Why ‘Indiana Jones 4’ proved underwhelming, reveals producer Kathleen Kennedy

‘Indiana Jones’ is one of the most celebrated film franchises of all time. All four films, directed by Steven Spielberg, were received well and became box office successes. However, the last film, 2008’s ‘Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull’ did polarise critics to an extent, even if most of the reviews were, indeed, positive. But the response to the film paled in comparison to the glowing reviews the first three films had received. 

Producer and president of Lucasfilm Kathleen Kennedy has spoken about the film’s comparatively mellow critical response. While speaking to Empire magazine, she said, “You never set out to do anything except make a great movie. And sometimes you hit that perfectly, and sometimes you don’t. In the case of ‘Indy 4’, I don’t think there’s any specific thing that any of us looked back on, except that we may not have had as strong a story as we wanted.”

Indiana Jones film series began with Steven Spielberg’s 1981 blockbuster ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark’. He followed it up with 1984’s ‘Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom’, 1989’s ‘Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade’, and 2008’s ‘Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull’.

Put together, the films have grossed almost $2 billion in box office returns worldwide on a combined budget of $279 million.

Apart from Harrison Ford, ‘Indiana Jones 5’ also stars Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Mads Mikkelsen, Thomas Kretschmann, Boyd Holbrook, Shaunette Renée Wilson, Toby Jones, and Antonio Banderas.

The film is being directed by James Mangold, known for acclaimed movies like the superhero film ‘Logan’ and the sports drama ‘Ford v Ferrari’. Mangold, Jez Butterworth, and John-Henry Butterworth have penned the script. 

‘Indiana Jones 5’ is all set to be released on June 30, 2023.