Box Office: Benedict Cumberbatch and Olivia Colman’s The Roses sets late summer release; Revisiting the original War of the Roses' theatrical run

Benedict Cumberbatch and Olivia Colman’s The Roses arrives this summer, reimagining The War of the Roses; looking back at the 1989 original’s box office performance.

Written by Seema Sinha , Entertainment Journalist

Published on Mar 26, 2025 | 01:01 PM IST | 10.8K

Picture Courtesy: IMDb

The Roses, the much-talked-about remake of the 1989 classic The War of the Roses, starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Olivia Colman as a warring couple, will be released in the U.S. via Searchlight Pictures on August 29, the studio announced on Tuesday.

Jay Roach directs the film from a script by Poor Things and The Favourite writer Tony McNamara, which is derived from the novel published in 1981 by Warren Adler. The Adler tome was made into the aforementioned 1989 dark comedy starring Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner. Danny DeVito helmed that venture.

Here’s its box office performance, though it won’t be particularly relevant today in terms of forecasting the upcoming film’s potential, given that the figures haven’t been adjusted for inflation.

The War of the Roses made USD 160 million worldwide, with USD 86 million of its total coming from the domestic market and USD 73 million from international territories.

DeVito’s film won numerous awards, alongside scoring one BAFTA and three Golden Globe nominations, including one for Best Motion Picture – Comedy.

The official synopsis for The Roses reads:
"Life seems easy for picture-perfect couple Ivy (Olivia Colman) and Theo (Benedict Cumberbatch): successful careers, a loving marriage, great kids. But beneath the façade of their supposed ideal life, a storm is brewing – as Theo’s career nosedives while Ivy’s own ambitions take off, a tinderbox of fierce competition and hidden resentment ignites."

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Joining Colman and Cumberbatch on screen is an ensemble that includes Andy Samberg, Allison Janney, Kate McKinnon, Belinda Bromilow, Zoe Chao, Ncuti Gatwa, Jamie Demetriou, and more. The former two names, for the record, are also producing the gig.

Fun fact: Johnny Depp was told by his friend Alice Cooper that he should star in the film alongside Amber Heard, as their separation story perfectly aligned with the movie’s plot. Cooper revealed in an interview that the Pirates of the Caribbean actor laughed, and that was the extent of his reaction.

"The Roses is a wildly funny, bigger-than-life, and yet deeply human story," said Searchlight president Matthew Greenfield while announcing the project last April.

The Roses will open alongside horror comedy The Toxic Avenger, starring Peter Dinklage, Jacob Tremblay, and Elijah Wood, as well as Darren Aronofsky’s latest, Caught Stealing, featuring Austin Butler, Zoë Kravitz, and Regina King.

There are chances that a trailer for the entry will be released during Disney’s CinemaCon presentation next week.