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John Travolta's new thriller 'The Fanatic' made less than £50 per cinema on its opening day

John Travolta plays an obsessed fan in Fred Durst's thriller 'The Fanatic'. (Credit: Quiver Distribution)
John Travolta plays an obsessed fan in Fred Durst's thriller 'The Fanatic'. (Credit: Quiver Distribution)

John Travolta’s new film has fallen flat on its face at American cinemas, earning less than £50 per venue on its opening Friday.

The Hollywood Reporter wrote that The Fanatic, directed by Limp Bizkit frontman Fred Durst, earned $3,153 from 52 cinemas on Friday for a dismal site average of just $60 (£49.69).

In some multiplexes, the film made less than $10 (£8.28), while even its most lucrative venue only yielded $736 (£610).

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The Fanatic stars Travolta as autistic man Moose, who is obsessed with horror movie actor Hunter Dunbar (Devon Sawa) to the point that he sets about destroying the star’s life.

John Travolta participates during a Q&A panel on Day 2 at Wizard World 2019. (Photo by Rob Grabowski/Invision/AP)
John Travolta participates during a Q&A panel on Day 2 at Wizard World 2019. (Photo by Rob Grabowski/Invision/AP)

Based on these opening numbers, the movie is unlikely to earn more than $15,000 (£12,425) over the Labor Day long weekend in the States.

This would position the film as Travolta’s worst ever opening in a lead role, behind Killing Season, which co-starred Robert De Niro and made $27,713 (£22,981) across its three-day debut in 2016.

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Alongside its box office disappointment, The Fanatic has been savaged by critics and currently boasts an approval score of just 17% on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes.

Variety described the film as “paralyzingly awkward”, while The Wrap called it an “offensively garish Frankenstein pantomime”.

John Travolta, left, and Fred Durst attend the LA premiere of "The Fanatic" at the Egyptian Theatre on Thursday, Aug. 22, 2019, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP)
John Travolta, left, and Fred Durst attend the LA premiere of "The Fanatic" at the Egyptian Theatre on Thursday, Aug. 22, 2019, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP)

Travolta, meanwhile, provoked headlines last week when he accidentally tried to hand Taylor Swift’s prize at the MTV Video Music Awards to drag queen and Swift impersonator Jade Jolie.

The former RuPaul’s Drag Race was on stage as a result of her part in the winning music video — Swift’s LGBTQ-focused pop anthem You Need to Calm Down.

Swift has since responded to the bizarre flub, with friend and choreographer Todrick Hall saying the singer found the 65-year-old’s mistake “hilarious”.

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Travolta has become known for embarrassing awards show blunders, having infamously referred to Frozen star Idina Menzel as “Adele Dazeem” when introduing her at the Oscars in 2014.

The Fanatic, perhaps unsurprisingly, does not currently have a UK release date.