‘What’s with the monkey?’: Director Michael Gracey on why Better Man flopped at the box office

Award-winning director Michael Gracey has opened up on why his critically acclaimed film Better Man failed to fire at the box office, admitting the film style “really confuses people”.

Better Man director has revealed why he thinks the Robbie Williams film failed to fire at the box office. Picture: Supplied

Award-winning director Michael Gracey has opened up on why his critically acclaimed film Better Man failed to fire at the box office.

Based on the life of British pop superstar Robbie Williams, Better Man was made in Melbourne and on Friday was named Best Film and Gracey named Best Director at the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Awards.

Jonno Davies, Robbie Williams and Michael Gracey at the 2025 AACTA Awards. Picture: Dan Peled/Getty Images

Better Man director Michael Gracey said his film Better Man ‘just did not connect’ with audiences. Picture: Supplied

In total the film, which cost around $110m but has struggled to get bums on seats in cinemas, won nine AACTA awards.

“It just did not connect,” Gracey said of the masterful movie in which Williams was portrayed as a monkey.

“Lots of people have lots of theories about it. I think the best way to describe it is it is an art house idea in a mainstream film and it really confuses people.

“It has got all the markings of a really big studio film, but it is a really quirky idea and it sort of just divided the audience.

“People who would usually go to quirky films go, ‘I don’t want to go to that, it looks like some big studio film,’ and people who like to go to big studio films go, ‘What’s with the monkey?’ and in America people go, ‘What’s with Robbie Williams and why do I care?’.

“So it sort of just fell between the cracks.”

Michael Gracey directed film Better Man, based on the life of Robbie Williams. Picture: Jesse Grant/Getty Images

Gracey, who made the comments at an ACCTA Festival seminar on the Gold Coast, said he was confident a sizeable audience would discover the film in the future.

“I am incredibly proud of the film. It is terrible that it did not quite find an audience in the box office but I hope in time it will find that audience.”

Melbourne born Gracey, the director of The Greatest Showman which took $469m at the box office, said he was thrilled the film had been recognised by ACCTA.