Two of the biggest summer blockbusters have defied recent trends of overtly political, woke movies and have some convinced that Hollywood has gotten the message.
Twisters created a storm of business at the box office over the weekend, churning up an estimated $80.5 million for it debut, exceeding expectations and garnering the highest box office opening for a live action film this summer so far.
Meanwhile, Inside Out 2 remained a massive hit for Pixar, finishing third and having earned nearly $600 million in the US.
With international ticket sales, Inside Out 2 has collected a global total of more than $1.4 billion and Twisters has a global take of $574.4 million, far exceeding the movie’s $155 million budget.
One critic believes that this is a sign audiences are ready to tell Hollywood no more to moralizing message movies.
Two of the biggest summer blockbusters – including Universal’s Twisters – have defied recent trends of overtly political, woke movies and have some convinced that Hollywood has gotten the message
Kyle Smith of the Wall Street Journal said that in recent years major studios ‘seemed to be listening only to the leftward half of the country.’
He cited movies like Frozen 2, Lightyear and Disney flop Strange World as ‘woke propaganda disguised as a kids’ movie.’
Twisters, meanwhile, manages to be a movie about natural disasters without attempting to lecture audiences about leftwing climate change alarmism.
‘I just wanted to make sure that with the movie, we don’t ever feel like (it) is putting forward any message,’ director Lee Isaac Chung told CNN before the film was released.
‘I just don’t feel like films are meant to be message-oriented,’ added the Academy Award nominee.
Chung claims that the film does show how ‘the reality’ of much more we see catastrophic weather these days but that it’s not his job to tell the audience what to think.
‘I wanted to make sure that we are never creating a feeling that we’re preaching a message, because that’s certainly not what I think cinema should be about,’ he said.
‘I think it should be a reflection of the world.’
‘I just wanted to make sure that with the movie, we don’t ever feel like (it) is putting forward any message,’ director Lee Isaac Chung said
Meanwhile, Inside Out 2 remained a massive hit for Pixar, finishing third and having earned nearly $600 million in the US
Smith also believes that Disney’s Pixar – recently accused of heavily catering to the woke mob – has taken a turn back toward the conventional with Inside Out 2.
The movie is ‘funny, clever and sometimes piercing in its analysis of what bedevils teen girls, but it doesn’t join in the culture wars,’ he adds.
Following a summer where two of the biggest hits – Barbie and Oppenheimer – had clear political messages, Smith believes films are starting to settle down.
‘Hollywood is relearning an old lesson: Viewers don’t like being told to eat their spinach when they’re reaching for their popcorn,’ he wrote.
Of the top ten grossing films in the United States this year – a list that features both Inside Out 2 and Twisters – only Dune: Part Two has any explicit political themes.
Many are either sequels – Bad Boys For Life, Despicable Me 4 – or twists on existing franchise characters – Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire and Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes.
Late last year, Disney warned its investors that the company’s products and political views may not align with what viewers want – and risk harming its bottom line.
The House of Mouse has struggled of late to successfully pitch its costly films to audiences, losing a reported $1billion on its last four high-profile releases.
During an investor meeting in September Disney CEO Bob Iger said the company will ‘quiet the noise’ around culture issues, and focus on making content that is entertaining
The House of Mouse announced a lengthy delay for the release of its live-action Snow White remake – the film is likely being retooled to be less ‘woke’
Most recently, the House of Mouse delayed the release of its $330 million Snow White reboot by a year after star Rachel Zegler sparked fury with a woke rant against the 1937 original and vowed that the remake would be more progressive.
The company’s SEC filing, which is submitted so that investors, analysts, and regulators have a clear idea of how the company is performing, said Disney’s success ‘depends on our ability to consistently create compelling content.’
When creators ‘do not achieve sufficient consumer acceptance,’ profits fall, the report warned.
Disney has been embroiled in several political controversies in recent years that have illustrated to some parents and consumers that the brand’s values may no longer align with their own.
Notably, the company took a strong position against Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ Parents’ ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill – actually called the Parents’ Bill of Rights – that bans sexual and gender curricula for public elementary school students. The company has since continued releasing agenda-driven content.
CEO Bob Iger assured investors in September that he will strive to ‘ quiet the noise‘ around the company’s involvement in cultural issues because it has shown to be bad for business.
Twisters has become the surprise smash of the summer for Universal, as the film received a lukewarm 78-percent rating by the critics on Rotten Tomatoes, but audiences were hot for the high adventure focused on a good looking team of storm chasers.
Although the project had no returning characters from 1996’s Twister, starring Helen Hunt and the late Bill Paxton, the box office earnings seemed to reflect the audience’s affection for the now-classic film.
Twisters position at the top of the box office may be short lived. Next Friday, the film will have tough competition from the release of Deadpool & Wolverine.
