Tom Hooper’s Cats film award considerations pulled by Universal. The latest musical stage production to be adapted for the big screen has been in theaters for less than two weeks as of this writing, but so far the reception of Cats has been anything but encouraging.
Originally a lavish stage production by the highly respected composer Andrew Lloyd Webber, Cats debuted in 1981 to much praise and fanfare. Since then, the hit musical has gone on to be performed around the world, and won numerous prestigious awards. The success of the production has allowed it to gross over $3 billion internationally, prompting Universal to decide that a film adaptation could continue to build on the musical’s success. By 2016, word had spread that a Cats film adaptation was on its way, with Hooper directing. Hooper had previously gained acclaim for his work on such Oscar favorites as The King’s Speech and an adaptation of the international hit musical Les Miserables. Unfortunately, Cats has failed to replicate Hooper’s previous successes. In fact, the Cats film has performed abysmally, earning just $15.3 million internationally in its first six days, making it highly likely that the star-studded affair will be unable to recoup its $100 million budget.
As the negative Cats reviews continue to pile up, things just seem to be going from bad to worse for Cats. The latest evidence of this comes from Variety, who have reported that Universal has cut the film from its For Your Consideration page. The page marks a primary step in a studio’s journey to set up its films for awards, by providing a guide that lists the relevant qualifying categories as well as a schedule of upcoming screenings. In addition to this, Cats has also reportedly been left off the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ streaming platform, which allows Academy members to watch Oscar contenders.
Given its current status as one of the worst cinematic blunders of the year (and possibly the decade), it’s unlikely to surprise many that Cats would not be a strong contender for any awards. By leaving it off its FYC page, Universal is quite resolutely demonstrating that it no longer has any interest in salvaging the film’s ability to garner praise, and that any attempt to do so would likely only increase the degree of scorn already aimed at it. Clearly, the studio has already moved on, leaving Hooper to deal with the bulk of the film’s negative attention. It’s an unfortunate situation for anyone to be in, but such are the risks in the world of filmmaking.
Bouncing back from a box office failure is never an easy task for anyone, but with a bomb of this calibre, things become even trickier. The stage production of the musical won’t fare any worse for the film’s failure, nor will Universal, or the substantial list of talented actors involved. It is Hooper’s storm to weather, unfortunately, and the public would do well to remember that while Cats may not be a perfect film, Hooper’s past work has given us plenty of reason to believe that his future remains a bright one.
