Days after the US government filed corruption charges against nine Fifa officials, a version of history backed by the soccer organisation hit US cinemas and was greeted by a red card from critics and mostly empty seats.
United Passions, a star-filled dramatisation funded by Fifa and distributed in the US by Screen Media Films, opened in 10 locations on Friday and for purchase online.
It reportedly collected just $634 (about €564) in ticket sales between Friday and Saturday. Sunday’s take will probably bring the total to $1,000 (about €890).
The US tally and the global results since the film's initial release at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2014 point to a financial flop.
Fifa paid around €24 million) toward financing United Passions, according to the organisation. It has collected about €158,000 in ticket sales in the past year, according to researchers.
In addition to a showing at Cannes and its US run, United Passions has been released in Serbia, Italy, France, Portugal, Hungary and India.
Fifa presidents
The film follows the rise of three Fifa presidents: Jules Rimet, Joao Havelange and Sepp Blatter, who said last week he would step down as scandal engulfed the group.
Several high-profiles actors take on the lead roles. Tim Roth plays Blatter, while Gerard Depardieu is Rimet and Havelange is played by Sam Neill.
Fifa provided footage for the movie, while Blatter is personally thanked in the credits by co-producer Leuviah-Films.
The film has been panned by critics, with The Guardian calling it propaganda and "cinematic excrement".
Michael Rechtshaffen wrote in the Los Angeles Times that the film "comes across as a squirm-inducing heap of propaganda at its most self-congratulatory".
The Village Voice called it "not merely ham-fisted, but pork-shouldered, bacon-wristed, and sausage-elbowed".
None of the nine reviews at the Rotten Tomatoes website, which aggregates critics' remarks, gave it a positive rating.
The film also includes scenes that stand out in light of the current bribery allegations. In one, Roth, as Blatter, reveals that South Africa has been chosen to host the 2010 World Cup.
Last week, Charles Blazer, a former Fifa executive committee member, said that he accepted bribes during the competition for the 2010 host country.
A Screen Media spokesman didn’t respond to a request for comment on Sunday. Neither did the producers, Leuviah-Films and Thelma Films, or Fifa.
Bloomberg
