Not showing soon: Madonna's new film

Madonna's new film is so bad that it is not even going to be shown in British cinemas. Swept Away, directed by the singer's husband, Guy Ritchie, 34, received a critical mauling on its release in the United States. Indeed, so negative was the reception that almost no one bothered to see it.

The movie portrays Madonna, 44, as a rich woman on a voyage who becomes shipwrecked with a first mate she has taunted, played by the Italian actor Adriano Giannini. Predictably, she begins a romance with him. It has taken barely $600,000 (£377,000), since its release in the US last month.

The film had been scheduled to show on British screens by March but will now go straight to video, Columbia TriStar, the distributor, said yesterday. "Following the disappointing box office results in the US, Guy Ritchie's Swept Away will not be released theatrically in the UK," a spokesman said.

The merciless treatment by the US critics was said to have contributed to the worst opening for a studio film for many years. The Washington Post said Swept Away was "as awful as you've heard and as bad as you've imagined". New York's Daily News gave it "zero" stars, describing it as "amateurish", "a debacle" and "a new career low". Rolling Stone magazine said: "Audiences are likely to be slack-jawed. It's the movie that's a shipwreck."

A spokeswoman for Madonna said she had no comment on the distributor's decision.