel Sharman, Rebecca Romijn, Milo Gibson, Oba Femi, Joaquin Wilde, Asuka, Thea Trinidad, Anaïs Demoustier, Jacob Jones (cameo)

Budget: $19,000,000

Domestic Box Office: $12,150,196

Foreign Box Office: $10,777,104

Total Profit: -$11,900,003

Reaction:  This film was a bit of a challenge for our marketing department as it depicts a sport without including of the stars or leagues fans of the sport will know and want to see immortalized on the big screen. Thankfully costs were pretty low on the film, which means that even though the film lost money the losses stayed fairly small.

"Falling on the Cross presents itself as a modern wrestling drama with a thoughtful character study at its center, but it does stumble over its own ideas a bit. I must say that the film’s decision to populate its world entirely with fictional wrestlers and promotions feels like the kind of misstep that could hurt at the box office. Jodie Comer gives it her all, but the supporting cast is uneven at best, with many lacking either the acting chops or the ring presence to convince in roles that demand both. Clearly writer Jacob Jones threw a lot of passion into the project, which does help make up for a lot of its shortcomings. My review may seem mostly negative, but I'd still say it is worth checking out for the high levels of passion involved." - Artemis Howe, Manhattan Argus

“An incredibly long film that just didn’t know when to end. I know Jacob Jones can be a good writer, but I feel as if he got too caught up in the wrestling of it all and forgot the key to a great story is a great story. I just simply don’t think these wrestling movies work for the most part.” - J. Darell Ellington, Behind the Camera

"Falling on the Cross unfortunately feels like a 2.5-hour fanfic where nobody had the guts to license actual wrestlers. Aside from Milo Gibson, who delivers the only performance with any pulse or energy, the cast is mostly awkward, undercooked, and not very believable (either as an actor, wrestler, or both). The characters felt about as generic as their wrestling names, which doesn't help the fairly predictable story arc stand out. While there are some interesting individual scenes in the film, the proceedings are entirely too long." - Brad Quinn, The National Review of Culture

Rated PG-13 for some language, wrestling violence, and some thematic elements