One of the Worst Movies Ever Made Was Also FIFA's Biggest Mistake
In 2015, while FIFA executives were getting perp-walked around the globe, the organization quietly released United Passions — a movie so ill-timed, so embarrassingly self-congratulatory, and so thoroughly unwatchable, it almost feels like performance art.
Directed by Frédéric Auburtin and bankrolled mostly by FIFA itself, the film was intended as a sweeping tribute to the organization's noble past. What it became instead was one of the most universally ridiculed propaganda pieces in modern cinema.
Yes, they made a movie about FIFA — and yes, Sepp Blatter was the main character. Played by Tim Roth, no less.
The Film
United Passions traced FIFA's history from its founding in 1904 through the 2010 World Cup, starring:
- Gérard Depardieu as Jules Rimet
- Sam Neill as João Havelange
- Tim Roth as Sepp Blatter
- Fisher Stevens as C.A.W. Hirschman
What did audiences get? A lot of boardroom scenes. Very little football. And no explanation for why any of the soccer moments were supposed to matter.
The Numbers
- Budget: $30 million (funded largely by FIFA)
- Opening weekend (U.S.): $918 total. One Phoenix theater reportedly sold just one ticket — $9
- Festival debut (Zurich): 120 tickets sold
- Worldwide total gross: $168,832
- Rotten Tomatoes score: 0%
- IMDb rating: 2.1/10 from 4,500 users
In 2017, The Guardian confirmed it as the lowest-grossing major release in U.S. history.
The Timing
Just months before the film's release, FIFA officials were being arrested en masse in a sweeping international corruption investigation. By the time the film limped into 10 American theaters in February 2015, Sepp Blatter — FIFA's longtime president and the supposed hero of United Passions — was resigning in disgrace.
The FBI and IRS had uncovered years of bribery, racketeering, and shady World Cup bid deals going back to 2001. If FIFA's goal was to launder its image with a prestige biopic, they couldn't have picked a worse moment to roll it out.
The Reactions
Critics and viewers weren't just unimpressed — they were openly horrified.
- The Wrap called it "unfathomably ghastly."
- The LA Times said it had the "worst-timed release in Hollywood history."
- The Hollywood Reporter said its only entertainment value was as "high camp."
- John Oliver on Last Week Tonight roasted it: "This movie, like FIFA itself, looks terrible… Who makes a sports film where the heroes are the executives?"
Even Gnomeo & Juliet came out looking better by comparison.
Tim Roth didn't even watch it. In an interview with Die Welt, he said he took the role just for the paycheck — he was paying for his kids' college. He never read the script closely, never questioned anything, and never looked back. "I got paid by FIFA," he shrugged. "And FIFA is now disgraced forever."
Where to Watch (If You Dare)
If you're feeling masochistic, United Passions is still out there — streaming on Roku, Plex, and Fawsome. But unless you're researching the cinematic equivalent of a cover-up, maybe just skip it and rewatch Blatter falling off a stage on YouTube. It's shorter, funnier, and has way more replay value.