'Miss Sloane' gun control drama sputters at box office

Jessica Chastain plays a gun control lobbyist in the eponymous “Miss Sloan” (Photo: Kerry Hayes/Europa)

Released three weeks ago by French motion picture company EuropaCorp, the Jessica Chastain vehicle has gotten tepid reviews and came in 11th place on its wide opening weekend.

The 132-minute “R” rated drama features Jessica Chastain as Elizabeth Sloane, a hard-nosed Washington lobbyist who takes on a powerful national gun rights organization to pass new gun control laws.

It’s limited release on November 25 was something for the record books.

According to Box Office Mojo, the film ranks #78 on the top 200 worst opening weekend per-theater averages since 1982, just beating out 1986’s “GoBots: Battle of the Rock Lords” and 1994’s Hungarian animated film “The Princess and the Goblin.”

In wider release starting last Friday, it came in at 11th place behind the WWII action biopic “Hacksaw Ridge,” now in its sixth week at the box office, and ahead of the Danny Glover seasonal comedy “Almost Christmas” in its fifth week of release.

Reviews this week of the film by and large tend to like Chastain’s performance, but feel the flick itself is predictable, unendearing and in some cases, bordering on modern fantasy:

“Soapy gun-control movie ‘Miss Sloane’ gets everything wrong,” — Kyle Smith, New York Post.

“‘Miss Sloane’ delivers a message wrapped inside a bit of a mess,” – Lawrence Toppman, Charlotte Observer.

“‘Miss Sloane’ is confusing, over-the-top drama” — Michael Smith, Tulsa World.

“‘Miss Sloane’ wants to tell tough truths about politics. But it’s totally naive,” — Alyssa Rosenberg, Washington Post.

“Gun-control thriller ‘Miss Sloane’ misfires,” — Tim Miller, Cape Cod Times.

“‘Miss Sloane’ shows what happens when Hollywood abandons political common sense,” –Sonny Bunch, Washington Post.

Audiences seem to grade the film about midway. On IMDB the movie has a 5.9/10 rating which squares with a 6.5/10 rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

So far, the film has earned just over $2 million against an estimated $18 million budget.