14 DAY TRIAL // When Justin Bieber took to Twitter one day before “Believe” was slated to be released in cinemas to announce that he was “officially retiring,” how many people really thought the teen icon was giving it all up?
Apparently, not enough, because the movie that opened up on December 25 couldn't get enough people out of their homes and into theaters for the first day of Christmas. Radar is reporting the movie only managed a disappointingly $1.25 million (€0.9 million) on its opening day at all the 1,000 locations where it played.
It lost to much bigger players in the box office like “The Hobbit,” “The Wolf of Wall Street,” “Saving Mr. Banks” and “American Hustle.” In fact, it didn't even manage to stay in the top 10. Justin Bieber's “Believe” finished off Wednesday being ranked 14 overall.
You can better understand the disappointing numbers when you compare this production with its predecessor, “Never Say Never,” which made $12.4 million (€9 million) on its first day in February 2011 in all 3,000 theaters where it played. It ended up collecting $29.5 million (€21.5 million) in its first weekend.
Reviews for “Believe,” a documentary about the troubled life of the famous 19-year-old, were for the most part positive, though they spoke of the fact the production fails to reveal the face of the singer behind the scenes and focus more on how his mad success has pushed him to do things that weren't always seen as appropriate.
It seems the scandals he's been involved in in the past year are taking their toll on his image and also his career, despite the armies of female fans. Seeing this huge drop in interest, Justin Bieber might have to actually follow through with his threats and really quit music or at least come up with something else.
His representatives have remained firm from the beginning that Justin is not retiring, he's just going to drop out from the spotlight for a while and come back with a more mature sound. In case this turns out to be true, it will come just in time for his 20th birthday, which could be the beginning of a new era for Justin. This one is definitely over.