The Eagle of the Ninth film, based upon Rosemary Sutcliff’s book, resonates with Americans thinking about the place of their country in the world, according to The Telegraph newspaper and the CEO of the film’s financing company Focus Features.

…  resonance to Americans flocking to films set during the rise and fall of ancient empires as they contemplate their own long-dominant place in the world amid economic upheavals at home and protracted wars abroad. “Something clearly is in the air,” said James Schamus, chief executive of film production company Focus Features which will distribute The Eagle of the Ninth, in a recent interview with USA Today. “We Americans are wondering about just what phase of our own empire we’re in. And those anxieties certainly fuel mass culture’s fantasy life.”

Source: Hollywood turns to ancient warriors and legend for audiences