Critics Are Furious At Disney, Refusing to Review "The New Mutants"
disney won’t give critics socially distanced press screenings, so publications are boycotting “TNM”
By: Keaton Marcus
Even if Disney and Fox’s The New Mutants is finally opening in some theaters this weekend, the supposedly cursed movie still has an issue. Disney isn’t letting critics having their normal early access press screenings, meaning we won’t be getting a steady stream of reviews for a little while, with only three at the time being.
Why? The Coronavirus pandemic is, unfortunately, still raging predominately in the US, and critics aren’t taking any chances of heading to the theater with the general public. Publications such as The A.V. Club, Roger Ebert, The Boston Globe and more are refusing to see the film because Disney did not offer screening links or socially distanced press screenings. The studio is giving critics the normal option, head to the theaters with the public, a truly perilous road for these high-class avid film watchers.
I respect their decision completely. With millions of cases in the States, it may not be safe to return to theaters so soon, although cinemas are also strictly social distanced at the moment. To be very honest, there’s not much of a difference between a press screening or just a normal showtime in the dumpster fire that is 2020. Both would be socially distanced, all guests are required to wear masks, and the companies only host half or less capacity. Also, audiences aren’t having a problem with seeing Tenet, so it’s all a bit confusing with The New Mutants.
The A.V. Club’s critic A.A. Dowd published an essay on the morning of August 25. He wrote: “Science experts did not mince words: There’s a very good chance that you could get sick. And that’s a risk The A.V. Club will not be taking to review a movie, any movie.” While that is a fair point, Disney wasn’t the one who decided to re-open theaters in the States, blame that part on the idiot sitting in the White House right now. However, Disney did decide not to allow critics to have their usual screening, which is totally on them.
“We are, in fact, adopting the official policy of only reviewing films our writers can safely watch, whether in a socially distanced press screening or with a digital screener. And yes, that applies to all our writers, even those willing to take the risk for an assignment, because we’re not willing to monetize that risk, either,” Dowd adds.
The A.V. Club wasn’t the only newspaper that came out. Roger Ebert’s Brian Tallerico tweeted: “We will review theatrical releases when presented with a safe way to do so - screener or socially distanced screening - but that’s not an option in this case,” responding to a tweet by Dowd. Those are some very similar words, and unless Disney prioritizes the critics’ safety, the film’s Rotten Tomatoes page will be mostly empty.
It’s strange that Disney is being so stubborn with their new release. Recently, they decided to put Mulan on their popular streaming service for 30 dollars. However, taking a look at the price kinda suggests the same thing, their desire for cash. Their live-action reboot costs 200 million, The New Mutants stands at 100M…meaning both need a whole lot of money to break even. Additionally, while Disney did actually release something on streaming, they only did it by smacking a premium price on the thing.
You can argue that film critics are being a little wimpy at the moment, refusing to go see a movie that plenty of audiences will flock to watch. But Disney isn’t all innocent, as I’ve proven. Just last week, Warner Bros. did allow critics to attend socially distanced press screenings for Christopher Nolan’s Tenet, and a slew of positive reviews dropped on the internet.
One thing people cannot say is that film critics are dodging their job. Yes, it is the duty of these people to head out to review a movie at the cinema, but such a thing isn’t really worth risking your life for. Saving lives of sick citizens is, writing an article isn’t. At the moment, it seems that Disney is really worried that TNM will receive scathing reviews, which could lead to complete box office failure. And publications are concerned for their employees’ safety. Who is the real bad guy here?
The New Mutants opens in select theaters August 27th, and will release worldwide on the 28th. Are you watching?
