Robert Downey Jr., despite being an undeniable talent, hit rock bottom in the late 1990s and early 2000s due to struggles with alcohol and drugs, which derailed both his professional and personal life. When he managed to pull himself out of that downward spiral, he essentially had to start over from scratch. His big break came when Marvel decided to take a chance on him, offering him the opportunity to become Tony Stark. The rest is history, with successes like Sherlock Holmes showcasing his range.
However, this remarkable success story almost ended four years ago with Dolittle, his first major flop following his MCU era. Downey is candid about how disappointed he is with himself over the failure.
Slashfilm recently revisited Downey’s comments about Dolittle from last year, during the release of Oppenheimer. The actor explained that the family adventure film, based on Hugh Lofting’s The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle, initially seemed like a promising project to him. He envisioned it as the foundation of a new, successful franchise. He was wrong, as he admitted in an interview with The New York Times Magazine:
"I fulfilled my obligations to Marvel and then quickly pivoted to another project that seemed to have the potential to become another big, fun, and well-executed franchise—Dolittle. I had some reservations, though. My team and I were a little too enthusiastic about the deal itself, but not excited enough about how the project was ultimately being executed. At the time, I felt invincible. I was the guru of genre films!"
He went on to describe the fallout:
"Dolittle was a squandered opportunity that left a wound I nursed for two and a half years. It was shocking to witness the immense pressure my wife endured, sweating blood just to make the movie even presentable. Then […] we re-evaluated our priorities and changed our strategy regarding which business advisors to work with moving forward."
The “team” Downey refers to is Team Downey, the production company he co-runs with his wife, Susan Downey, who also served as a producer on Dolittle. Despite this setback, Team Downey has continued to thrive, producing projects like The Sympathizer and potentially delivering on highly anticipated titles like Sherlock Holmes 3 and its spin-off series.
But Dolittle did not go well: it received mostly negative reviews and struggled financially, grossing just $251.5 million globally against a reported $192.4 million budget. This failure cannot be blamed on the COVID-19 pandemic, as the film premiered a few months before its outbreak. Instead, Dolittle earned multiple Razzie nominations and wins.
Fortunately, the debacle didn’t derail Downey’s career. In fact, he went on to win an Oscar for Oppenheimer and is set to return to the MCU as Doctor Doom.
