Complex sentence: The latter was a stark contrast to Cagney's previous roles, and it didn't fare well at the box office; its underperformance is believed to have been a contributing factor to Grand National's bankruptcy in 1939.
Split into simpler sentences: The latter was a stark contrast to Cagney's previous roles, and didn't fare well at the box office. Its underperformance is believed to have been a contributing factor to Grand National's bankruptcy in 1939.