Margot Robbie Reflects on Babylon's Box Office Failure: "I Still Don’t Get Why People Hated It"

Margot Robbie recently opened up on the Talking Pictures podcast about her confusion over the negative reception of Babylon, the 2022 Hollywood epic she starred in alongside Brad Pitt. Directed by Oscar-winner Damien Chazelle, the film explored the turbulent transition from silent films to talkies in 1920s Hollywood. Despite its $80 million budget, Babylon bombed at the box office, earning just $15 million domestically and $63 million worldwide.

“I still don’t understand why people hated it,” Robbie admitted during the interview. “I loved it and believed in it. Maybe in 20 years, people will look back and think, ‘Wait, Babylon didn’t do well?’ Like how The Shawshank Redemption was considered a flop at the time.”

Robbie, who played Nellie LaRoy, a character inspired by real-life silent film star Clara Bow, recalled her positive experience working with Chazelle. “Damien wanted more—always more,” she said. To perfect Nellie’s voice, Robbie tested 51 different accents, ranging from Bostonian to a mix of Fran Drescher and Snooki. “It was like doing a one-woman show,” she added.

While audiences were lukewarm, critics were divided. Variety’s Peter Debruge called the film an “exuberantly messy” take on Hollywood’s early days, describing it as “an acid spin on Singin’ in the Rain.” However, its extravagant production and timing made it difficult to recover costs, especially in a post-pandemic movie landscape.

Chazelle himself acknowledged the film’s financial failure in a previous Talking Pictures interview. “Certainly, in financial terms, Babylon didn’t work at all,” he admitted, adding that he’s unsure if he’ll secure a similar budget for future projects. Despite the setbacks, Chazelle remains focused on his next film, though its fate remains uncertain.