Grace gets no favour
Nicole Kidman's new film Grace of Monaco has bombed at the British and Australian box offices on its opening weekend. The film, which was panned by critics after premiering at the Cannes Film Festival, debuted at No. 8 in Australia with a paltry $542,141, while it took just £238,862 ($426,360) in its opening three days in the UK.
Grace of Monaco, which stars Kidman as Hollywood star Grace Kelly and Tim Roth as her husband Prince Rainier, was almost universally slammed by critics.
The film caused controversy before it was even screened, with rumours of behind-the-scenes clashes, and condemnation from the royal family in Monaco.
At Cannes, an early screening was followed by reports of audience laughing at supposedly serious moments in the plot, and the all-star cast was compared to actors in a low-budget TV movie.
The movie, which is yet to open in the US, fared worse than the biopic starring Naomi Watts as Diana, Princess of Wales, which took £623,051 in its opening weekend in the UK and Ireland.
Kidman arrived back in Australia this week to play her more successful role, that of wife and mother. With large hat and sunglasses to hide her famous face, the Oscar winner arrived at Sydney Airport yesterday morning with daughters Sunday Rose and Faith to support husband Keith Urban on his forthcoming Australian tour, which comes to Perth Arena on June 29.
