The Shia LaBeouf Film That Made History by Selling Just One Ticket

Shia LaBeouf was once the king of summer blockbusters, starring in massive franchises like Transformers and Indiana Jones. But over the years, his career took a sharp turn. After several high-profile controversies, including allegations of abuse and arrests related to alcohol, LaBeouf fell out of favor in Hollywood.

He started focusing on strange performance art projects and independent films, moving away from mainstream movies. While this led to some interesting performances, it also meant that big audiences stopped following him.

This change was made painfully obvious in 2015 with the release of Man Down. The British release of the war thriller was so limited that it played in only one theater. Even as a “token” screening, which sometimes happens for digital releases, the attendance was shocking: only one ticket was sold during its opening. Reports suggest that even this might have been a discounted ticket, meaning the movie barely made any money at all.

The poor turnout in the UK reflected the film’s performance worldwide. Despite a strong cast including Gary Oldman and Jai Courtney, Man Down made just $167,085 globally against a $3 million budget. Critics were not kind. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a 16% approval rating from 55 reviews.

“Well-intentioned but overall misjudged, Man Down makes an unfortunately muddled attempt to mine thoughtful drama out of modern warfare’s emotional wreckage,” the site notes. The Hollywood Reporter’s Deborah Young said, “[Shia LaBeouf’s] performance is over-powered by the film’s grandiose, misplaced ambition to switch back and forth between genres, from the war film to sci fi, from family film to the intimately psychological.”

Other critics were equally harsh. Kenji Fujishima of Slant Magazine wrote, “Sadly, Montiel fails his lead actor, trashing Drummer’s anguish by turning it into a parlor trick, thus denying him the humanity LaBeouf so valiantly tries to convey.”

Man Down follows a U.S. Marine who returns from Afghanistan to find his hometown destroyed and his family missing. The film tried to mix post-apocalyptic survival with a psychological study of trauma, but audiences largely rejected it. It had premiered at the Venice International Film Festival in 2015 before its 2016 release in theaters via Lionsgate Premiere.

Even after this humiliating box office moment, LaBeouf has continued to work steadily in Hollywood. He recently returned to the big screen in Francis Ford Coppola’s Megalopolis, starring alongside Adam Driver and Giancarlo Esposito. He has also taken on spiritual roles, such as the title character in Abel Ferrara’s Padre Pio, during which LaBeouf converted to Catholicism. On the personal front, he is married to actress Mia Goth, and they have a child together.

Although LaBeouf has stepped away from blockbuster hits, he remains a fascinating figure in Hollywood. His career reflects the ups and downs of fame, personal struggles, and artistic experimentation. Critics and fans continue to watch his next moves closely. He has also expressed interest in directing more of his own material, following the success of his autobiographical film Honey Boy.

“Despite the audience knowing what is going to happen in advance of it occurring, and how it is all going to end, the film still manages to elicit a response,” noted Josh Lasser of IGN, showing that some people saw value in LaBeouf’s performance even if the wider audience didn’t.

Man Down may have sold just one ticket at one theater, but LaBeouf’s career is far from over. His story is a reminder that fame and talent don’t always guarantee box office success.

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