Twisted Wizard (film)

Twisted Wizard is a 2021 American fantasy adventure film based on the fictional game from the Diary of a Wimpy Kid franchise. The film follows Rolock (Timothée Chalamet), a young servant with hidden wizard powers that must defeat an unknown evil entity before it destroys a sacred stone that contains magical serum.
The film was simultaneously released in theaters and on Disney+ on September 3, 2021. Reviews were mixed, with praise for the performances and visual effects but criticism for the story, and the film was a box office bomb, grossing $52 million against a budget of $38 million. However, the film was successful on streaming, prompting Disney to make more spin-offs of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid franchise.
== Plot ==
Based on the beloved Diary of a Wimpy Kid franchise, Twisted Wizard is an action-packed adventure showing a young wizard trying to stop havoc from wreaking loose. Will he save the day, or will everything he loves be crushed in an instant? - Official description on wimpykid.com
== Cast ==
* Timothée Chalamet as Rolock
* Ed Asner as King Murner
* Andy Serkis as Hydramon (motion capture performance)
* Nonso Anozie as Bleder
* Jennifer Lawrence as Lisly
* Boyd Holbrook as Tranger
* Michael Pena as Sango
== Release ==
The film was originally scheduled to be released on November 6, 2020, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic halting the film industry and closing down many theaters around the country, the film was pushed back to September 3, 2021. In January 2021, Disney announced that for the film, a simultaneous release on Disney+ and in theaters would happen.
== Reception ==
=== Box office ===
Twisted Wizard grossed $28 million in the United States and Canada and $24 million in other territories for a worldwide total of $52 million against a budget of $38 million. Deadline Hollywood estimated the film lost $20-25 million in box office receipts.
=== Audience viewership ===
The film was the 3rd-most watched title in its first weekend on Disney+. Industry insiders estimated the amount of households watching the film during the weekend to be equivalent to a $25-30 million theatrical debut, although Disney claimed the film's streaming numbers that weekend matched a $40 million debut.
=== Critical response ===
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 53% based on 146 reviews, with an average rating of 5.9/10. The site's consensus reads, "Twisted Wizard is moderately impressive as a mature spin-off of a children's book series, but it only proves that strong visuals can't compensate for a weak story." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 54 out of 100, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A-" on a scale of A+ to F.