Sorkin Cites $15 Million Gross in Admission of Visual Limits

Aaron Sorkin’s directing debut on a major studio feature has generated a worldwide gross of $15 million. The figure came to light as the 65-year-old screenwriter spoke at the Newport Beach Film Festival last week. He was there to receive the Maverick Director Award for The Social Reckoning.

The film, which centers on Facebook’s internal knowledge of its societal harm and the whistleblower who exposed it, opened in theaters on Oct. 9. It was produced by Sony with a budget of $40 million. The picture stars Mikey Madison, Jeremy Allen White, and Jeremy Strong. It marks the first time Sorkin has written and directed a major picture since 2020.

Sorkin acknowledged that he was not the first choice to helm the project. He noted that David Fincher, who directed Sorkin’s 2010 film The Social Network, would have been his preferred director. However, Fincher holds an exclusive deal with Netflix, and Sony owned the rights to this new screenplay.

The film has received mixed reception, holding a 54 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Sorkin said the box office results disappointed him. He used the interview to discuss his feelings about the learning curve he has faced while stepping behind the camera.

The writer has a 35 year career that includes scripts for A Few Good Men, The American President, Moneyball, and Steve Jobs. He has been widely praised for his dialogue and structure. Yet he admitted that directing has revealed gaps in his skill set that he did not anticipate.

Sorkin compared his situation to a football coach who believes the ingredients for a win were present but failed to coalesce. He stated that he has been doing things right along the way. He asked for one more chance to put all the elements together.

He expressed concern that his weaknesses in directing may be inherent rather than technical. Sorkin said he is worried that the parts of the craft he struggles with are the ones that cannot be taught. He defined these unteachable elements as talent.

The director admitted he has no visual sensibility. He was surprised by how little of the science of filmmaking he had absorbed over the past decade of directing projects including Molly’s Game and Being the Ricardos. He said he learned from working with top directors but the process has been steep.

Sorkin also discussed the state of the mid budget movie. He suggested that of his 11 films, only A Few Good Men might exist as a feature today. He implied the rest would likely be streaming projects. He also mentioned a new Lincoln Center revival of that early play.

He said he is working on the production clean and sober for the first time since its original run. He added that he is rewriting the material because he was very young when he first wrote it. He described the new version as a new play in some ways.