Credit: Cover Images

Who knew that Guy Ritchie’s numerous attempts to launch a franchise would only succeed when he pivoted to streaming television? Years before he became known for Netflix’s The Gentlemen, the Paramount+ series MobLand, and Prime Video’s Young Sherlock, Ritchie made around half a dozen attempts to kick-start a theatrical franchise. Most ambitiously, he directed a mega-budget fantasy epic that was designed to spawn at least four sequels, which would culminate with an Avengers-style team-up movie. However, the first film tanked horribly upon release, ending all future plans. The movie in question is currently streaming for free in the United States, but only for a little while longer.

It was originally released in theaters in 2017, not long after Ritchie had made a successful transition to big-budget franchise filmmaking with Sherlock Holmes and Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows. Ritchie’s earlier efforts to create a franchise with the 2008 movie RocknRolla hadn’t taken off, and his 2015 spy thriller The Man from U.N.C.L.E. failed to spawn a sequel as well. Since then, Ritchie has shown franchise ambitions with movies such as Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre, Aladdin, The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, Fountain of Youth, and more recently, In the Grey.

Here’s How Long You Have Left to Watch the Fantasy Epic for Free

But we’re talking about King Arthur: Legend of the Sword. Produced on a reported budget of $175 million, the movie grossed less than $150 million worldwide. It starred Charlie Hunnam in the titular role, with Jude Law, Eric Bana, Djimon Hounsou, and Aiden Gillen in supporting roles. The plan was for King Arthur to be followed by individual movies focusing on other Knights of the Round Table, which would all lead toward a team-up movie. In addition to its poor box-office performance, King Arthur also received unenthusiastic reviews. It now holds a 31% score on the aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, where the consensus reads, “King Arthur: Legend of the Sword piles mounds of modern action flash on an age-old tale — and wipes out much of what made it a classic story in the first place.” You can watch the film on Tubi in the United States until November 1. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates.

Release Date

May 12, 2017

Runtime

126 Minutes

Producers

Akiva Goldsman, Lionel Wigram, Steve Clark-Hall, Tory Tunnell, Guy Ritchie, Joby Harold