Napoleon storms French box office days after Ridley Scott’s scathing response to critics

Historical epic received criticism from French reviewers, who called it ‘unintentionally funny’

Napoleon has stormed the box office in France days after Ridley Scott’s scathing reaction to French critics who tore the film apart.

The film defied the critics and amassed strong box office takings in its opening day of release on Wednesday (22 November), with Comscore France noting an estimated €868,000 ($946,000) from around 120,000 screens.

Napoleon, the latest movie from the Gladiator filmmaker, 85, stars Joaquin Phoenix as the 19th-century French emperor, and it charts the true story of Napoleon’s rise to power and his tumultuous relationship with Empress Joséphine de Beauharnais (Vanessa Kirby).

Reviews of the film have been divisive, with some hailing the historical epic a “masterpiece” and others criticising the film for its historical inaccuracies.

Scott, who previously told those picking holes in Napoleon to “get a life”, was alerted to the fact that notable outlets in France, namely Le Figaro, Le Point, and GQ France, have shared negative reviews of the film.

For example, GQ France called the film “deeply clumsy, unnatural and unintentionally funny” for scenes in which French soldiers shout “Vive La France” with American accents.

Addressing these reviews in a new interview with BBC News, Scott replied: “The French don’t even like themselves.”

However, he was not referring to all French people – the filmmaker said that “the audience [he] showed it to in Paris loved it”.

Historian Dan Snow previously highlighted what he believed to be inaccuracies in a viral TikTok video.

One of the issues he detailed included the idea that Napoleon “came from nothing”, which is quoted on the poster. “His dad was, in fact, an aristocrat,” Snow remarked.

Vanessa Kirby and Joaquin Phoenix in ‘Napoleon’ (AP)

He also pointed out that “Napoleon didn’t shoot at the pyramids” at the Battle of the Pyramids, and that, despite what’s shown in the teaser clip, Marie-Antoinette “famously had very cropped hair for the execution, and, hey, Napoleon wasn’t there.”

Phoenix told Empire in a recent interview that this film is an “experience told through Ridley’s eyes”, adding: “If you want to really understand Napoleon, then you should probably do your own studying and reading,”

Scott has been vocal about the fact that the version of Napoleon set to be shown in cinemas will not be the final cut of the film.

Much like with his Orlando Bloom-starring 2005 epic Kingdom of Heaven, Scott has put together an extended cut of the release, which will add 110 minutes to the 158-minute-long film.

Napoleon, which is in cinemas now, will be released on Apple TV+ after its theatrical run.