As one of the duo prepares to return to the directorial field, Screen Rant‘s own Pitch Meeting series is looking back on the Wachowskis’ Jupiter Ascending. The 2015 movie revolved around a woman who learns of her heritage as a royal for an intergalactic family and the rightful owner of Earth, only to swiftly be pulled into a war between another family of royal siblings who look to acquire the planet to harvest people to extend their life spans. Led by Mila Kunis and Channing Tatum, Jupiter Ascending was a critical and commercial flop on release, holding the lowest critics score for the directorial duo on Rotten Tomatoes.

Nearly a decade after the movie first hit theaters, Screen Rant‘s Pitch Meeting series has set its sights on Jupiter Ascending. The video, as seen at the top of this article, humorously pokes fun at the 2015 movie’s various issues, including the simultaneously rushed and overstuffed plot, repetitive formula and lackluster writing. The episode also mocks Kunis’ titular character, namely her lack of any actual agency and odd connection to Tatum’s Caine.

Jupiter Ascending Marked An Unfortunate Final Chapter For The Wachowskis

In the lead up to its release, there was a fair amount of anticipation for Jupiter Ascending from fans of the Wachowskis, as it marked the first original title from the filmmaking duo in over a decade after having put their focus on adapting both Speed Racer and Cloud Atlas for the screen. As they teamed with a variety of frequent collaborators from throughout their career and promised themes akin to those explored in their groundbreaking Matrix trilogy and the Star Wars franchise, it seemed the duo would once again dominate the sci-fi sphere.

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Unfortunately, Jupiter Ascending not only landed the duo their worst critical score on Rotten Tomatoes, but also failed to break the duo out of their box office slump. Grossing $184 million internationally, the movie not only failed to recoup its reported $210 million production budget, but also couldn’t surpass its fellow competition of The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water and the holdover release of American Sniper in its domestic opening weekend, having to primarily rely on international territories. See how Jupiter Ascending compares to the Wachowskis’ other movies on Rotten Tomatoes and the box office below:

Title

RT Critics Score

RT Audience Score

Box Office

Bound

87%

83%

$7 Million

The Matrix

83%

85%

$467.6 Million

The Matrix Reloaded

74%

72%

$741.8 Million

The Matrix Revolutions

34%

60%

$427.3 Million

Speed Racer

42%

60%

$93.9 Million

Cloud Atlas

66%

66%

$130.5 Million

Jupiter Ascending

28%

38%

$184 Million

The Matrix Resurrections (Lana only)

63%

63%

$159.2 Million

While it may not have been the last of their efforts in the directorial chair, as Lana would return to co-write and direct The Matrix Resurrections without her sister Lilly, Jupiter Ascending did ultimately mark a disappointing final chapter in the Wachowskis’ partnership in movies. With Lilly announcing earlier this year that she would be making an indie drama entitled Trash Mountain by herself, and Warner Bros. also moving ahead with a fifth Matrix installment with Drew Goddard writing and directing and Lana attached to executive produce without her sister, it remains unclear if the duo will ever be able to redeem the 2015 movie.

Source: Pitch Meeting

Jupiter Ascending

PG-13
Sci-Fi
Action

Where to Watch

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From visionary directors the Wachowskis, Jupiter Ascending follows Mila Kunis’ Jupiter Jones, a cleaning woman from Chicago who discovers that she is actually the heir to a vast intergalactic noble house. With the help of genetically modified soldier Caine Wise (Channing Tatum), Jupiter must fight to protect Earth from the greedy clutches of Balem Abrasax (Eddie Redmayne) who is intent on taking over the planet for his own means. 

Director

Lana Wachowski
, andy wachowski

Release Date

February 6, 2015

Studio(s)

Warner Bros. Pictures

Distributor(s)

Warner Bros. Pictures

Writers

andy wachowski
, Lana Wachowski

Cast

Eddie Redmayne
, Sean Bean
, Mila Kunis
, Channing Tatum

Runtime

127minute

Budget

$176–210 million.