LOTR director’s new film an ‘epic flop’

It was supposed to be Peter Jackson’s triumphant return to film, but instead Mortal Engines looks set to lose millions at the box office.

Peter Jackson’s fantasy film Mortal Engines has been labelled an “epic flop” after a dismal performance at the box office.

Variety reports the film, which cost $139 million to make, has made only $58.55 million globally since its release earlier this month.

The movie has now been tipped to lose between $139-$174 million in cinemas, with analyst Jeff Bock telling Variety: “This is a true Christmas disaster and a lump of coal for Universal.”

Not even Hugo Weaving can save Mortal Engines

Starring Hugo Weaving, Mortal Engines is based on Philip Reeve’s best-selling novel of the same name and tells the story of a post-apocalyptic world where cities now exist on wheels.

Produced and with a screenplay written by Jackson, the movie is the Lord of the Rings director’s first major project since The Hobbit trilogy and is directed by Christian Rivers, protege of Jackson’s.

Audiences haven’t been the only ones shunning Mortal Engines, with the movie holding a dismal 28 per cent rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes.

Peter Jackson (left) wrote and produced the film, while Christian Rivers (right) directed it. Picture: Justin Lloyd.

Hester Shaw (Hera Hilmar) in Mortal Engines

The New York Post labelled the movie a “wearying blast of CGI and genre-cribbing” while the Washington Post described it as a “bloated, derivative mess”.

Entertainment Weekly was more kind, however, accusing the movie of being “virtually a beat-for-beat remake of George Lucas’ original Star Wars”.

Released in Australia on December 6, Mortal Engines has made $2.05 million at the box office locally so far, coming in sixth behind a special screening of Andre Rieu’s Sydney Town Hall Concert this past weekend.