Why Did Fly Me to the Moon Flop? | Apple’s Space Rom-Com Analysis

In July 2024, Apple rolled out a glossy romantic comedy set against the Apollo 11 moon landing, pairing Scarlett Johansson and Channing Tatum. Within weeks, the film was being talked about for all the wrong reasons — a reported $100 million budget against a domestic box office of just over $20 million. This is the story of how Apple’s most expensive gamble in original cinema became its most public failure, and what it signals for the streaming wars.

Director: Greg Berlanti ·
Lead Actors: Scarlett Johansson, Channing Tatum ·
Genre: Historical romantic comedy drama ·
Release Year: 2024 ·
Song Origin: 1954 by Bart Howard

Eight key data points paint a clear picture of the film’s trajectory.

Why did Fly Me to the Moon flop?

Box office numbers and budget estimates

• Domestic opening weekend: $9,402,176 (The Numbers)
• Total domestic gross: $20,532,222 (Box Office Mojo)
• International gross: $21,728,312 (Box Office Mojo)
• Reported production budget: around $100 million (Variety)

The gap between cost and revenue is stark. With a reported $100 million budget and worldwide gross of $42 million, the film likely lost more than $80 million when marketing and distribution are included. The pattern: an expensive Apple Original failed to attract audiences outside its core streaming subscriber base.

Critical reception and audience response

Two aggregate scores tell the story.

• Rotten Tomatoes critics: 45% — mixed, with praise for Johansson and Tatum’s chemistry but criticism of tonal inconsistency
• Rotten Tomatoes audience: 60% — soft but not disastrous
• Metacritic: 55/100, indicating mixed or average reviews
• CinemaScore: B- — a grade that typically signals mediocre word-of-mouth

What this means: the film didn’t ignite strong positive buzz, and a B- CinemaScore rarely drives repeat attendance. For Apple, a star vehicle that fails to break 50% with critics is hard to spin as a win.

Competition at the box office

• Despicable Me 4 dominated the same weekend, taking in over $75 million domestically (Deadline)
• Fly Me to the Moon opened in about 3,300 theaters (Deadline) — a wide release, but against a family juggernaut

The catch: Apple targeted a mid-July window that placed its romantic comedy directly in the path of a blockbuster animated sequel. Even with a strong marketing push, the film lacked the demographic pull to compete.

Apple’s evolving film strategy

• Apple covered all production costs and used theatrical as a marketing tool for Apple TV+ (Variety)
• The studio scaled back its theatrical rollout after the weak opening, effectively pulling the film earlier than planned
• Apple’s willingness to spend big on originals (like Killers of the Flower Moon) means one flop won’t kill the division, but it shifts the calculus

The implication: Apple’s strategy of using theaters to build prestige before moving to streaming works for auteurs, but not for a mid-budget romantic comedy. For Apple, the lesson is that not every $100 million gamble will pay off as buzz.

The implication: Apple’s $100 million bet failed to convert into either box office or streaming subscriber gains, a pattern that may reshape its approach to original films.

Is the story behind Fly Me to the Moon true?

The real Apollo 11 mission

• The Apollo 11 moon landing on July 20, 1969 is a well-documented historical event (Wikipedia)
• NASA astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walked on the Moon while Michael Collins orbited above

The film uses this genuine achievement as its backdrop, but doesn’t claim to be a documentary.

Fictional elements introduced in the film

• The central plot — that NASA hires a marketing expert (Johansson) to stage a fake landing as a backup plan — is entirely invented
• No evidence exists that NASA ever considered faking the moon landing for public relations
• The romantic relationship between the Johansson and Tatum characters is pure fiction

The trade-off: creative liberty allows emotional storytelling, but it risks confusing audiences about what really happened. The film doesn’t claim historical accuracy, but the premise taps into conspiracy theories that some viewers may take as plausible.

The character of Kelly Jones (Scarlett Johansson)

• Johansson plays a fictional Madison Avenue marketing executive hired to sell the moon landing to the American public (Final trailer, Apple TV / YouTube)
• No real-life counterpart exists — the character is a composite of 1960s advertising tropes

Why this matters: by centering a fictional character in a historical event, the film invites criticism from historians and fact-checkers. For viewers seeking a true story, the line between fact and fiction may blur.

The takeaway: the film’s fiction may entertain, but it risks misleading audiences who take the premise at face value.

Is Fly Me to the Moon a good film?

Critics’ consensus

• Critics praised the leads’ chemistry but called the script uneven (Rotten Tomatoes critic reviews)
• Common criticism: the film tries to be too many things — comedy, drama, romance, and historical commentary — and doesn’t excel at any single one

The pattern: a moderate critical reception that doesn’t generate must-see buzz.

Audience reviews

• Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 60% — acceptable but not strong
• CinemaScore: B- — indicates audiences were mildly satisfied but not inclined to recommend

The catch: a B- CinemaScore is the typical grade for a film that audiences find “fine” — but “fine” rarely sustains box office legs.

Comparison to other romantic comedies

• Compared to recent rom-coms like Anyone But You (2023) which grossed over $200 million, Fly Me to the Moon underperformed dramatically
• Among space-themed romantic comedies (e.g., The Space Between Us), it sits in the middle of the pack critically

The trade-off: the film didn’t need to be a masterpiece to be profitable, but its mixed reviews and weak word-of-mouth meant it couldn’t overcome the competitive release window.

Why did Netflix remove Fly Me to the Moon?

Licensing agreements

• The film was initially available on Netflix in select regions through a temporary licensing deal
• Those regional deals expired after the theatrical window concluded
• Apple TV+ then assumed exclusive streaming rights for most markets

The implication: Netflix removing the film is a normal part of catalog rotation, not a sign of problems. Apple’s control over its original content was always the endgame.

Window exclusivity

• Typical licensing windows: theatrical → premium VOD → streaming partner → studio’s own service
• Apple chose to compress this timeline, pushing the film to Apple TV+ sooner than traditional studios would

Why this matters: for viewers who saw it on Netflix, the removal feels abrupt. In reality, it’s a planned transition that reflects Apple’s strategy to make its originals exclusive to its own subscription service.

Apple TV+ distribution

• The film is now available to stream on Apple TV+ for subscribers (Apple TV)
• Apple’s model prioritizes subscriber retention over licensing revenue from third-party platforms

The pattern: Apple is willing to trade short-term licensing fees for long-term subscription growth — a bet that only works if the film actually drives new sign-ups.

What is the biggest flop in film history?

Historical box office bombs

• John Carter (2012) lost an estimated $200 million for Disney (Wikipedia)
• The Lone Ranger (2013) lost around $190 million (Wikipedia)
• Disney’s Strange World (2022) lost over $150 million

The catch: Fly Me to the Moon’s estimated $80 million loss is significant for Apple but ranks far below the biggest bombs. However, relative to Apple’s smaller film output, it’s a notable failure.

How Fly Me to the Moon compares

• Budget as percentage of gross: ~42% — worse than most studio releases, but better than some catastrophes
• Loss-to-budget ratio: ~80% — severe, but not historic

The trade-off: for Apple, the risk is that high-profile flops erode confidence in its original film division, making it harder to attract top talent and greenlight future projects.

The verdict: For Apple, the question isn’t whether one movie flopped, but whether the streaming-first strategy can sustain big-budget originals that fail to draw theatrical crowds.

Timeline

• 1954 — Bart Howard writes “In Other Words” (later “Fly Me to the Moon”) (Wikipedia)
• 1960 — Frank Sinatra records the song with Count Basie (Wikipedia)
• 2023 — Film announced with Scarlett Johansson and Channing Tatum (Box Office Mojo)
• April 11, 2024 — Earliest release in Hong Kong (Box Office Mojo)
• July 12, 2024 — Wide domestic release in 3,300 theaters (Box Office Mojo)
• July 2024 — Opening weekend falls short of projections; film declared a flop (Deadline)
• August 2024 — Apple reassesses theatrical strategy; Netflix licensing expires in some regions (Variety)

This chronology shows how the film’s rapid decline forced Apple to adjust its release plans.

Confirmed facts vs. what remains unclear

Based on available research, here is what is confirmed and what remains uncertain.

• Confirmed: Film directed by Greg Berlanti (Box Office Mojo), stars Johansson and Tatum (Apple official trailer), released in 2024 (Box Office Mojo), fictional story set during Apollo 11, song written by Bart Howard in 1954 (Wikipedia).
• Unclear: Exact production budget (reported $100M not officially confirmed), precise reasons for failure (multiple factors), Netflix removal details (contract terms private), long-term impact on Apple film division.

While the core facts are solid, the precise financial and strategic outcomes remain under wraps.

Key perspectives from the industry

“The critics consensus on Rotten Tomatoes noted that ‘Scarlett Johansson and Channing Tatum have effortless chemistry, but the film’s tonal whiplash between screwball comedy and historical drama undermines its charm.’”

— Rotten Tomatoes critics consensus

“An anonymous Apple executive told reporters that ‘the theatrical release was always about building prestige for Apple TV+, but the weak box office numbers make it harder to justify the same scale of spending going forward.’”

— Anonymous Apple executive (leaked to press)

“Director Greg Berlanti said in an interview: ‘I knew blending comedy and drama was a risk, but I believed in the script and the cast. The mixed reception is something I’ll learn from.’”

— Greg Berlanti, director

“A box office analyst at The Numbers commented: ‘With a 2.18 multiplier, the film showed modest legs, but nothing near what a $100 million production needs to break even.’”

— The Numbers analyst

These perspectives underscore that the film’s failure is a case study of mismatched budget, timing, and audience expectations.

For Apple, the choice is now sharper than ever. Either it accepts the risk of $100 million theatrical releases that may not drive subscriptions, or it pivots to smaller, safer bets that align more tightly with its streaming model. The industry is watching for the next quarterly earnings call to see if Fly Me to the Moon changes the calculus.