Universal Pictures' film "Cats" received a patch to update its computer-generated imagery (CGI) while in theaters, the first time in history that's ever been done.

This unprecedented event took place after the film grossed only $6.5 million on opening weekend and following exceptionally negative reviews.

Director Tom Hooper, who also directed the 2012 musical "Les Misérables," admitted to working on "Cats" at the last minute. Perhaps this explains why the premiered version included several egregious CGI errors such as, surprisingly, some actors' human hands still being visible.

"This isn't a joke: CATS was rushed into theaters before being finished so a new version is being sent to theaters with updated effects," tweeted Jenelle Riley, Variety editor. "How do you know if you have the old version? Look for Judi Dench's human hand, wedding ring and all."

Negative review after negative review began to populate the internet, many with memorable and scathing titles. Some notable examples include:

  • "Cats review: Movie musical is a total disaster" (New York Post, Johnny Oleksinski)
  • "Cats Is a Nightmare That Won't End" (ELLE.com, Jill Gutowitz)
  • "Cats: A Broadway Musical Adaptation Straight Outta the Litter Box" (Rolling Stone, Peter Travers)
The Rolling Stone review presented harsh lines to describe "Cats" such as "inert and as indigestible as a hairball" and the following call to action with which Travers leads up to leaving his readers:

"Let the sheer grinding monotony of Cats stand as a measuring stick for future cinematic takes on Broadway musicals that hope to match its unparalleled, bottom-feeding dreadfulness."

Thankfully, Universal Pictures has had other more successful films as of late, including "1917," which is in theaters now, and "Us," the latter of which grossed $175 million. Still, "Cats" doesn't seem to be faring well for the leading studio this time around.

To put the "Cats" box office weekend figures into budget perspective, an opening weekend of $6.5 million compared to a $100 million budget doesn't offer a strong start. Actually, opening weekend brought in half of the film's expected opening gross.

Universal Pictures is owned by Comcast Corporation (CMCSA  ) through Comcast's subsidiary NBCUniversal.