The Remarkable Resurgence: Robert Downey Jr Reflects on Overcoming the Toughest Hurdle in His Post-MCU Journey
Robert Downey Jr reflects on his career post-MCU and addresses the lessons learned from the flop of Dolittle
Dolittle star Robert Downey Jr. candidly reflects on the notorious failure of the movie. The big-budget adaptation of Hugh Lofting's children's book The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle was intended to launch the actor's next major franchise after his departure from the Marvel Cinematic Universe. However, the 2020 blockbuster performed poorly at the box office, earning a worldwide total of $250 million, a dismal 15 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes, and receiving six Razzie award nominations, with one win.
In a recent interview with The New York Times Magazine, Downey Jr. discussed Dolittle, referring to it as a "two-and-a-half-year wound of wasted opportunity." He revealed that the failure of the film ultimately led him to reevaluate his career trajectory and seek new business advisors, as he had previously been seen as invincible after his success in the MCU. Here is his full statement:
After completing my contract with Marvel, I quickly ventured into a new project called Dolittle, which seemed to have great potential as another successful franchise. However, I had some reservations. My team and I were overly excited about the deal and neglected to consider the execution of the movie. Nevertheless, I was confident in my abilities and believed I could handle any genre of films.
One of the most significant films I've worked on in the past 25 years was Dolittle. Unfortunately, it turned out to be a missed opportunity that lasted two and a half years. However, as they say, "Never let a good crisis go to waste." We took this setback as an opportunity to reassess our priorities and made changes to our trusted business advisors.
Has Robert Downey Jr. Learned His Lesson from Dolittle?
Robert Downey Jr.'s change in priorities coincided with a challenging period for the industry. Shortly after the failure of Dolittle in theaters, the COVID-19 pandemic forced a global shutdown. As a result, Downey Jr. was absent from the big screen for three years until the release of Oppenheimer on July 21, which marked his return.
During this time, it has become evident that Downey Jr. is no longer focused on replicating the success of the MCU with a different franchise. Instead, his projects have displayed versatility and aimed to highlight his acting range. Although he has also been involved in the delayed third Sherlock Holmes sequel, it is clear that he is not completely avoiding franchises during this transitional phase.
Upcoming projects for him include Oppenheimer, the political comedy Average Height, Average Build by Adam McKay, Play Dirty by Shane Black, and a miniseries adaptation of Viet Thanh Nguyen's The Sympathizer. With these projects hitting both the big and small screen, Downey Jr. can redirect public attention towards his acting skills instead of the disappointment of his recent tentpole. This outcome contrasts greatly with what could have occurred had Dolittle been successful and led to sequels, showing that he has taken the lesson from that movie's failure seriously.
