Robert Downey Jr. Has Some Choice Words For His Biggest Box Office Flop

Stephen Gaghan's 2020 film "Dolittle," based on Hugh Lofting's "Doctor Dolittle" novels published in the 1920s and 1930s, was notable in that it was Robert Downey Jr.'s first major acting job in five years that wasn't part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Downey's five previous credits were for Avengers movies, wherein he played the inimitable Iron Man. The MCU, as well as Guy Ritchie's "Sherlock Holmes" movies, made Downey a wealthy worldwide superstar and a widely recognized household name. His 2010s fame, however, didn't seem to lead to other notable acting gigs. In 2009, Downey appeared in "The Soloist," and 2010 saw the release of the road comedy "Due Date," but neither of those were huge smashes. Downey starred in and produced "The Judge" in 2014, but that film attracted more attention for his co-star Robert Duvall than for his own performance. 

In 2020, when "Dolittle" was released, it seemed to many that Downey was adrift. "Dolittle," a film about an eccentric Welsh doctor who can communicate with animals, was a massive bomb when it came out, and it was critically panned. Although it made $251 million worldwide, "Dolittle" cost nearly $200 million to make, which makes it an official bomb. It also only has a 15% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 241 reviews. Practically no one liked the movie. 

Also, Downey's performance was ... off. He affected a deep, growly, Welsh accent, and it was nearly impossible to understand him. He turned Dr. Dolittle from a bright-eyed eccentric into a glowering weirdo. Not a good note for a children's movie. 

In 2023, before Downey received an Oscar for his performance in "Oppenheimer," he talked to New York Times Magazine about his post-Marvel malaise, and he admitted that "Dolittle" was a misstep.

In that interview, Downey referred to "Dolittle" as "a two-and-a-half-year wound of squandered opportunity."

It should be recalled that Iron Man perished at the end of the ultra-blockbuster "Avengers: Endgame" in 2019, and it marked the end of a very long contract Downey had with Marvel. Once he was free of Iron Man, Hollywood opened up to him, and he could finally take on whatever new blockbuster projects he wanted. He and his team of agents and publicity people felt that a new adaptation of the Dr. Dolittle books was a great idea, although Downey admitted to a little hesitancy. He said: 

"I finished the Marvel contract and then hastily went into what had all the promise of being another big, fun, well-executed potential franchise in 'Dolittle.' I had some reservations. Me and my team seemed a little too excited about the deal and not quite excited enough about the merits of the execution. But at that point I was bulletproof. I was the guru of all genre movies." 

Downey was diplomatic about "Dolittle," though, noting that it taught him an important lesson. He likened it to his 2006 remake of "The Shaggy Dog," a film that proved that he, only a few years sober at the time, could still be insured by a big company like Disney, its distributor. Downey said that "Dolittle" was such a struggle to make, and such a critical failure on its release, that it forced him to be more thoughtful about his choices and to be more careful about the quality of the films he stars in. To quote: 

"'Dolittle was a two-and-a-half-year wound of squandered opportunity. The stress it put on my missus as she rolled her sleeves up to her armpits to make it even serviceable enough to bring to market was shocking. After that point — what's that phrase? Never let a good crisis go to waste? — we had this reset of priorities and made some changes in who our closest business advisers were."

"The missus" refers to Downey's wife, Susan Downey, a prolific producer and handler of most of Downey's films. 

Downey also admitted that he used the production of "Dolittle" as a therapy tool. Downey's father, the celebrated filmmaker behind "Putney Swope," "Greaser's Palace," and a dozen others, was ailing with Parkinson's disease. Downey Jr. loved his father, and admitted to using a major Hollywood picture to distract himself. He said: 

"[T]hat whole time, my dad was passing away, and as an avoidance mechanism, I decided to send crews over and get his thoughts on his winter years, and that turned into 'Sr.,' probably the most important thing I will ever do, which was being able to become part object and subject within a piece of 'content.' Which is what it was but to me was meaningful." 

Chris Smith directed the Robert Downey Sr. documentary "Sr." in 2022, and the film was released on Netflix. It not only captures footage of the father and son talking, but gets opinions from famous actors who worked with the director. That project, it seems, was more important to Downey than a silly, FX-heavy talking animal adventure. 

Then, Downey said, he got a call from Christopher Nolan about appearing in "Oppenheimer," and Downey was once again a part of one of the biggest films of the year. Only this time, it was a heady, talky biopic, not a superhero epic. "Dolittle" apparently taught him to make personal movies that were important to him, or to take on challenging dramatic roles that showcase his talents. Because "Dolittle" tanked, it's unlikely we'll see any other blockbuster bonanzas from Downey any time soon. 

Then again, maybe we will. Downey has re-entered the Marvel world, agreeing to play the supervillain Doctor Doom in several upcoming movies. Let's just hope none of them turn out to be another "Dolittle"-sized debacle.