The buzz surroundingCoralie Fargeat’sThe Substancesince its Cannes debut has been astounding, with the unapologetic, body horror explosion leaving many feeling bothshocked to the coreand enthralled. Now after just over two weeks in theaters, the film has hit a major milestone, having surpassed the$10 million mark at the domestic Box Office. When compared to the other players at the current Box Office, fromBeetlejuice BeetlejuicetoJoker: Folie à Deux, this number may seem small, but,for a movie in a divisive genre with smaller funding, this feat is certainly to be applauded.
Not only that, butThe Substanceis nowMubi’s biggest hit of all time financially, with the indie distributor firmly putting their name on the map. This is thanks to an overall global Box Office total of $17 million, which also happens to be the movie’s reported budget. For a film that soviolently challenges beauty standards and the extreme lengths many will go to obtain the unobtainableto achieve such widespread praise is a fantastic sign of the future of exploitation filmmaking and for leading voices such as Fargeat.
Demi Moore is Unstoppable in ‘The Substance’
The Substance’s triumph is thanks in no small part to the wide acclaim the film has received, especially for its leading duoMargaret QualleyandDemi Moore. For Moore in particular, many are calling this thebest performance of her illustrious career, thanks to a vulnerable, mature turn as the rejected Elisabeth Sparkle.Speaking to Collider’s Perri Nemiroffabout her performance, Moore said:
“I think what’s interesting in the film is that it’s so intimate, in terms of, it really is the experience for Elisabeth with herself. There are external situations, but what I loved is thatit’s so much more about what she’s doing to herself, not the judgment that’s even happening outside. I mean, that kind of kicks the film off with that level of despair and rejection that she’s feeling that I think we, as humans, can all relate to. But I think it’s interesting that you say that there wasn’t a judgment because — and I’ve never actually thought about it because I obviously was so much more inside of it — what she was doing to herself was so much more violent than anything that was happening on the outside. Minus Dennis [Quaid] and the shrimp. [Laughs]”
You can catch the film in theaters now.
The Substance
A fading celebrity, Elisabeth Sparkle, turns to a mysterious drug that promises to restore her youth. The drug temporarily creates a younger version of herself, named Sue, who quickly ascends to the fame Elisabeth once craved.
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