Tipped for Oscar glory and starring one of our most beloved actresses, it seemed set to be a huge success in British cinemas.
But the new biopic of former Israeli leader Golda Meir – featuring Dame Helen Mirren in the lead role – has been a box office disaster.
The film, simply called Golda and released in the UK the day before the Hamas attack on Israel, opened on just 59 screens during its first weekend on release – a disappointing figure for a major production starring a big name.
By contrast, The Great Escaper – starring Sir Michael Caine and the late Glenda Jackson – debuted on the same day on 616 screens across Britain.
But industry support for Golda has dwindled further since its opening and last week it was only showing on 13 screens.
But the new biopic of former Israeli leader Golda Meir – featuring Dame Helen Mirren in the lead role – has been a box office disaster
Golda, which co-stars Camille Cottin and Liv Schreiber, highlights Israel’s victory over Egypt and Syria during the Yom Kippur war of 1973
Figures compiled by the British Film Institute (BFI) show it took just £1,000 at the box office last weekend – bringing its overall cash-till tally to a disappointing £179,000.
Golda, which co-stars Camille Cottin and Liv Schreiber, highlights Israel’s victory over Egypt and Syria during the Yom Kippur war of 1973.
The film found itself mired in controversy while it was still in production. Dame Maureen Lipman, who is herself Jewish, questioned whether a Jewish actress should have been cast in the main role instead of Mirren.
But the film’s box office hopes and perhaps Dame Helen’s hopes of picking up an Academy Award have been undermined by the ongoing crisis in the Middle East.
A number of Palestinian supporters in the UK and the US have taken to social media to call for a boycott of the film. Meanwhile, a poster for the film outside a cinema in North London was also plastered with pro-Palestinian stickers.
It is believed that these protests have deterred both exhibitors and cinema goers from supporting the film.
A spokesman for the Phoenix Cinema in North London, where the film had its UK film premiere, said it had had a ‘nice run’ at that venue.
But he said the film had not performed well outside a couple of sites, adding: ‘Obviously the current political climate might have had an effect on the film’s box office revenue.’
But Rabbi Dr Jonathan Romain of the Maidenhead Synagogue thought other factors might be at play, saying: ‘It is interesting that a film which has a star of Dame Helen’s magnitude didn’t get a wider release – but there may be a multiplicity of reasons why they film has not done as well as expected.
‘There will be many people in the UK who simply don’t know who Golda Meir is. She is not as well known as other historical figures such as Gandhi or Napoleon.’
He added: ‘At the same time, the film was not well received critically.
‘These factors could have hampered its performance at the box office. I did not hear any rumours over sensitivities that it was about Israel or worries it might attract protests.’
Two days after the Hamas attack, the film’s UK distributors Metfilms issued a statement in which it acknowledged the ‘distress, fear and anxiety’ being felt by people in the UK and in the region.
A spokesman for MetFilms last night insisted the film, which is currently streaming on Amazon Prime, was performing well at the UK box office.
He said: ‘Golda continues to perform well in cinemas across the UK, with packed out screenings since its opening six weeks ago.’
A spokesperson for Vue Cinemas declined to comment.
Dame Helen Mirren and the film’s director Guy Nittiv were unavailable for comment.
The Mail on Sunday contacted a number of cinema chains to ask about the extent of their support for the film.
The Vue Cinema chain declined to comment.
Cineworld, Odeon, Curzon, Picture House and Everyman declined to comment.