So, why did a very expensive independent film based on a comic not extremely well known outside of France, not do very well at the box office? Oh.
Further Reading:
Valerian Starts Well In France - Hollywood Reporter
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/stateside-flop-luc-bessons-valerian-starts-strong-france-1025468
Valerian Is The Most Expensive Non-American Film Ever Made - Quartz
https://qz.com/1033865/valerian-luc-bessons-sci-fi-epic-is-the-most-expensive-non-american-film-ever-made/
Why Valerian Is Doomed To Fail At The Box Office - LRM
http://lrmonline.com/news/why-valerian-the-city-of-a-thousand-planets-is-doomed-to-fail-at-the-box-office-this-july
Films Mentioned:
THX 1138 (1971), Blade Runner (1982), The Fifth Element (1997), Lucy (2014), Valerian And The City Of A Thousand Planets (2017)