Matthew McConaughey's mercilessly derided The Sea of Trees makes just $2,730 in its first five days as it scores an abysmal 9% on Rotten Tomatoes

By Jj Nattrass For Mailonline

Published: 06:53 EST, 1 September 2016 | Updated: 10:48 EST, 1 September 2016

It may have competed at the coveted Palme d'or at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival, and star one Oscar-winner as well as two Academy Awards nominees.

But The Sea of Trees, Matthew McConaughey's latest release, has suffered a horrific launch - bringing in just $2,730 in its first five days and scoring just 9% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Opening at just one cinema in the US, the film - which was universally panned by critics - has barely managed to make a dent in its production $25million cost.

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A movie he'd rather forget? The Sea of Trees, Matthew McConaughey's latest release, has suffered a horrific launch - bringing in just $2,730 in its first five days

A movie he'd rather forget? The Sea of Trees, Matthew McConaughey's latest release, has suffered a horrific launch - bringing in just $2,730 in its first five days

In figures released by Box Office Mojo, the film's domestic total as of its launch on August 26 stands far below even 1% of the film's budget.

The film scored just 9% on Rotten Tomatoes, and the public voted in an equally dmaning manner - giving the film a sorry 44% for the audience score.

The flop was originally picked up by Roadside Attractions/Lionsgate when it was entered into the 2015 Cannes Festival, however, following dire reviews it was dropped and picked up by A24, the studio behind Ex Machina and Spring Breakers.

Sea of Trees stars the winner of 2014's Best Actor Oscar, as well as, Oscar-nominee Naomi Watts and Inception's Ken Watanabe.

Lost in the trees? Opening at just one cinema in the US, the film - which was universally panned by critics - has barely managed to make a dent in its production $25million cost 

Lost in the trees? Opening at just one cinema in the US, the film - which was universally panned by critics - has barely managed to make a dent in its production $25million cost 

Now THAT'S rotten! The film scored just 9% on Rotten Tomatoes, with the Audience score coming in at a sorry 44%

Now THAT'S rotten! The film scored just 9% on Rotten Tomatoes, with the Audience score coming in at a sorry 44%

The film centres around McConaughey's character, Arthur, who travels to Japan's notorious Aokigahara Forest (more commonly known as The Suicide Forest or Sea of Trees).

There the troubled scientist meets another man, Takumi Nakamura (Wattanbe), and the two embark on a spiritual and life-changing journey as they traverse the forest.

Penned by Buried's Chris Sparling and directed by Good Will Hunting's Gus Van Sant, the movie initially showed huge promise - reflected in its stellar leading names.  

Charming co-stars: Sea of Trees stars the winner of 2014's Best Actor Oscar, as well as, Oscar-nominee Naomi Watts and Inception's Ken Watanabe
Charming co-stars: Sea of Trees stars the winner of 2014's Best Actor Oscar, as well as, Oscar-nominee Naomi Watts and Inception's Ken Watanabe

Charming co-stars: Sea of Trees stars the winner of 2014's Best Actor Oscar, as well as, Oscar-nominee Naomi Watts and Inception's Ken Watanabe

A tall tale? The film centres around McConaughey's character, Arthur, who travels to Japan's notorious Aokigahara Forest (more commonly known as The Suicide Forest or Sea of Trees)

A tall tale? The film centres around McConaughey's character, Arthur, who travels to Japan's notorious Aokigahara Forest (more commonly known as The Suicide Forest or Sea of Trees)

No chance: At Cannes '15 it went up against the likes of the Michael Fassbender led Macbeth, Sicario, and eventual winner, Dheepan (Matthew and Naomi pictured at the film's photocall)

No chance: At Cannes '15 it went up against the likes of the Michael Fassbender led Macbeth, Sicario, and eventual winner, Dheepan (Matthew and Naomi pictured at the film's photocall)

Entered at Cannes '15 it went up against the likes of the Michael Fassbender led Macbeth, Sicario, and eventual winner, Dheepan.

However, unlike those box office successes, the film was universally panned at the film festival and received boos when during its premiere.

Variety's Chief Film Critic, Justin Chang, wrote at the time: 'How this dramatically stillborn, commercially unpromising Lionsgate/Roadside Attractions pickup managed to score a competition berth at Cannes (where it was greeted with a round of boos) is a vastly more impenetrable mystery than the one laid out in Sparling’s screenplay.'

THE SEA OF TREES: CANNES 2015 PREMIERE REVIEWS 

Variety, Justin Chang 

How this dramatically stillborn, commercially unpromising Lionsgate/Roadside Attractions pickup managed to score a competition berth at Cannes (where it was greeted with a round of boos) is a vastly more impenetrable mystery than the one laid out in Sparling’s screenplay — namely, why a morose-looking Arthur Brennan (McConaughey) has decided to buy a one-way ticket from Massachusetts to Japan and enter Aokigahara, also known as the Suicide Forest or the Sea of Trees.

The Hollywood Reporter, Todd McCarthy

There are numerous ways that the spectacle of an American man headed to Japan to officially do himself in could be treated. But screenwriter Christopher Sparling has chosen an approach that is sincere to the point of utter banality, a posture further reinforced by an obvious music score, inescapably indulgent acting and the project’s overriding motivation to turn a story of suicidal distress into something generically life-affirming in the most elementary Hollywood manner.

The Guardian, Peter Bradshaw

For all its apparent sombreness and thoughtfulness, The Sea Of Trees is an exasperatingly shallow film on an important and agonisingly painful subject - depression and suicide. This it slathers in palliative sentimentality. The gooey musical score with strings and woodwind, kicking in from the first airport scene, unmistakably signals brimming-eyed self-pity and self-forgiveness. 

IndieWire, Eric Kohn 

A hackneyed story of one man’s journey toward spiritual uplift following the abrupt death of his wife (Naomi Watts). Not even Matthew McConaughey can sustain the mushy, amateurish story, which digs itself a deeper hole as it moves along. The established talents of both director and star only serve to magnify the many wrong moves that this stunning misfire takes.

It's not a hit: unlike those box office successes, the film was universally panned at the film festival and received boos when during its premiere

It's not a hit: unlike those box office successes, the film was universally panned at the film festival and received boos when during its premiere

Giving it a horrific one-star review, The Guardian's Peter Bradshaw disdainfully referred to it as 'a middleweight syrupy-commercial mode of film-making '.

Whereas The Hollywood Reporter's Todd McCarthy went for the lead actor's jugular and wrote: 'This pre-Cannes Roadside Attractions acquisition officially ends Matthew McConaughey’s exceptional recent run of top-notch performances.'

The Sea of Trees hit it's singular US theater and video on demand services on August 26, and is available to view now. 

'This pre-Cannes Roadside Attractions acquisition officially ends Matthew McConaughey’s exceptional recent run of top-notch performances': The film was panned at its premiere

'This pre-Cannes Roadside Attractions acquisition officially ends Matthew McConaughey’s exceptional recent run of top-notch performances': The film was panned at its premiere

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