Why Boycotts Will Help Tropic Thunder
By Sean Leviashvili | MainStreet.com
Criticisms are raining in on Tropic Thunder. But will it mean a washout at the box office? Signs point to: ‘Probably Not.’
Organizations including the Special Olympics and the American Association of People with Disabilities began protesting Tropic Thunder, a spoof of the movie industry starring Ben Stiller, Jack Black, and Robert Downey Jr. on claims that the dialogue features an excess use of disparaging terms for those who are intellectually challenged or disabled.
But will a call for a boycott deter moviegoers? “Generally, boycotts help the box office rather than hurt it,” says Gitesh Pandya, editor and founder of BoxOfficeGuru.com. “Any kind of controversy helps attract attention.”
Like ours! Take a look at some of the films that have been boycotted recently and how they fared at the box office.
THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST (2004)
Controversy: The Anti-Defamation League and American Jewish Committee feared Gibson’s depiction of Jews would ignite a wave of anti-Semitism. “I believe that the Jews—and every decent person who hates bigotry—should go the whole nine yards and delete the entire movie by boycotting it, for the whole message is odious and offensive,” Rabbi Shmuley Boteach wrote in the Jerusalem Post in Feb. 2004. “Is there really a more serious charge against a people than that they killed God?”
Result: Gibson denied the accusations and his film grossed $83,848,082 during its first week, according to www.boxofficeguru.com. Passion went on to gross $370,274,604 USD, making it the number 12 highest grossing U.S. film ever. “I had no interest in seeing the film, at least at first,” says Pandya. “But when everyone began complaining and debating on it, I gained interest.”
BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN (2005)
Controversy: Adopted from the 1997 New Yorker story by Annie Proulx the film, which starred Jake Gyllenhall and the late Heath Ledger, tells the story of two 19-year-old ranchers who become romantically involved. Brokeback Mountain immediately sparked a slew of boycotts, including in theatres in Utah and Washington State and also some organized by the American Family Association.
Result: The film brought in a total of $5,726,662 its opening weekend, and went on to gross $83,043,761, according to www.boxofficeguru.com. It also won three Oscars, including Best Director for Ang Lee.
THE DA VINCI CODE (2006)
Controversy: Based on Dan Brown’s bestseller, director Ron Howard’s film adaptation, angered Catholic groups and led a Vatican official, Monsignor Angelo Amato, to call for a boycott. According to the Associated Press, the film’s content, such as the idea that Jesus married Mary Magdalene and had children, was offensive to many Catholics.
Result: While The Da Vinci Code stayed in theatres for less than three months, it grossed a total of $217,536,138 in the U.S.; $77,073,388 in its opening weekend. A sequel is in the works.
THE GOLDEN COMPASS (2007)
Controversy: The Golden Compass, is based on Philip Pullman’s trilogy, His Dark Materials. Pullman identifies as an atheist and many say it is transparent in his writing. Example: “The trouble is that all too often in human history, churches and priesthoods have set themselves up to rule people’s lives in the name of some invisible god (and they’re all invisible, because they don’t exist),” Pullman writes on his official website, www.phillip-pullman.com, “and done terrible damage.” The Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights, led by Bill Donohue, and The American Family Association called for a boycott, claiming the movie embedded anti-religious teachings. “While the movie was less offensive than the books, it was still bait for [promoting] the book trilogy, which was very much anti-Catholic,” Donohue says. “Our goal was to discourage moviegoers from seeing the film, and make the movie [fail] at the box office.”
Result: Mission accomplished, although the critics may have helped. The tepidly reviewed film, which cost an estimated $180 million, grossed just $70 million in the U.S. (And planned sequels have yet to materialize.) “We knew we met our goal when ‘Alvin & the Chipmunks’ brought in more money than ‘The Golden Compass’ did,” says Donohue.
THE LOVE GURU (2008)
Controversy: Myers plays Guru Maurice Pitka, a mystic who helps a star hockey player deal with stress caused by his wife. Hindu leaders asked Mike Myers to personally apologize for his portrayal of a fictional spiritual leader saying that he was “lampooning Hinduism.” The boycott was largely led by Hindu chaplain Rajan Zed.
Result: The film grossed a total of $30 million U.S. and cost $62 million to make. “The boycott may have been part of the reason it failed but it also got terrible reviews, so it wasn’t in a good position to begin with,” says Pandya.
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