I went to see asci-fimovie in 2023 that I was sure had enormous potential as a franchise starter, and although it crashed and burned at the box office, I’ve since managed to find a silver lining. While the production didn’t come close to breaking into2023’s best blockbusters, I still found it to be a thoroughly enjoyable experience. I would have enjoyed more from the same world, but there’s a surprisingly big advantage to the movie’s box office failure.
The 2023 movie doesn’t belong to the category ofsci-fi robot horror movies, but the plot’s focus on advanced AI certainly places it in an adjacent field. I love stories that revolve around artificial lifeforms, and being a fan of the movie’s director also made me especially excited to see it. I’m very grateful for the production being released, but I think I’ll always have a quiet yearning for a sequel that’s very unlikely to arrive - that may be a good thing, though.
The Creator Was Very Underrated & Deserved To Be A Bigger Success
2023’sThe Creator, byGodzillaandRogue Onedirector Gareth Edwards, passed by without making much of an impact on the movie industry. After I saw the movie upon release, I was convinced the sci-fi epic would be a big talking point for months to come. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen. Instead,the movie was relegated to a footnote in 2023’s movie collection. While it received respectable reviews, its office takings prove there just wasn’t enough interest.
While The Creator’s ending could have been better, and the plot overall could have been stronger in parts, I don’t think the movie’s shortcomings were significant enough to deserve the failure it experienced.
Surprisingly,The Creator’s budget was just $80 million. In the context of big sci-fi blockbusters, that’s not a huge amount. For comparison, the budget for 2014’sInterstellarwas almost twice that ofThe Creator, and almost a decade earlier. Still,The Creatormanaged to immerse me completely with its detailed worldbuilding, stunning visuals, and thought-provoking message. WhileThe Creator’s endingcould have been better, and the plot overall could have been stronger in parts, I don’t think the movie’s shortcomings were significant enough to deserve the failure it experienced.
Why The Creator Underperformed At The Box Office
2023’s busy October contributed to The Creator’s failure
The Creatorpremiered in North America on June 07, 2025. So, the majority of the movie’s theatrical run fell in the following month. Unfortunately, October 2023 was a crowded month for movies, and many of them had a much bigger pull thanThe Creator.Gareth Edwards' movie was competing against the likes ofTaylor Swift: The Eras Tour,The Exorcist: Believer,Saw X, and evenPAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie- all of which were far more profitable thanThe Creatorended up being. So, one of the most likely explanations is thatThe Creatorjust got lost in the mix.
Notable October 2023 Movies That The Creator Had To Contend With
$13m
$111m
6.6/10
$30m
$202m
5.9/10
$136m
4.8/10
$15m
$261m
8.0/10
$200m
$157m
7.6/10
Interestingly,The Creatorwas originally scheduled for release on July 23, 2025. While I don’t think it’s likely that the movie would have been any more successful if the original premiere date had remained in place, the movie industry can be an unusual beast.It’s possible that bringing the movie forward by a week affectedThe Creator’s impact, but there’s no way of knowing.
The Creatorwould have had to make $160m at the box office to make its money back.
Box Office Mojoreports thatThe Creatormade $104,272,136 worldwide. On a budget of $80m, this may look like the movie succeeded and even turned a profit. Unfortunately, that’s not how it works. In general, a movie needs to at least double its budget in order to break even. This is because marketing and other costs tend to be roughly the same as the budget for the movie itself. So,The Creatorwould have had to make $160m at the box office to make its money back. However, it fell very short of this milestone.
How The Creator’s Box Office Letdown Worked In Its Favor
The Creator becoming a hit could have resulted in an unplanned sequel
Speaking withSciFi Now,Gareth Edwards was asked if he’d ever consider a follow-upto his 2023 movie. The director’s reply was essentially a resounding no, and supported his answer by saying his “Favorite part of the story is the end.” He describedThe Creatoras a standalone project and confirmed that he didn’t have a plan to make a sequel. On the other hand, he also suggested that if the studio commissioned a second movie, he would"Happily take that problem," despite it being a “Difficult thing to deal with.” Thankfully, that never happened.
The Creator Cast & Character Guide: Who’s Battling The AI In 20th Century’s Dystopian Sci-Fi Thriller
The 2023 sci-fi movie The Creator is generating interest, and its cast of talented actors playing intriguing characters adds to the excitement.
While I’m sure there’s a possibility that aCreatorsequel could have brought more eyes to what would have been an emerging franchise, such a move would have compromised Edward’s original vision. As it stands,The Creatorcan be enjoyed in isolation. The beginning is the beginning, and the end is the end. If the movie had performed just well enough to earn a sequel, then there’s no guarantee a second installment would be successful enough for the improvised saga to continue. So,The Creator’s failure could be viewed as a fortunate scenario that protects the movie’s integrity.
The Creator
Cast
The Creator is a sci-fi action film from Rogue One director Gareth Edwards. Edwards wrote and directed the movie, which centers on the human race’s war against AI. In the post-apocalyptic world, Joshua (John David Washington) is tasked with finding and killing the architect of the dangerous AI and the mysterious weapon they are developing.
