Steve Jobs Movie Slumps at Box Office

Steve Jobs may have been the man behind the world's biggest technology company, but the new film based on his life has proved less popular with the public. Danny Boyle's much-hyped Steve Jobs has opened to disappointing box office returns, and may no longer be the Oscar favourite that many predicted.

The film has only made $7.3 million in its opening weekend, Variety reports, well below the $19 million that had been predicted. Unlike some films that play badly in the US but ultimately go on to become box office successes overseas, the appeal of the dialogue-heavy film to an international market may be limited.

With a production budget of $30, and a similar figure spent on marketing, it is estimated that producers Universal will need to make at least $120 million to break even.

The advance word on the film made it a likely Oscar contender, with many citing Boyle, star Michael Fassbender, and writer Aaron Sorkin, as shoe-ins for nominations next year. However, the lack of box office success makes this less likely.

Nevertheless, Universal tried to sound an optimistic tone about the film's ongoing fortunes. Nick Carpou, the studio's domestic distribution chief, told Variety: "We are going to continue to support the film in the markets where it is showing strength and we’re going to continue to do it aggressively and proactively.

"The critics are there for it and the buzz in these markets is strong."