If your only knowledge of Reminiscence prior to its release in the summer of 2021 was the marketing campaign, then you’d have every reason to believe it was little more than a thinly-veiled ripoff of Christopher Nolan’s cerebral sci-fi back catalogue.
That wouldn’t actually be too far from the truth, though, seeing as the ambitious dystopian crime thriller marked the feature-length directorial debut of Lisa Joy, who co-created Westworld alongside Nolan’s brother and regular collaborator Jonathan, while the two are also happily married.
It would seem that certain stylistic and aesthetic tropes run in the family, then, but to say that Reminiscence didn’t perform at the box office to Nolan-like levels would be a massive understatement. While the Hugh Jackman-led futuristic noir did end up setting a record, it wasn’t the kind anyone wants their film to be associated with.
After debuting to $2 million in its opening weekend to place ninth on the domestic charts, the lukewarm descent into a citywide conspiracy secured the ignominy of having the lowest-grossing first frame for any movie in history that opened on at least 3000 screens, which is not a legacy to be shouted from the rooftops.
That being said, Reminiscence has proven to be a reliable performer on streaming in the past, and it’s back at it again after FlixPatrol revealed it to be one of the most-watched titles on both the Prime Video and HBO Max worldwide rankings. Its reputation has long since been secured, but at least people are still willing to give it a chance.
