Renowned author and outspoken leftist Stephen King has drawn criticism from social media users after attempting to blame the recent box office failure of “The Marvels” on so-called “woman-hating fanboys.” The third installment in the wildly popular Marvel Cinematic Universe franchise, which stars Brie Larson and is directed by the first black female director in the franchise’s history, has received a lukewarm reception from audiences and critics alike, earning just $47 million during its opening weekend.
In a now-viral tweet posted on November 12, King speculated that a significant reason for the film’s poor performance at the box office could be attributed to the adolescent fanboys who make up a large percentage of the MCU’s core audience. He wrote, “Some of the rejection of THE MARVELS may be adolescent fanboy hate. You know, ‘Yuck! GIRLS!’” The tweet quickly amassed over 2 million views, with many social media users objecting to King’s seemingly baseless claim.
Some of the rejection of THE MARVELS may be adolescent fanboy hate. You know, “Yuck! GIRLS!”
— Stephen King (@StephenKing) November 13, 2023
One Twitter user, BlazeTV host Lauren Chen, replied to King’s tweet, stating, “I am a woman. I saw the movie. It was bad.” Others took issue with King’s implication that the film was doomed to fail simply because it featured a female-led cast and was directed by a woman. “Or maybe the movie just sucks?” one person suggested. Another user reiterated that “if adolescent boys don’t like something, they simply take their money elsewhere.”
Many of King’s followers also pointed out the irony of his criticism, as the author himself had previously tweeted that he does not go to see MCU movies and does not care for them. One person shared a screenshot of the tweet in question and wrote, “Since you don’t go to MCU movies and don’t care for them, that means you rejected The Marvels, right? Does that mean you hate women?” Others shared similar sentiments, with one person commenting, “Given that most of the people who go see these kinds of superhero movies are adolescent boys, absolutely yes.”
While some attribute the film’s lackluster performance to factors such as the ongoing actors’ strike in Hollywood and general superhero movie fatigue, others suggest that it simply did not live up to the high expectations of audiences. Regardless, the disappointing numbers have led to Marvel Studios postponing three projects originally slated for release in 2024.
Stephen King comments on ‘THE MARVELS’ toxic fanboy hate:
“I don’t go to MCU movies, don’t care for them, but I find this barely masked gloating over the low box office for THE MARVELS very unpleasant. Why gloat over failure?” #StephenKing #TheMarvels
Source:… pic.twitter.com/xV2G1uyil3
— Sammon News (@SammonNews) November 14, 2023
“Captain America: A Brave New World,” “Thunderbolts,” and “Blade” have all been pushed to 2025, leaving just “Deadpool 3” as the only Marvel release for 2024. Though the studio has not explicitly stated that “The Marvels” was a factor in their decision, the move does allow them time to regroup and potentially come up with a new strategy in light of the film’s underwhelming performance.
King has not yet responded to the backlash surrounding his tweet, but the online conversation serves as a reminder that the success or failure of a film cannot be solely attributed to one factor or group of people. As Hollywood, and specifically the superhero genre, continues to strive for diversity and representation, it is important to assess a film’s success based on its merit, rather than make baseless claims about its audience.
