Johnny Depp's superstardom was questioned when his "Lone Ranger" tanked at the box office but the actor has blamed negative reviews for its underwhelming performance.
Directed by Gore Verbinski and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, the film may cost Disney around USD 150 million.
Depp, who along with Verbinski and Bruckheimer took a pay cut to finally make a the big budget film when it was stuck at the production level, said critics tore apart the movie, reported Variety.
"I think the reviews were written seven to eight months before we released the film," Depp said, adding the movie never stood a chance because of all the negative press surrounding it.
"I think the reviews were written when they heard Gore and Jerry and me were going to do The Lone Ranger. They had expectations that it must be a blockbuster. I didn't have any expectations of that. I never do."
Bruckheimer agreed with Depp, saying, "I think they were reviewing the budget, not reviewing the movie. The audience doesn't care what the budget is-they pay the same amount if it costs a dollar or USD 20 million."
"It's unfortunate because the movie is a terrific movie, it's a great epic film. It has lots of humor. Its one of those movies that whatever critics missed in it this time, they'll review it in a few years and see that they made a mistake.
