Robert Downey Jr’s Upcoming Movie Risks Continuing His Post-MCU Box Office Slump | CPT PPP Coverage

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Robert Downey Jr.’s participation in the upcoming remake of Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo has the potential to recover his post-MCU box office slump, but it also risks contributing to it. Nearly a decade after performing as MCU figurehead Iron Man, Downey Jr. retired the popular character in the hopes of expanding to fresh roles that could break him out of the Tony Stark mold. Downey Jr. fosters nearly 50 years of acting experience, which he should be able to leverage outside the limits of the MCU. However, his post-MCU experiences haven’t gone as smoothly as expected.

Up to this point, the pinnacle of Downey Jr.’s post-MCU career is his involvement in the cast of Christopher Nolan’s historic thriller Oppenheimer, where he plays Lewis Strauss. Oppenheimer is an assured box office win, making $560.9 million (via Box Office Mojo) and counting. However, Oppenheimer’s success is in stark contrast to Downey Jr.’s other post-MCU release, the 2020 film revival Dolittle, which produced a measly $251.4 million against a $175 million budget (via The Numbers). The actor could potentially stabilize his post-MCU streak with the Vertigo remake, but there’s also a risk it could bomb like Dolittle did.

Robert Downey Jr.’s Vertigo Remake Is A Massive Box Office Risk

News of Downey Jr.’s Vertigo remake plans are already concerning, as the project seems like an overzealous attempt to recreate classic cinema for a film that no one called to be remade. Hitchcock’s Vertigo is held in high regard as a cinematic treasure and a crime and thriller masterpiece. It’s often lauded as one of the greatest films of all time. Remakes and revivals are often a shot in the dark with audiences, especially for films and franchises deemed classics. They also pose massive risks when being brought to theaters, where their performance frequently flops.

Dolittle is a great example of this. Downey Jr. sought to revive the material found in Hugh Lofting’s children’s books, which were consequently made famous by several Dr. Dolittle films, including Eddie Murphy’s rendition that grossed $294 million worldwide (via Box Office Mojo). The risk failed to pay off for Downey Jr.’s Dolittle box office bomb, which is indicative of the difficulties that revivals face. Remakes of other Hitchcock movies have encountered similar problems. Failures like Gus Van Sant’s Psycho have demonstrated that Hitchcock remakes aren’t moneymakers, nor are they particularly in demand.

Vertigo Could Finally Prove Robert Downey Jr. Still Needs Iron Man

If Downey Jr.’s Vertigo plans end up failing, it would prove that the actor still needs to hold onto Marvel’s Iron Man character to maintain a good record at the box office. The MCU is a multi-billion dollar entity that Downey Jr. has heavily influenced as a headlining figure in three standalone and six ensemble movies. Vertigo has to become a success for Downey Jr., as its failure would cement the actor in a post-MCU slump that makes his move away from Marvel seem premature and unfortunate.

Source: Box Office Mojo, The Numbers, Box Office Mojo