Never let capitalism get in the way of a lecture.
We've learned that quite a few times over the years. Consider "Truth," the farcical 2015 film suggesting Dan Rather told the truth regarding his debunked "60 Minutes II" expose on then-President George W. Bush.
Laughable, of course. And the movie made a measly $2.5 million at the U.S. box office despite a superstar cast (Robert Redford, Cate Blanchett and Dennis Quaid).
The upcoming sequel-of-sorts, "The Social Reckoning" looks like a lecture on Facebook "misinformation" and the Jan. 6 riots. Even the far-Left Hollywood Reporter is mocking the film's clunky trailer.
The footage includes [Jeremy] Strong’s Zuckerberg turning into a malfunctioning android and concludes with a somber [Jeremy Allen] White saying of Madison’s character, “She’s disrupting” — which has to be the biggest trailer groaner since Felicity Jones declared “I rebel” in the Rogue One teaser.
The 2024 Trumpian hit piece, "The Apprentice" arrived with a serious goal. Stop President Donald Trump from returning to the Oval Office. The film earned Oscar nominations for its star Sebastian Stan (as Trump) and co-star, Jeremy Strong (as Roy Cohn). That didn't work out as planned, and the film bellyflopped in theaters despite fawning reviews.
That $4 million domestic haul showed audiences had little interest in seeing what they could find on late-night TV five times a week.
Hard pass.
That hasn't deterred filmmaker James Gray. The man behind recent duds like 2002's "Armageddon Time" ($1.8 million) is promising his next film will take on America in modern times. And, yes, that suggests a certain U.S. president. The project's producer, Rodrigo Teixeira, teased the film during a conversation at a masterclass at Madrid’s ECAM Forum international, according to Variety.
It talks about the U.S. now, not the best moment they have, with probably the worst President in the world ... It’s a very difficult time for the U.S. But also, I think it’s a great opportunity because terrible times are a good time to do art.
Teixeira also said a project like this is challenging to fund in the U.S. because "government money" won't allow stories in this fashion to be told. Or, perhaps no U.S. based financier is willing to risk another losing film proposition.
Anti-Trump lectures likely won't sell stateside, and the folks with deep pockets are recognizing that reality.
Then again, Gray doesn't seem to care that his films often don't make money. He explained why in a 2022 GQ interview.
It tells you something of how indoctrinated we are with capitalism that somebody will say, like, ‘His movies haven’t made a dime!’” he said. “It’s like, well, do you own stock in Comcast? Or are you just such a lemming that you think that actually has value to anybody?
Could Gray give President Trump a fair shake in this project, assuming it's as tied to the world leader as suggested? Well, he took a few swipes at the Trump family in "Armageddon Time." Plus, consider this 2022 interview snippet from the Times of Israel as your final answer.
Look, I find it hard to believe that someone can look at Trump and not see Mussolini. And not see Hitler. Even down to the showbiz clownishness.
