#BabylonMovie
Babylon, Damien Chazelle’s sprawling Hollywood epic, premiered December 23, 2022, and became one of the year’s most polarizing releases.
The Film
Set during Hollywood’s transition from silent films to talkies (1926-1932), Babylon followed three characters: Nellie LaRoy (Margot Robbie), a wild-child aspiring actress; Jack Conrad (Brad Pitt), a fading silent film star; and Manny Torres (Diego Calva), an ambitious studio assistant.
The 189-minute film depicted early Hollywood’s hedonism—cocaine-fueled orgies, elephant defecation, jazz-age excess—and its cruelty as the industry transformed, leaving casualties behind.
Chazelle’s maximalist vision included a 20-minute opening party sequence of pure debauchery, Li Jun Li’s show-stopping jazz performance, and a montage climax celebrating cinema history.
Box Office Disaster
Babylon cost $80-110 million but earned only $63 million worldwide—a catastrophic flop. Critics split (56% Rotten Tomatoes), praising its ambition but criticizing indulgence and length.
Margot Robbie’s unhinged performance and Justin Hurwitz’s jazz score earned acclaim, but audiences stayed away. The film’s R-rated excess and three-hour runtime limited appeal.
Cultural Impact
Despite failure, Babylon found defenders who appreciated its love letter to cinema. The final montage—intercut with Singin’ in the Rain, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Avatar—moved cinephiles to tears.
The film became a case study in auteur overreach—Chazelle, fresh off La La Land’s success, delivered a passion project too messy and extreme for mainstream acceptance.
Months later, film Twitter revisited Babylon as an underrated masterpiece. It developed cult film potential.