The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo: The Feel Bad Movie of Christmas

Christmas is a time of joy and cheer and December films emulate that in their marketing. Leave it to David Fincher to do the opposite. Leading up to the December 2011 release of his The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo adaptation, Fincher and Sony Pictures marketed the dark, crime film (yes, it is DARK) as the “Feel Bad Movie of Christmas.” The teaser played to Atticus Ross and Trent Reznor’s (Reznor of Nine Inch Nails fame) cyberpunk cover of Led Zeppelin’s “Immigrant Song,” with vocals by Karen O. While the film was critically acclaimed and has become a cult favorite over the years, it had a disappointing opening weekend, making just shy of $13 million domestically. It went on to gross over $230 million worldwide, but given its $90 million budget, the studio nixed any sequels—likely making fans of the original trilogy feel bad about Christmas.