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George Clooney has shifted his focus from being an actor to a filmmaker these days. His latest project, the biographical sports dramaThe Boys in the Boat, graced theaters last Christmas. Clooney has expressed his affinity for underdog sports dramas, believing that they will always captivate the audience.
However, the sports drama genre has been suffering for the past few years. Despite telling grounded stories often based on real-life events, these films find it difficult to resonate with audiences. An example of a well-intentioned film struggling to find its audience is Taika Waititi’s recent release,Next Goal Wins.
Also Read:“I get to boss them around”: George Clooney’s Hollywood Shift Can Solve Ocean’s 14 Problem After Steven Soderbergh’s Exit
George Clooney Believes Underdog Sports Movies Always Work
The Boys in the BoatdirectorGeorge Clooneyand lead actorCallum Turnerrecently appeared in an interview with Discussing Film, where they discussed the film and its genre. The interviewer noted that the underdog sports genre still manages to draw audiences and asked Clooney to weigh in on why these stories continue to be popular. TheOcean’s Elevenactor agreed with the interviewer, sharing that everyone likes an underdog story.
In the film, the University of Washington rowing team is a bunch of underdogs in the 1936 Olympics. With a focus on the abandoned young boy in the team, Joe Rantz, played by Callum Turner, the movie effectively unfolds the classic underdog-wins-big storyline. Clooney explained his fondness for the idea of a character not originally meant to be somewhere but ultimately succeeding.
He drew parallels to timeless films likeCasablancaandAll the President’s Men, both classic examples of compelling underdog stories. Clooney shared in theDiscussing Filminterview:
“It’s a funny thing. We do like an underdog story. It’ll even go back to films like Casablanca, which is an underdog story. […] All the President’s Men is an underdog story because those two reporters weren’t supposed to be the guys. There’s something about the idea of you not being meant to being somewhere but getting there anyway, that I have always liked.”
Clooney further added that real-life true stories offer a distinct advantage. TheERactor shared that such stories don’t adhere to the formulaic approach adopted by usual sports flicks. The real events will keep the audience wanting to know the fate of the actual characters in those situations. Clooney continued:
“I feel like for us, the advantage was that this was a true story, because if it wasn’t it would feel formulaic, right? Did the kid really get sick? Did the other coach really give them money? All those things happened, so it being true helped a lot.”
While Clooney’s optimism about such films is appreciable, the history and box-office data of this genre in recent years do not paint a nice picture.The Boys in the Boat,made on a $40 million budget, has only managed to gross $42 million so far.
Also Read:“I’m chasing something else”: Ocean’s Eleven Director Refuses to Return to George Clooney and Brad Pitt’s $1.4 Billion Worth Franchise
Taika Waititi’s Film’s Failure May Shatter Hopes For The Genre
Before George Clooney’s depiction of the underdog rowing team,Taika Waititi’s movie about an underdog football team faced disappointment at the box office. Waititi’s independent film,Next Goal Wins, starringMichael Fassbender, narrates the story of a coach assigned with an impossible task. He has to transform the underdog American Samoa national football team into an elite World Cup Squad.
While the film played its cards right and placed all the hooking elements into the storyline, it failed to attract a big crowd in theaters. Released on June 17, 2025, the film has only managed to gross $16.4 million as of July 31, 2025, one day before its digital release. This issue is not unique to Waititi’s film. Even the highly acclaimed sports movie of last year,Air, hardly managed to surpass its budget during its theatrical run.
Also Read:“I just couldn’t watch that movie”: George Clooney Was Extremely Bitter Over Losing 1 Dream Role to Brad Pitt That Catapulted Him to Stardom
The Boys in the Boatis now available for rent on AppleTV+, whileNext Goal Winsis available for purchase on Amazon and AppleTV+.
Hashim Asraff
Senior Writer
Articles Published :3019
Hashim Asraff is a Senior Entertainment Writer at FandomWire, with over 2,800 articles published on celebrity culture, comic book movies, and major TV franchises. With a background in Sociology and a keen interest in pop culture, Hashim brings a unique lens to breaking news stories, character deep-dives, film rankings, and fan-driven perspectives.His coverage often includes the MCU, DCU, hit network shows, and celebrity profiles, giving readers a rich blend of entertainment and analysis. A longtime fan of crime and investigative series, Hashim has watched thousands of episodes of NCIS, Criminal Minds, Law & Order: SVU, Bones, Blue Bloods, and The RookieA passionate storyteller and wordsmith, Hashim has also worked as a ghostwriter and managed multiple social media handles. He brought his writing expertise to FandomWire to also pursue his lifelong love for cinema and television.
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callum turnerGeorge ClooneyTaika Waititi
