Colin Farrell’s career has been a strong and extensive one; from movies like Miami Vice and In Bruges in the ’00s to The Lobster and Widows in the 2010s, the actor has always been willing to reinvent himself and keep his filmography fresh.

A Big Bold Beautiful Journey is Farrell’s latest movie, and there was some hope that it would be another powerful and memorable addition to his career. Directed by After Yang‘s Kogonada and co-starring Margot Robbie, A Big Bold Beautiful Journey tells the story of two strangers who are granted the ability to relive key moments from their past, teaching them important lessons about their present.

The movie marks a reunion between Farrell and Kogonada after making After Yang, which was an important release for the actor. The 2021 film kicked off one of the best streaks of his entire career, leading to The Batman and The Banshees of Inisherin in 2022. They are some of Colin Farrell’s best movies, but he is unfortunately struggling to reach the same heights.

After opening to middling reviews, A Big Bold Beautiful Journey‘s Rotten Tomatoes score is currently just 42% despite the huge amount of talent involved in the project. It’s a major step down from the undeniable winning streak that Farrell had just a few years ago.

Colin Farrell’s Career-Best H๏τ Streak Is Going Cold

In 2022 alone, Farrell made his debut as Oswald Cobb in The Batman (a role that would later earn him an Emmy nomination in The Penguin), worked alongside Ron Howard on the acclaimed drama Thirteen Lives, and earned his first Academy Award nomination for The Banshees of Inisherin.

This was a hugely exciting year for Farrell, especially in light of After Yang‘s rave response the year prior. Understandably, the actor took a short break afterward. But since returning to film this year, the actor hasn’t quite found the same success.

His starring role in Edward Berger’s The Ballad of a Small Player received generous praise upon the film’s premiere at Telluride, but the film itself was largely forgotten by critics. Unfortunately, it seems like A Big Bold Beautiful Journey may go down the same route.

This is a mᴀssive shame. These two projects clearly had the potential to continue Farrell’s winning streak and potentially sweep him all the way back to the Oscars next year.

Ballad of a Small Player was riding the tailwind of Edward Berger’s success with Conclave, which looked like a strong Best Picture contender for a while last year. The decision to screen the film at Telluride and TIFF suggests that Berger was hoping to punch his ticket to the awards circuit again, but the mixed reviews have made this very unlikely.

Conversely, A Big Bold Beautiful Journey was never going to be a major awards threat — but the star power of Robbie and Farrell meant it could have been a strong commercial player.

The film is not expected to be a strong performer in its wide release this weekend, with projections holding at $10 million opening weekend domestically. The minimal marketing and mixed word-of-mouth will make it hard to generate much traction.

After receiving the best reviews of his career and finding himself a permanent fixture on the awards circuit in 2022, it’s surprising to see neither of Farrell’s 2025 projects receive the same universal praise. His H๏τ streak has run cold, which will make it interesting to see what he does next.

But if there’s one thing that can be said about Farrell’s career, it’s that it’s never boring; he’s always taking risks, and while they don’t all pay off, as is the case with A Big Bold Beautiful Journey, they’re always exciting.