A $225 million fantasy that lived up to expectations by cratering at the box office returns from streaming exile

At no point during the entire existence of 2013’s 47 Ronin did anyone outwith the production seem convinced in the slightest that it stood any chance of being a success, which leads you to wonder why Universal spent so much money making it in the first place.

Hiring a first-time feature director to oversee a $175 million fantasy epic is a risky proposition as it is, one that backfired horrendously when Carl Rinsch was effectively shut out of the movie after the end of principal photography, with hefty reshoots bringing the costs up to an incomprehensible $225 million.

There was also whitewashing backlash to contend with after Keanu Reeves was cast in the lead role, as well as a hefty yearlong delay that saw everyone involved doing their damndest to try and polish the monumental turd everyone knew the studio had on its hands.

In the end, 47 Ronin did exactly what was expected of it, by cratering at the box office and instantly securing a reputation as one of the biggest box office bombs of all-time. When the dust had settled, Universal were left over $100 million out of pocket, while a 16 percent Rotten Tomatoes score puts it among the bottom rung of big budget bastardizations to have emerged in the last decade.

A surprisingly competent Netflix sequel emerged to find minor success late last year, but for unknown reasons it’s the OG that’s swinging its sword on streaming again, with FlixPatrol revealing 47 Ronin to be one of iTunes’ most popular releases midway through the week. We’ll put it down to Keanu, because there’s not much else going for it.