Demi Moore’s latest project,The Substance, is a hit with critics so far, but this comeback needs one more thing to be completed. Demi Moore was one of the biggest stars of the 1980s and 1990s, and even though she has continued to be active in her career, her latest project,The Substance, is being considered her big comeback. After a long rotten streak onRotten Tomatoessince 2011, Moore’s career has been thriving again with high-rated projects likeThe Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent,Please Baby Please, and the documentaryBrats.
Now joining Moore’s current streak isThe Substance, written and directed by Coralie Fargeat.The Substancefollows Elisabeth Sparkle (Moore), the star of a popular TV aerobics show. On her 50th birthday, Sparkle is fired and later gets in a car accident. At the hospital, she’s offered “The Substance”, a black market cell-replicating serum that temporarily creates a better and younger version of the subject it’s injected into. However, Elisabeth is unaware of the horrifying side effects of using the substance.The Substancecurrently has a high rating onRotten Tomatoes, but Moore needs a bit more for her comeback to be complete.
The Substance’s Reviews Are Great, But Demi Moore’s Comeback Still Needs A Box Office Hit
The Substanceis now Demi Moore’s highest-rated movieonRotten Tomatoeswith an 89% critics score, surpassing 2011’sMargin Calland 2022’sThe Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, both with an 87% score. Critics have praisedThe Substance’s body horror elements, Moore and Margaret Qualley’s performances, social commentary, and makeup effects, though many have also called it “shocking” due to its graphic body horror scenes, which might not be for everyone.The Substanceis doing great with critics, but Moore’s comeback won’t be complete if it’s not a box office hit.
The Substance Review: Superb Body Horror Epic Is A Fearless Takedown Of Absurd Beauty Standards
While dissecting the world’s ridiculous beauty ideals, Coralie Fargeat directs her sensational feat with pungent audacity and fearless humor.
Moore has been part of a variety of projects since her debut in the 1980s, but not all of them have been a box-office hit.Moore hasn’t had a major box office hit in two decades, the last one beingCharlie’s Angels: Full Throttle. Moore played Madison Lee, a former Angel who became an independent operative and had a lot of resentment against Charlie.Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttlewas made on a $120 million budget and grossed $259.2 million– however, it was a critical failure, with a 41% critics score onRotten Tomatoes.
The Substancegetting positive reviews from critics, a high score and “fresh” certificate onRotten Tomatoes, and a successful run in different festivals is obviously great for Moore’s career, butits performance with the audience will be key to establishing this specific project as her official comeback. As mentioned above, Moore is currently on a goodRotten Tomatoesstreak, but when it comes to box office numbers, the streak isn’t good at all.
What Happened To Demi Moore’s Box Office Success After Her Breakout
Demi Moore made her acting debut in 1981 in the movieChoices, and the following year, she was cast as Jackie Templeton in the soap operaGeneral Hospital.Moore got her big break in 1985 in Joel Schumacher’s coming-of-age movieSt. Elmo’s Fire, which made her part of the “Brat Pack”.St. Elmo’s Firewas Moore’s first box office hit, grossing $37.8 million against a $10 million budget, but the project that turned her into a star was the supernatural romance movieGhost, in 1990.
Moore struggled to get another hit afterStripteaseand has since been part of a variety of projects to different degrees of success.
Ghostwas a critical and commercial hit, grossing $505.7 million against a budget of $22-23 million. After that, Moore had other box office hits, such asA Few Good Men($243.2 million),Indecent Proposal($266.6 million),Disclosure($214 million), andStriptease($113 million). The latter is a key moment in Moore’s career, as even though it did well at the box office, it was panned by critics and is considered one of the worst movies ever made. Moore struggled to get another hit afterStripteaseand has since been part of a variety of projects to different degrees of success.
The Substance Is Unlikely To Give Demi Moore The Box Office Hit She Needs
The Substance Might Struggle A Bit At The Box Office
The Substancewas made on a budget of $17.5 million, and at the time of writing, it’s expected to make around $3 million in its opening weekend. It’s important to note thatThe Substancewill be competing in theaters against the survival horror thrillerNever Let Goand the animated movieTransformers One, a key factor in predicting its box office numbers.The Substance’s low budget can help it be a moderate hit and break even, but so far, it doesn’t look like it will be a major hit like the ones Moore had in the 1990s and 2000s.
Where To Watch The Substance On Streaming
Demi Moore’s 2024 movie is a critical darling, and for those curious about where to watch the body horror, it’s available to stream online.
Of course, this could change andThe Substancecould become a somewhat unexpected hit, thus bringing Moore’s comeback full circle with a movie that succeeded with critics and general audiences. Even ifThe Substanceisn’t a box office hit, it has already succeeded enough to be considered Demi Moore’s comeback.
The Substance
Elisabeth Sparkle, a fading celebrity, turns to a mysterious drug that promises to restore her youth by creating a younger, more beautiful version of herself. But splitting time between her original and new body leads to horrifying consequences as her alternate self, Sue, begins to unravel her life in a disturbing body-horror descent.
