When Murder on the Orient Express turned out to be a serious sleeper hit after earning $352 million at the box office back in late 2017, with the old-fashioned mystery thriller landing strong reviews in the process, fans were hyped when it was confirmed that director and star Kenneth Branagh would be diving into the Agatha Christie back catalogue once again to adapt Death on the Nile.
If the second outing for Hercule Poirot and his glorious facial furniture had arrived as scheduled in December 2019, then the chances are high it may have been received much better. Unfortunately, several key members of the cast saw their personal and professional reputations nosedive by the time the movie finally hit theaters in February of this year.
In the interim, Gal Gadot had been the subject of several cancellation attempts, while she still hasn’t been forgiven for spearheading that excruciating “Imagine” video. Meanwhile, Armie Hammer’s mainstream career appears to be over after a series of shockingly disturbing revelations and accusations were made public, Russell Brand’s YouTube activity drew plenty of derision and even an investigation, while Black Panther: Wakanda Forever fans have been lambasting Letita Wright at every turn.
Despite four important cogs in the machine falling foul of both the public and the media, Death on the Nile still managed to earn $134 million at a pandemic-stricken box office, and it’s become a huge hit on streaming since being made available on demand.
As per FlixPatrol, the only film in history to open with a black-and-white origin story for a mustache is the second most-watched title on both HBO Max and iTunes in the United States, as well as the seventh-biggest hit on Disney Plus’ global charts, an excellent return for a maligned and long-delayed effort.