A Big Bold Beautiful Journey has now debuted with a Popcornmeter score on Rotten Tomatoes, and audiences and critics don’t agree on the new Margot Robbie film. Directed by Kogonada, the fantasy film features Robbie as Sarah and Colin Farrell as David, two strangers who find themselves on an adventure reliving key moments from their past.

Marking Robbie’s follow-up to Greta Gerwig’s Barbie (2023) and Farrell’s first feature film since the acclaimed The Banshees of Inisherin (2022), A Big Bold Beautiful Journey did not get off to a strong start with critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a lackluster 38%.

Audiences, however, seem to be enjoying A Big Bold Beautiful Journey more, as the film’s Rotten Tomatoes Popcornmeter score currently comes in at a lukewarm 65%. This score was generated from over 100 user reviews, meaning it could still fluctuate significantly as more viewers get a chance to watch the film.

What This Means For A Big Bold Beautiful Journey

The critical response to Robbie’s latest movie makes clear that it won’t be living up to the high standards that Barbie set. Critics take issue with the film failing to explore its premise in a fun or compelling way, with a tone that manages to be both too serious and too sentimental.

In her A Big Bold Beautiful Journey review for ScreenRant, Mae Abdulbaki awards the film a score of only four out of 10. Abdulbaki takes issue with the film’s failure to make this a story worth emotionally investing in, calling it “sterile“ in terms of its attempts to create heartfelt drama. She writes:

A Big Bold Beautiful Journey is little more than manufactured sentimentality. It offers something new when it comes to its approach to romantic fantasy, but it holds itself back.

Audiences, clearly, don’t seem to be quite as dissatisfied with A Big Bold Beautiful Journey, but 65% is still very much a lukewarm score that could easily drop in the weeks ahead. It only just hit theaters on September 19, so the sample size is still relatively small.

Currently, it’s unclear whether this generally positive audience response will translate into box office success for A Big Bold Beautiful Journey. Made on an estimated budget of $45 million, the film could be looking at a break-even point of $112 million. Given the lack of enthusiasm thus far, reaching this figure seems very unlikely.

Our Take On A Big Bold Beautiful Journey’s Audience & Critics Divide

On the surface, Robbie’s latest has the making of an awards darling. It has two well-liked and talented stars and an inventive premise that explores fairly universal “what if?” feelings. It’s unfortunate, then, that, by the time A Big Bold Beautiful Journey ends, it doesn’t seem to totally stick the landing.

Plenty of films divide audiences and critics on Rotten Tomatoes, and many go on to be very successful. The audience response here, however, is too soft so far to suggest A Big Bold Beautiful Journey will have a great deal of longevity.

As with any kind of movie scoring system, however, there’s a lack of nuance here. Many viewers may find plenty to enjoy with Robbie and Farrell’s fantastical romance, and seeing the film for yourself is always the best way to judge a film’s quality.