Robert Eggers’ Nosferatu is arguably the director’s most ambitious and genre-specific project to date, and that resulted in a record-breaking performance which pushed the filmmaker’s career to new heights. The film is a very loose adaptation of F. W. Murnau’s 1922 film of the same name, which in turn is inspired by Bram Stoker’s classic gothic novel “Dracula”. Eggers’ film is an extremely atmospheric and horror-infused retelling of this folk legend, fueled by fierce performances and striking cinematography. Movies like Nosferatu aren’t typically made today, which makes this movie’s success even more exciting.
Before Nosferatu, Robert Eggers was among the most underrated filmmakers of the past few years, with projects like The Witch and The Northman often flying under the radar despite their immense craftsmanship and one-of-a-kind storytelling. Thankfully, Nosferatu has finally put the director on the map for general audiences – but this may have come at a cost, and Robert Eggers’ upcoming projects may suffer as a result.
Nosferatu Became Robert Eggers’ Highest-Grossing Movie At The Box Office (& It’s Not Even Close)
The Film Was A Smash Hit Across The World
The huge commercial success of Eggers’ Nosferatu is nothing to scoff at – the film pulled in over $180 million across the world, which is extremely impressive for a film whose reported budget was only $50 million (via Box Office Mojo). The reason for this commercial success is likely down to Nosferatu being Eggers’ most accessible film to date; it lacks the absurdism of projects like The Lighthouse and The Northman, and it’s much more plot-focused than The Witch. This is exactly what general audiences want, and Nosferatu proved that.
Previously, Eggers’ movies have performed much less enthusiastically at the box office. His first movie The Witch only managed $40 million worldwide, while The Lighthouse barely surpᴀssed $18 million – despite its critical success and recognition at the Academy Awards. The Northman was a slightly more rewarding effort for Eggers with a worldwide intake of $69 million, but that’s still less than half what his latest film managed. Nosferatu was a huge box office milestone for Robert Eggers, and it’s easy to imagine that he (and the studio) will learn some important lessons from its success.
Nosferatu Also Set The Record For Robert Eggers’ Lowest Rotten Tomatoes Score With Critics
The Box Office Success Didn’t Translate To Critical Acclaim
Unfortunately, Nosferatu’s commercial success came at the expense of Eggers’ flawless Rotten Tomatoes streak. While 84% is still a very impressive score, particularly for a film that so clearly embraces its genre storytelling, it doesn’t quite match the heights of the rest of Eggers’ filmography. Both The Lighthouse and The Northman are firmly at 90% among critics, while his debut feature The Witch exceeds them both at 91%. This is a remarkably strong performance for Eggers’ entire filmography, but there’s clearly a reason why Nosferatu isn’t quite as loved.
This dissonance between critics’ scores and audiences’ scores is something that runs throughout Eggers’ filmography, and interestingly, Nosferatu came the closest to bridging the gap.
Interestingly, the audience scores on Rotten Tomatoes are almost the complete opposite. Nosferatu is the highest-rated among general audiences at 73%, followed closely by The Lighthouse at 72%. Both The Witch and The Northman are significantly lower, currently sitting at 61% and 64% respectively. This dissonance between critics’ scores and audiences’ scores is something that runs throughout Eggers’ filmography, and interestingly, Nosferatu came the closest to bridging the gap. Now that Nosferatu has found a home on streaming, its popularity can only rise from here.
Robert Eggers’ Movies Continuing To Go In Different Directions Financially & Critically Would Be Disappointing
The Filmmaker Shouldn’t Have To Sacrifice His Acclaim For More Success
It’s hard to pinpoint exactly why Nosferatu finds itself at opposite ends of the critical and commercial spectrum within Eggers’ filmography, but it could signify an unfortunate shift in the filmmaker’s career. Greater box office hauls are exactly what Eggers (and Hollywood in general) needs to keep making these bold, ambitious projects, but it would be disappointing if the wider appeal with audiences came at the expense of his films getting “worse” in the eyes of the critics.
There must be some fruitful middle ground where Robert Eggers can keep making the weird, experimental projects that critics so clearly enjoy without sacrificing the broader appeal that made Nosferatu a success. The ending of Nosferatu leans into this dark surrealism that Eggers has become known for, but the rest of Nosferatu stops short of going as deep as something like The Lighthouse.
