Margot Robbie is still confused by “Babylon” flop, wonders if it will be this generation's “Shawshank Redemption”

"I still can’t figure out why people hated it."

Margot Robbie believes there's still time for Babylon to get its flowers… hopefully in the next two decades.

When the Damien Chazelle-helmed film hit theaters in 2022, it didn't receive the warmest welcome: not only was it polarizing amongst critics, the film was also quickly identified as a box office bomb, grossing just $15 million domestically and nearly $65 million worldwide against a budget of around $80 million. On a recent episode of the Talking Pictures podcast, Robbie made it clear that she still doesn't understand why the film so dramatically underperformed.

Podcast host Ben Mankiewicz shared that throughout his first time watching Babylon, he kept wondering, "Why don't people like this movie?" Robbie agreed.

"I am still saying that," she said. "I love it."

She added, "I know I am biased because I am very close to the project and I obviously believe in it, but I still can’t figure out why people hated it. I wonder if in 20 years people are going to be like, ‘Wait, Babylon didn’t do well at the time?’ Like when you hear that Shawshank Redemption was a failure at the time and you’re like like, ‘How is that possible?'”

Three decades have passed since The Shawshank Redemption first arrived in theaters, and the years have been more than kind to the film's legacy. The prison drama was a box office disappointment during its initial run in the fall of 1994, earning just over $16 million. It did receive seven Oscar nominations in the aftermath — including Best Picture and Best Actor (for Morgan Freeman) — but the film ultimately walked away empty-handed.

Over time, the film achieved cult classic status — thanks to repeat showings on cable and a boost from DVD rentals. The Shawshank Redemption is now widely acclaimed.

Related: Tim Robbins reflects on the enduring legacy of The Shawshank Redemption, 25 years later

As for Babylon, the Robbie-fronted film was certainly acknowledged throughout awards season, but took very little home, scoring in none of the three Oscar categories where it received nods and winning only Best Score from its five Golden Globe nominations.

The Hollywood epic sees Chazelle embrace an aesthetic of decadence and depravity to showcase the outrageous excess of 1920s Hollywood, as the industry transitions from silent pictures to the talkies. Robbie leads the film as fiery “It” girl Nellie LaRoy, a character inspired by the real-life Clara Bow.

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The divisive reception aside, Robbie spoke highly of her experience making the film with the Whiplash and La La Land filmmaker.

"Damien is so thorough," Robbie said. "Do you know what I loved so much about working with him? I felt like no one had really put their foot to the floor with the gas, but he wanted that all the time. He wanted more always. Even when we were prepping."

Related: Damien Chazelle knew Babylon would 'get some people mad,' embraces 'fierce opinions'

She continued, "When we were trying to figure out what the accent should be for that character — this is what it's like to work with Damien — I gave him 51 different versions of an accent. It was like doing a one-woman show. We started off with like Boston, Nellie is from Boston. Here’s what she sounds like if she’s from Arkansas. Then I got specific. 'Here's Nellie if she was a mixture of Snooki from the Jersey Shore and Joe Pesci.' And he'd be like, 'Okay, I'm liking the Snooki thing, but it worked better with such and such.' And I'd go, 'Now I’m going to be a little bit of Fran Drescher mixed with Snooki.' This is how specific we got."

Robbie eventually realized she had offered Chazelle 51 different voice options and decided to call it: "I was like, 'Damien you just have to pick one now, this is crazy.' He was like, 'I think she should just be from New Jersey.' He's from New Jersey.'"

Listen to Robbie reflect on Babylon and other titles from throughout her career in the podcast episode above.