Guy Ritchie's latest film is a flop of epic proportions, opening to just US$14.7 million in North America after costing US$175 million to make.
King Arthur: Legend of the Sword is a revision of the classic Camelot tale, with Sons of Anarchy star Charlie Hunnam wielding Excalibur as the titular hero.
It is the first major bomb of the (northern) summer blockbuster season and one of the worst openings ever for a big-budget studio event film; 2017 is unlikely to see a bigger failure.
Beating it at the US box office was Amy Schumer and Goldie Hawn comedy Snatched, which opened with US$17.5 million, while Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 continued its box office reign atop the chart.
King Arthur was not liked by many critics either, scoring 28 percent on Rotten Tomatoes and a Metacritic rating of 41.
In his one star review, Rolling Stone's Peter Travers points out: "Apply his fast cuts and jagged pacing to the Arthurian legend and you get, well, a brutal, bleedin' mess.
"That about sums up King Arthur: Legend of the Sword, an epic bore that believes if you make a movie long and loud and repetitive enough, audiences will conclude it's saying something profound. Wrong."
King Arthur: Legend of the Sword opens in New Zealand cinemas this week, alongside John Wick: Chapter 2, a rival action film that has already achieved cult status and universal critical acclaim.
Newshub.
