A $90 Million Epic That Was Never Intended to Turn a Profit
In short: The 2016 historical drama The Promise aimed to illuminate the Armenian genocide through a classic love triangle. Despite a massive budget donated by Kirk Kerkorian, the film became a box office bomb. Its creators prioritized historical awareness over financial returns, hoping to reach mainstream audiences through traditional, sweeping cinematic storytelling.
Directed by Terry George, The Promise follows Mikael, an Armenian medical student, as he navigates the collapse of the Ottoman Empire. The narrative centers on a love triangle involving Mikael, an American journalist named Chris, and Ana, an Armenian woman raised in Paris. George, who previously directed human rights-focused films, sought to make the history accessible by employing a 1970s-style production aesthetic reminiscent of epics like Doctor Zhivago or Lawrence of Arabia. He deliberately chose English as the primary language to avoid confusing viewers with multiple dialects, though the film concludes with a toast delivered in Armenian.
The production was uniquely shielded from typical industry pressures. The entire $100 million budget was provided by Armenian-American businessman Kirk Kerkorian, who did not expect the film to be profitable. This financial independence prevented the Turkish government from exerting pressure to cancel the project, a tactic that had successfully thwarted previous attempts to dramatize the genocide. Co-producer Eric Esrailian noted that while a straightforward historical account might have been easier to produce, they opted for a romance-driven plot to immerse audiences in the era without it feeling like a dry history lesson.
The film faced mixed critical reception and significant commercial failure, grossing only $12 million against its $90 million budget. Despite these losses, the team maintained that the film's success should be measured by its impact on public awareness. George emphasized that the project would not have existed without Kerkorian, who approved the script before his death in 2015. By blending fictional characters with historical figures like Ambassador Henry Morgenthau, the film attempted to bridge the gap between academic history and mainstream entertainment, ensuring the story of the genocide reached a wider global audience.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: The Promise (2016 film)
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