Ahead of the Copa América, The Kid and The Tiger discuss a football film that promised plenty but ended up becoming one of the game’s biggest box-office disappointments.
What begins as a conversation about cinema soon turns into a satirical review of football politics, fantasy football and one very unfortunate choice of movie title.
The Box-Office Bomb
As preparations continue for the Copa América, The Kid asks The Tiger whether he has seen any worthwhile films recently.
The Tiger immediately remembers one football release that attracted plenty of publicity but very little praise.
At first he assumes it might be a documentary about his former club.
Instead, it turns out to be a very different football story altogether.
United Passions
The conversation centres around United Passions, the 2014 film commissioned to celebrate the history of FIFA.
Despite featuring recognised actors and a sizeable production budget, the film became notorious for its poor critical reception and disappointing box-office performance.
Its release coincided with growing scrutiny surrounding football’s governing body, making the timing particularly unfortunate.
Not Quite a Blockbuster
The Tiger remarks that he had already heard the film had flopped.
The Kid jokes that it might at least have provided some useful money-management advice.
Unfortunately, the storyline appears to offer very little help for fantasy football managers trying to balance a salary cap.
The pair conclude that it probably wasn’t worth the ticket price.
A Better Script?
Storybook imagines how the film might have been improved.
Perhaps it simply needed a stronger script.
Maybe a more memorable leading actor.
Or perhaps an entirely different title.
The final suggestion proves the sharpest, with The Kid proposing that The Dictator may actually have been more appropriate.
Football Satire at Its Best
Rather than directly criticising individuals, Storybook relies on satire.
The humour comes from allowing The Kid and The Tiger to discuss real football events with complete seriousness while reaching entirely absurd conclusions.
Even a failed football film somehow becomes linked back to fantasy football.
The Football Inspiration Behind the Comic
This episode was inspired by the release and spectacular commercial failure of United Passions, the film produced to celebrate FIFA’s history.
Released shortly before the organisation became engulfed by corruption investigations, the film reportedly became one of the biggest box-office failures in modern cinema.
Storybook uses that extraordinary real-life story to imagine how footballers themselves might have reviewed it.
Characters Featured
The Kid
Always capable of linking any conversation back to fantasy football, The Kid wonders whether the film might at least have offered some financial wisdom before concluding that the script simply wasn’t up to standard.
The Tiger
The Tiger introduces the discussion after recalling the widely criticised football film and joins The Kid in dissecting its shortcomings.
The World Governing Body
Although never named directly within the dialogue, football’s governing body provides the inspiration behind the entire joke through the ill-fated United Passions production.
Behind the Gag
The humour comes from treating one of football’s most infamous promotional films as though it were simply another disappointing trip to the cinema.
The Kid expects practical money advice.
The Tiger expects entertainment.
Neither receives what they were hoping for.
The alternative movie title delivers the final punchline.
Looking Back
Originally published in 2015, The Box-Office Bomb reflected one of football’s most unusual off-field stories.
Rather than focusing on transfers or matches, Storybook briefly turned its attention to cinema, using satire to poke fun at one of the sport’s most awkward public-relations projects.
The next episode returns to events on the pitch as Copa América drama begins to unfold.
