As the box-office numbers came into focus last weekend, the right-wing trolls targeting Christopher Nolan grew quiet. The silence followed weeks of social media posts aimed at “The Odyssey,” which shrugged off the haters with a colossal $264 million worldwide opening haul.
Some brands, like Nolan, are too beloved to fall prey to the antics of an online mob eager to foment the culture wars.
Colin Kaepernick angered conservatives when knelt during the National Anthem when he played in the NFL. Getty Images for The Gordon Parks Foundation
Jeff Bock, senior media analyst at Exhibitor Relations, calls the film’s bow “further proof that online discourse rarely reflects the broader moviegoing audience.” He adds: “It’s fair to say, based on these opening results, the effort to derail the film did not achieve its apparent goal.”
At Page Six Hollywood, we thought it might be helpful to review and tally up a few other attempted cancellation campaigns — launched by the right and the left — that ultimately fell short.
In 2021, hundreds of Netflix employees staged a walkout to protest Dave Chappelle’s comedy special “The Closer,” calling it transphobic. (Some protesters called for “The Closer” to be removed from the streaming platform altogether.)
But Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos stayed the course and to this day remains in business with the comedian, who, like Nolan, seems immune to criticism.
Nike took heat from conservatives for its ad campaign with Kaepernick. AFP via Getty Images
Two years later, members of the trans community and LGBTQ+ advocacy groups grew increasingly upset with public positions that the writer J.K. Rowling had taken and called for boycotts and protests when HBO announced that a “Harry Potter” series was in the works.
A coalition dubbed “Harry Potter Fans Against Transphobia” launched an online petition actively urging HBO “to cancel the show and not platform transphobia.” Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson publicly distanced themselves from Rowling, while Pedro Pascal called the author a “heinous loser.”
Hundreds of Netflix employees walked out in 2021 over Dave Chappelle’s comedy special, “The Closer,” calling it transphobic. Getty Images
Rowling has faced intense criticism over her trans beliefs. PA Images via Getty Images
A group tried to get Warner Bros. to cancel its planned “Harry Potter” TV series. SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
In “The Closer,” Chappelle declared, “I’m team TERF,” and defended Rowling, who has emerged as another Teflon figure when it comes to cancellation movements. While the trans community sought her banishment, HBO mounted its most expensive series ever based on her Harry Potter series, which is expected to be television’s equivalent of “The Odyssey.” Rival execs and agents predict that it will be a monster hit when it comes out later this year.
A GLAAD spokesperson says the group has been monitoring the anti-“Odyssey” blitz with alarm. “The people who work to correct the disinformation and ugly rhetoric about LGBTQ people that J.K. Rowling, Dave Chappelle and others who have espoused for years should not be equated to right-wing activists and bots who target films and TV shows that simply include characters who are LGBTQ or people of color. The industry should listen to viewers and ticket buyers who clearly want more inclusive stories,” says the GLAAD spokesperson.
“The Odyssey” faced criticism over its casting decisions. Melinda Sue Gordon / Universal Pictures via Everett Collection
“The Odyssey” has smashed past box office expectations in its first weekend. Melinda Sue Gordon / Universal Pictures via Everett Collection
American football is a ratings juggernaut. Still, the NFL’s primacy was challenged several times in the last decade when it faced vocal critiques from both ends of the political spectrum. Colin Kaepernick’s decision to kneel during the national anthem angered the right while the concussion phenomenon which disproportionately impacted Black players prompted criticism from the left. The league was particularly rattled by the 2015 Will Smith movie “Concussion,” which ultimately struggled at the box office earning $49 million worldwide.
Over the years, the NFL has been able to shrug off all the controversies, including last year’s Super Bowl halftime performance by Bad Bunny. Right wingers, perhaps amplified by chaos-fomenting foreign nations, called for boycotts. The telecast still did giant ratings.
Speaking of Kaepernick, Nike faced widespread boycott calls when the sneaker brand hired the controversial quarterback for a campaign. But Nike is also able to endure right-wing agita. The stock price reached an all-time high in the wake of the ad. By contrast, Anheuser-Busch watched as its stock price tumbled 20% amid a Bud Light boycott spearheaded by conservatives who were angered by a campaign featuring transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney.
Colin Kaepernick has been out of the NFL since 2016. Getty Images
Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl halftime show was decried by conservatives, but still drew boffo ratings. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
Beginning in 2014 and throughout 2019, LGBTQ activists called for boycotts of the Polo Lounge, one of the most industry-heavy lunch spots in town, after the Sultan of Brunei, who has an ownership stake, announced the implementation of Sharia law, which calls for harsh penalties for homosexuality. George Clooney and Ellen DeGeneres shunned the power-dining spot. But the campaign lost steam, and the restaurant remains the go-to Beverly Hills haunt for Hollywood powerbrokers.
As for some other films, it can be difficult to determine if social media trolls hurt their success. There’s some debate inside the studios on whether or not anti-woke flash mobs had an impact on the box-office fates of “Snow White” and “Supergirl.”
There’s some debate if right-wing led mobs affected the performance of “Snow White.” Courtesy of Disney
“Supergirl” with Milly Alcock opened to just $37 million domestically, giving right-wingers a “win.” Warner Bros.
Says Bock: “I think those projects were doomed from the get-go.”
Director Joseph Kahn, whose social media feed is filled with politically incorrect sentiments, but is cool enough to attend Taylor Swift’s wedding (thus making him difficult to cancel), poked fun at the trolls trying to walk back their original calls to boycott “The Odyssey.” “I see this sentiment that The Odyssey isn’t woke’ popping up from the right. This is cope,” he wrote on X. “The Odyssey is fully woke. A trans-man is jumping around in armor. Helen of Troy didn’t get less black. The Left won. It’s a stomping. It happens. The Left wins some, the Right wins some. It’s culture wars and Nolan is the white George Floyd Revenge Goliath that choked out the backlash. Admit defeat on this one. The Right knocked down Little Mermaid, Moana, Snow White, The Marvels, but the Left won with The Odyssey. The score is 4-1.”
He then revised the score. “Oh yeah how can I forget the forgettable Supergirl? 5-1.”