Amsterdam makes just $6.5m at box office despite $80m budget

David O Russell’s star-studded period drama Amsterdam performed poorly in its domestic box office debut, earning just $6.5m (£5.8m)) compared to its $80m (£72.4m) production cost.

Set in 1930s New York, the murder mystery stars Christian Bale, Margot Robbie and John David Washington as three suspects who are trying to prove their innocence, and also features appearances from Anya Taylor-Joy, Rami Malek, Robert De Niro and Taylor Swift.

But its famous cast couldn’t avoid poor reviews from critics and little buzz from audiences upon its release on 7 October, causing it to flop at the US box office despite initial hopeful predictions.

According to pre-release tracking, Amsterdam was predicted to open with earnings from $17m to $20m (£15.3m to £18.1m), but those projections were revised down following negative press.

In a three-star review for The Independent, Jessie Thompson wrote that despite being stylish and packed with charming performances, Amsterdam is full of “manic plotting, self-indulgence, and a thickly laid-on, twee message about love and art”. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film scores just 33 per cent.

Amsterdam is Russell’s first film in seven years and follows on from previous successes such as Silver Linings Playbook and American Hustle.

The film came third on box office charts behind Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile, an animated family film starring singer Shawn Mendes that placed second, and horror film Smile.