1 of Angelina Jolie’s Earliest Films Was a $20 Million Mistake
Some actors seem to have it easy when making their name in the industry. A good example is Edward Norton, whose entry into Hollywood saw him earn an Academy Award nod. However, for most, it’s a slippery slope that takes some time to stick. For instance, you might’ve never guessed that an A-lister like Angelina Jolie didn’t start her career as a major movie star. However, one of Jolie’s first films was a flop.
The actor has enjoyed immense success in Hollywood
Angelina Jolie was born Angelina Jolie Voight in 1975 to actors Jon Voight and Marceline Bertrand. Growing up, Jolie watched her mother’s films, which she credited as her inspiration to get into acting. Her first acting role, albeit small, came in her father’s movie Lookin’ to Get Out. She was only 7. Jolie also tried modeling at her mother’s behest, but it proved unsuccessful.
She fully committed to acting at 16. But initially, she found landing auditions difficult. Her professional film career began in 1993 with Cyborg 2. She followed that with a supporting role in Without Evidence before landing the lead in 1995’s Hackers.
Throughout the ’90s, Jolie continued appearing in minor roles in movies such as Playing God, Foxfire, Love Is All There Is, and Mojave Moon. However, her role in the 1998 drama Gia, about the first supermodel, Gia Carangi, helped Jolie break ground. She played the titular model, and her performance earned her praise from critics and audiences.
She was nominated for an Emmy Award and won a Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild Award for it. The role opened doors for the young actor, which led to parts in Girl Interrupted and The Bone Collector. Her performance as Lara Croft in Lara Croft: Tomb Raider in 2001 earned Jolie even more recognition and made her a star to watch.
According to IMDb, Jolie has 63 acting credits and is best known for her work in Maleficent, Mr. & Mrs. Smith, Salt, and The Tourist.
Her expansive career has also helped her amass a considerable fortune. According to Celebrity Net Worth, Angelina Jolie’s net worth is an estimated $120 million from her acting career and endorsements.
1 of Angelina Jolie’s earliest movies was a flop
In 1995, Angelina Jolie was striving to make a name for herself as an actor. So she took the lead role in the feature film Hackers. The movie follows a bunch of teenage computer hackers involved in a corporate extortion conspiracy in a bid to clear their names.
The film stars Jolie as Kate, Jonny Lee Miller as Dade, Fisher Stevens as Eugen, Lorraine Blanco as Margo, and Matthew Lillard as Emmanuel. But Hackers bombed, with critics panning it for its unconvincing portrayal of hackers.
Hackers has a 31% approval rating based on 45 critics’ reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, while Metacritic gives it a 46 out of 100 based on 14 reviews.
Film critic Dustin Putman called it “an onslaught of lame plotting, dopey writing, and cornball histrionics.”
Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly wrote, “What’s most grating about Hackers, however, is the guileless way the movie buys in to the computer-kid-as-elite-rebel mystique currently being peddled by magazines like Wired.”
And Michael Wilmington of the Chicago Tribune said, “This is a movie that sums up the worst of the computer era: zapping you with techno-clichés and trapping you in constant visual crash and burn.”
In addition, the movie was a box office flop, earning only $7.5 million on a $20 million budget.
However, over the years, Hackers has gained a cult following after its video release.
What is Angelina Jolie doing now?
Angelina Jolie has appeared in a few films in recent years. In 2020, she starred in Come Away alongside David Oyelowo, following it up with an appearance in Those Who Wish Me Dead. The latter received moderate reviews, but her performance was nonetheless lauded.
The star recently joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Thena, a warrior with PTSD, in the 2021 action/fantasy Eternals. In addition, Jolie is set to appear in and produce an adaptation of the James Scott novel The Kept.
