Movies

3 Years Later, Rebecca Ferguson's New Sci-Fi to Redeem Her $16.4M Flop

3 Years Later, Rebecca Ferguson's New Sci-Fi to Redeem Her $16.4M Flop
Image credit: Kilter Films

Despite her success with the Dune movies and Silo, the actress has yet to put this one to rest.

Summary

  • Rebecca Ferguson is one of the most sought-after actresses in Hollywood right now.
  • She has an impressive filmography.
  • But a 2021 sci-fi movie is blotting her acting copybook.

Rebecca Ferguson has been nominated for and won awards in several categories, including Best Actress in a Television Series for Silo and Best Actress in a Science Fiction/Fantasy Movie for Dune.

There's a good chance she'll get more nominations for Dune: Part Two, which has already grossed nearly $697 million since its release last month and looks set to be one of the biggest films of 2024.

Other notable successes for the Swedish-born actress include playing:

  • Jenny Lind in The Greatest Showman
  • Ilsa Faust in the Mission: Impossible franchise
  • Rose the Hat in Doctor Sleep

Next year, she'll star opposite Chris Pratt in the sci-fi detective film Mercy. But for all her success, she still has one sci-fi ghost to lay to rest.

She couldn't quite replicate her previous success when teaming up with a former co-star

In 2017, Ferguson starred opposite Hugh Jackman in "The Greatest Showman. The film was a huge success at the box office, grossing $435 million against a production budget of $84 million.

It's not highly regarded by critics, with a 57% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, but viewers gave it an 86% rating, and the film won several awards, including a Grammy for its soundtrack.

In 2021, Ferguson and Jackman reunited for Lisa Joy's Reminiscence. The neo-noir sci-fi listed Ferguson as second billing to Jackman, though her character, Mae, felt more like a bit-part character due to limited screen time.

3 Years Later, Rebecca Ferguson's New Sci-Fi to Redeem Her $16.4M Flop - image 1

Not that Rebecca Ferguson had much hope of saving this disastrous movie. Let's face it, Hugh Jackman is not a bad actor, is he?

The movie bombed at the box office

It's hard to imagine how Reminiscence could have been a bigger flop:

  • It grossed $16.4 million against a $68 million budget.
  • In its first week, it broke the record for the lowest first-week gross ($2 million) for a movie released in more than 3,000 theaters.
  • It was projected to make at least $3 million in its opening weekend.

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a critics score of just 36%. Unfortunately for Ferguson and Jackman, this time the audience agreed and gave it a 37% rating.

Needless to say, it wasn't nominated for any awards.

Ferguson is set to have a major role in Mercy

Rebecca Ferguson is arguably at the height of her powers right now. She may go on to bigger and better things, but her star is currently shining as brightly as ever.

Chris Pratt undoubtedly has star pedigree and together the two have the potential to make Mercy a huge success.

Set in the near future where crime rates have skyrocketed, the movie follows the story of a detective who is accused of a crime he did not commit.

While full details of the plot and Rebecca Ferguson's role have yet to be revealed, it's believed that she'll have a prominent part to play and will be a main character who actually gets enough screen time to warrant it.

As the first co-star to be brought in after Chris Pratt was confirmed, it seems the producers were keen to have her on board, which can only be a positive for the actress and fans of (most of) her work.

Mercy is set to premiere on August 15, 2025.