It's not a large role, but Oscar nominee Vanessa Kirby played the role of Katharine, the protagonist's best friend, in the Wachowskis' 2015 sci-fi epic "Jupiter Ascending." It really was a small part for Kirby, although her character served a vital entry to the film's central action. For those who haven't seen "Jupiter Ascending," the title character, Jupiter Jones (Mila Kunis), longs for an escape from her humdrum life as a janitor. She is enamored of the stars, and hopes to earn enough money to buy
herself an expensive telescope. The best way Jupiter figures she can get rich quick is by selling her eggs at a clinic. It's a complex process, though, and her friend Katharine agrees to let Jupiter use her name on the intake paperwork.
The trip to the clinic will, rather unexpectedly, lead to an alien abduction (!). Jupiter and Katharine will be knocked out and scanned by a cadre of alien greys who erase their memories. It's not until later, when they discover some pictures of the aliens on their phones (they were quick to record it), that they will uncover what happens. After that, "Jupiter Ascending" explodes into action, and Jupiter will be spirited into the stars by a sexy half-dog-half-man named Caine (Channing Tatum). Caine will introduce Jupiter to her true destiny. It seems that she has always been the royal daughter of a long line of space aristocrats who control the universe. Earth is a mere commodity to the royal family, though, and Jupiter learns how shallow — and insidious — the aristocracy truly is. Sadly, Katharine doesn't come back.
"Jupiter Ascending" was a massively ambitious project, and cutting-edge special effects were used to realize the many starships, distant planets, and exotic alien species that the Wachowskis imagined. Sadly, the effects drove the budget into the $210 million range, making it one of the more expensive films ever made. There was no way it was going to make back its budget.
Read more: 5 Reasons Why Megalopolis Flopped At The Box Office
The Ambitions Of The Wachowskis
$210 million for a movie is a risky proposition under the best of circumstances, and only well-established entertainment franchises like "Jurassic Park," "Star Wars," and Marvel seem to make such pricey films profitable. The Wachowskis, while deeply beloved for their films "Bound" and "The Matrix," were more ambitious than profitable. Their 2008 film adaptation of "Speed Racer" was truly revolutionary, predicting the overwrought aesthetics of the next generation of blockbusters. It also made less than $94 million on a $120 million budget. Likewise, their film "Cloud Atlas" sought to explore the interconnectivity of human souls across history, and cast a huge ensemble of pricey actors to play multiple roles apiece, including across races. The 172-minute epic cost over $146 million and made back only $130.5 million.
"Jupiter Ascending" felt like a compromise for the sisters, as they fell back on a simpler story full of action and adventure. It's a story of a space princess, and the brave warrior who has to save her from being married to a jerk (Douglas Booth) or falling in with an unsavory counter-princess (Tuppence Middleton). Eddie Redmayne gives a brilliant and unhinged performance as the most ambitious prince of them all, whispering wimpy platitudes before exploding in people's faces with lines like "I CREATE LIFE!!" The simple story was embellished, however, but some of the largest SFX seen in a sci-fi movie, including mid-city spaceship dogfights, a wave of battle droids soaring through the cosmos, and a standout sequence where the characters pass into the spot of the planet Jupiter. In addition to Kirby, the film also featured notable appearances from Sean Bean, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, James D'arcy, and Doona Bae.
"Jupiter Ascending" made $184 million, which is a bomb in Hollywood terms. The film certainly didn't hurt for lack of ambition, and it's a swirling visual feast of technology and monsters. The film certainly has its defenders, but it will be a long while before it actually manages to break even.
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