The Big Picture

• Monkey Man still doesn't have a release date in India due to its political subject matter.
• Monkey Man has punched past $28 million at the global box office.
• Despite underperforming at the box office, Monkey Man has strong positive reviews with an 88% certified fresh score on Rotten Tomatoes.

Despite the late-period (and highly publicized) attachment of star-producer Jordan Peele, the stylized action movie Monkey Man hasn’t quite performed to box office expectations. The movie continued its downward spiral at the domestic box office as it entered its third week of release while delivering muted numbers in its staggered international roll-out. Monkey Man serves as Dev Patel’s directorial debut and has had a rather tumultuous and well-documented road to release.

The movie added around $2.2 million at the domestic box office in its third weekend, taking its running total to a so-so $21 million. In overseas markets, the movie has grossed around $6.6 million so far, which takes its cumulative worldwide total to around $28 million. Universal spent only around $10 million on acquiring Monkey Man, and it should be pointed out that the movie is still only playing in 28 international territories, which leaves room for improvement. Originally set up as a Netflix project, Monkey Man was reportedly abandoned by the streamer for fear of backlash.

The movie is set in an India filled with rampant corruption and religious bigotry, which many have seen as a commentary on the country’s current political landscape. Monkey Manhasn’t been released in India, the land from which it draws many of its cultural references. Peele took a liking to the film and convinced his partners at Universal — the studio has distributed Peele’s Get Out, Us, and Nope — to give it a proper theatrical release. And in the days leading up to its debut, it certainly looked like Monkey Man had struck a chord online, with many drawing comparisons to the John Wick franchise.

'Monkey Man' Couldn't Translate Online Buzz and Positive Reviews to Box Office Success

But the movie wasn’t able to translate this virtual buzz into box office receipts, as it grossed just $10 million in its domestic debut, and picked up around $2.5 million from overseas markets in its first weekend. Reviews, however, have been mostly positive. Monkey Man sits at a “fresh” 88% score on the aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, with praise being showered on its world-building, action choreography, and social commentary. In her review, Collider’s Perri Nemiroff hailed Patel’s skills as both an action star and an action filmmaker, although she was critical of the storytelling.

Patel has come a long way after breaking out with the teen drama series Skins in the U.K., and following it up with a lead performance in the Oscar-winning Slumdog Millionaire. He has since earned an Oscar nomination for his performance in the film Lion and was recently seen in Poison, one of the four shorts in director Wes Anderson’s Netflix quartet.

Also starring Sharlto Copley, Sikandar Kher, Sobhita Dhulipala, Pitobash, and Makarand Deshpande, Monkey Man is playing in theaters. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates.

Monkey Man

A recently released ex-felon living in India struggles to adjust to a world of corporate greed and eroding spiritual values.

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