Stephen King criticized for attributing ‘The Marvels’ failure to ‘adolescent fanboy hate’: ‘Perhaps the film is simply bad?’
Stephen King Blames “Woman-Hating Fanboys” for Box Office Failure of “The Marvels”
Outspoken leftist author Stephen King blamed the box office failure of “The Marvels” on woman-hating fanboys. But his social media followers aren’t letting him get away with it.
Some of the rejection of THE MARVELS may be adolescent fanboy hate. You know, “Yuck! GIRLS!”
— Stephen King (@StephenKing) November 13, 2023
“The Marvels” was a massive disappointment for the MCU, pulling in just $47 million during its opening weekend — the lowest in the franchise’s history. The poor showing is partly blamed on multiple factors, including the actors’ strike in Hollywood and general superhero movie fatigue.
Social media users objected to King’s implication that the female-led film starring Brie Larson, which was also touted for having the franchise’s first black female director, crashed and burned because would-be moviegoers hate women.
“I am a woman. I saw the movie. It was bad,” BlazeTV host Lauren Chen replied.
“Or maybe the movie just sucks?” another person suggested.
“Given that most of the people who go see these kinds of superhero movies are adolescent boys, absolutely yes, which should immediately tell you something about how fantastically Disney is failing their core audience right now,” a third person observed.
“It’s fine though. Adolescent boys will simply take their money somewhere else where their audienceship is appreciated and welcomed.”
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A few of King’s followers called him out for not patronizing the movie himself and then complaining about poor numbers.
“Since you don’t go to MCU movies and don’t care for them, that means you rejected The Marvels, right? Does that mean you hate women?” one person wrote with a screenshot of the horror book writer’s previous tweet.
King had tweeted earlier the same day, writing, “I don’t go to MCU movies, don’t care for them, but I find this barely masked gloating over the low box office for THE MARVELS very unpleasant. Why gloat over failure?”
Marvel Studios recently postponed three projects originally slated for 2024.
“Captain America: A Brave New World,” “Thunderbolts,” and “Blade” are being pushed to 2025 because of strike-related production delays. That means the only Marvel release scheduled for 2024 is “Deadpool 3.”
Though these actions aren’t necessarily due to “The Marvels” being a flop, it does give the studio time to regroup and come up with a new strategy.
What steps can the film industry take to create more diverse and inclusive stories that appeal to a wide audience
E who saw The Marvels were women, I think you need a new theory,” one user pointed out.
This is not the first time that King has made controversial statements regarding fans of superhero movies. In 2019, he dismissed the genre as “cheap amusement” and suggested that audiences should read books instead. His comments sparked backlash from fans who accused him of elitism and disregarding the enjoyment that many people find in superhero films.
King’s stance on “The Marvels” box office failure is reminiscent of the ongoing debate surrounding the success and failure of female-led movies. While progress has been made in increasing representation of women in Hollywood, there is still a long way to go in terms of achieving gender equality in the industry.
It is important to analyze the reasons why certain movies succeed or fail at the box office without resorting to broad generalizations or blaming specific groups of fans. The success or failure of a film depends on a multitude of factors, including the quality of the storytelling, acting, marketing, and audience preferences.
Blaming “woman-hating fanboys” for the box office failure of “The Marvels” fails to consider these complex dynamics and oversimplifies the issue. It undermines the achievements of female-led films that have succeeded at the box office and perpetuates the notion that audiences are not interested in seeing movies with women in lead roles.
For instance, movies like “Wonder Woman” and “Black Panther” have both been massively successful, proving that audiences are eager to support well-made and engaging films with diverse casts. The success of these movies rests on their ability to tell compelling stories and create relatable and likable characters, rather than solely on the gender or ethnicity of their protagonists.
Instead of blaming fanboys or any specific group, it is more productive to focus on creating diverse and inclusive stories that appeal to a wide audience. Hollywood should continue to invest in more female-led projects and provide opportunities for underrepresented voices to be heard. This requires not only increasing the number of female directors and writers, but also ensuring that diverse stories are given equal opportunities for production, marketing, and distribution.
Ultimately, the failure of “The Marvels” at the box office should be seen as a lesson for the industry to critically evaluate the factors that contribute to a film’s success or failure. It should not be used as an opportunity to further divide fans or reinforce negative stereotypes.
King’s comments may have sparked controversy, but they also highlight the need for more constructive and nuanced discussions about representation in the film industry. It is important to support and celebrate female-led movies, while also acknowledging that not every film will resonate with audiences regardless of the gender of its protagonists. Only by examining a film’s merits, rather than making sweeping assumptions, can we truly foster a more inclusive and vibrant film culture.
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