In the sprawling graveyard of big-budget Hollywood misfires, few tombstones are as gaudy, confusing, or fascinating as that of Mortdecai .
Released in January 2015—a month studios traditionally use to dispose of cinematic corpses— Mortdecai was intended to launch a franchise. Instead, it became a legendary punchline. With a production budget of $60 million (plus marketing), it grossed a paltry $47.3 million worldwide. It won the Razzie Award for Worst Actor (Johnny Depp) and was nominated for several more. Critics savaged it with a 12% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with headlines calling it "offensively unfunny" and "a career-low." mortdecai
The film follows Charlie, his stoic manservant Jock (Paul Bettany, stealing every scene with deadpan violence), and a rotating cast of villains—including a psychotic Russian oligarch (a hilarious Jonny Depp-adjacent cameo) and a deadly assassin—as they bumble across London, Los Angeles, and Moscow. In the sprawling graveyard of big-budget Hollywood misfires,