Released at the turn of the new millennium, The Matrix was both an immediate cultural hit and a technical milestone in cinema, whose mind-shattering sci-fi narrative was only elevated by its impeccable special effects that would come to define the look and feel of action films over the next decade. I wish I could say the same about its follow-up, however, as its much-anticipated sequel, The Matrix Reloaded, left many viewers disappointed despite its place as the highest-grossing film in the series.
The Matrix Reloaded operates as the perfect microcosm of The Matrix trilogy, containing within its two-hour-and-18-minute runtime all the themes and elements that explain where and how the series took a wrong turn. Yes, although the second movie brought audiences to the theaters in droves, its dense, muddled plot failed to offer the excitement of the original, a sentiment seen in the poor box office returns of the trilogy’s final film, The Matrix Revolutions. So, in order to find out what went wrong, we need to dive deeper into the circumstances surrounding The Matrix Reloaded‘s complex and disjointed narrative.
The Matrix Reloaded Is The Franchise’s Highest-Grossing Movie
It’s Not Even Close When You Look At The Numbers
The Matrix Reloaded‘s dominance at the box office is staggering in comparison to the other two films in the trilogy. Truthfully, it’s not even close. Released in May 2003, the film would go on to gross a total of $741.8 million, earning $281.6 million of that figure domestically. In contrast, the first film only grossed $467.8 million (with $172 million from the US and Canada), with The Matrix Revolutions falling short of that number by $40 million for a grand total return of $427.3 million.
When looking at these numbers, two things are apparent: one, that the second film’s gross nearly equals that of both The Matrix and The Matrix Revolutions combined—a perfect encapsulation of the hype for the long-awaited sequel—and two, there was a significant drop-off in viewership following The Matrix Reloaded. This decline is partially due to the release date of the trilogy’s final film, which came only five months after The Matrix: Reloaded. However, a bigger factor at play in The Matrix Revolutions‘ disappointing box office returns is audience disappointment, which curbed the success of its follow-up and conclusion.
The Matrix Trilogy’s Box Office Shows What Went Wrong
The Films Didn’t Answer Enough Questions
It’s often said in science that “the numbers don’t lie,” and that sentiment is true of The Matrix Reloaded as well, particularly when considering the subsequent effect it had on the series. Unlike The Matrix, which answered many of the questions it arose via the charismatic exposition of resistance leader Morpheus (played by legendary actor Lawrence Fishburne), the much-anticipated sequel left many viewers scratching their heads as to what exactly was happening, perhaps nowhere as more apparent than in the infamous scene where Neo (Keanu Reeves) meets the confusing and enigmatic Architect of the Matrix (Helmut Bakaitis).
The green hint throughout The Matrix trilogy is meant to simulate the hue of a computer screen.
The greatest issue with The Matrix Reloaded doesn’t lie in its attempt to further the narrative through a complex lens: it’s the failure to adequately provide the audience with an oar to follow along. Because of this, the film’s plot became so convoluted and complex that audiences stopped caring, preferring to view the original film simply through the lens of an isolated story. Ultimately, fans of this trilogy deserved better than they got, and even though there are fleeting moments of greatness in The Matrix Reloaded, the end product doesn’t meet the series’ gold standard—despite its box office numbers.
