Objectively, you could say that a $100 million thriller headlined by a pair of A-list superstars that hauled in close to $280 million at the box office and secured three Golden Globe nominations was a success on every level, but that barely even scratches the surface of The Tourist.
For one thing, the romantic cross-continental adventure was plagued by behind the scenes issues, with Lasse Hallström initially set to direct Sam Worthington and Charlize Theron in the lead roles, before Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck stepped in at the last minute to rewrite the screenplay in two weeks, prior to kicking off shooting with Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie taking top billing.
It may have made money during its theatrical run, but The Tourist ended up taking a critical pounding for its various glaring flaws, but somehow still managed to secure a trio of nods at one of the industry’s biggest awards ceremonies. Despite not being a comedy in the slightest, the film was nonetheless shortlisted for Best Picture, Best Actress, and Best Actor in the corresponding categories, leading to widespread confusion and accusations that studio schmoozing and fawning over its big-name leads was the real reason.
Obviously, The Tourist went home empty-handed because it’s not a very good or particularly enjoyable movie in the slightest, but the combined wattage of Depp and Jolie has nonetheless emboldened streaming subscribers to check it out. Per FlixPatrol, the troubled tale has snagged a spot on the iTunes worldwide watch-list, even if its off-camera history is a great deal more interesting.