Had it opened a year ago, Kevin Spacey’s ensemble crime-drama Billionaire Boys Club may have had a welcoming debut at the box office. But since Anthony Rapp and many other men began coming forward with accusations against the actor of sexual harassment and assault, Spacey’s career quickly took a downward spiral.
Last year, Spacey was removed from House of Cards and the filmAll the Money in the World, but this indie film appeared to be the last-ditch effort of his career. BBC opened in only 10 theaters, and according tothe Hollywood Reporter, earned a truly pathetic low of $126 on its first day. That means only about a dozen people saw it on opening night.
And the movie isn’t without its stars. Ansel Elgort, Taron Egerton, Emma Roberts, and more are cast in the 1980s-set film based on a club of the same name. In it, Spacey plays Ron Levin, a con artist who allegedly swindled the club and was later murdered.
Vertical Entertainment decided to release the film, despite the mounting accusations against Spacey and his tarnished public reputation.
"We hope these distressing allegations pertaining to one person’s behavior—that were not publicly known when the film was made almost two-and-a-half years ago and from someone who has a small, supporting role in Billionaire Boys Club—does not tarnish the release of the film," Vertical told THR in June. "In the end, we hope audiences make up their own minds as to the reprehensible allegations of one person’s past, but not at the expense of the entire cast and crew present on this film."
But Spacey's role in the film did have a huge impact on its success, and he's clearly not making a grand comeback anytime soon.
