Top 10 Times Movie Studios Apologized For STUPID Decisions
movies, movie studios, bad decisions, bad studio decisions, apologies, movie studio apologies, a cure for wellness, 20th century fox, tmnt, teenage mutant ninja turtles, 9/11, paramount studios australia, monster hunter, gods of egypt, lionsgate, sony pictures classics, dreamgirls, dreamworks, paramount, the witches, warner brothers, disney, lion king, watchMojo, watch mojo, mojo, top 10, list,
Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the Top 10 Movie Studios Apologized For STUPID Decisions. For this list, we’ll be looking at instances where film companies asked for forgiveness after the business or one of their employees made a horrible misstep. Which of these mistakes shocked you the most? Let us know in the comments below.
A feud between animals and a man named Thomas nearly went from playful to deadly during an infamous scene. While Peter Rabbit is trying to get rid of his rival human, he and his allies trigger the man’s blackberry allergy. When Thomas saves his own life at the last second with an epipen, the animal actually sounds disappointed he survived. Many adults were angry that a kids’ movie included a scene that makes triggering deadly allergies seem like a joke. In the wake of calls to boycott the movie, Sony Pictures said they “sincerely regret not being more aware and sensitive to this issue”. Their apology made it clear that having a cartoony rabbit take advantage of a realistic problem was a bad idea.
When Emerson Elementary School parents wanted to raise money for students, they decided to host a screening of 2019’s “Lion King”. Their innocent attempt to boost the budget was rewarded with an official notice that they owed Disney money. A company called Movie Licensing USA claimed that the school had to pay $250 for that “Lion King” screening because it counted as a “public performance”. This legal notice might’ve felt especially absurd since the remake made over a billion dollars worldwide. After the story broke, then Disney CEO Robert Iger said the studio was sorry for the fine and even offered to give the school money. The parents at the school were probably singing Hakuna Matata for that official message.
In an attempt to set the remake of the Roald Dahl’ fantasy apart from the original film, filmmakers changed an aspect of the villains. The 2020 movie decided that all the sinister witches would have three fingers on each hand. Not only was this physical characteristic absent from the book the movie was based on, but the design choice offended several communities. Critics pointed out that making every evil character have three fingers sent a harmful message to adults and kids who had similar limb differences. Both representatives from Warner Bros. and “The Witches” star Anne Hathaway stepped in to apologize for any offense they caused. Although both critics and audiences were already lukewarm on the film, this controversy only made its reputation worse.
Most audiences expect that movies inspired by true stories might alter some details to add extra drama. However, several famous people couldn’t accept how they were portrayed in “Dreamgirls”. Music mogul Berry Gordy Jr. in particular was upset that a character loosely based on him came off as villainous throughout the fictional movie Although both movie studios publicly acknowledged that they might’ve gone too far, the timing of their statement was also criticized. Dreamworks & Paramount Pictures issued their apology only days before the world would find out if “Dreamgirls” took home any Oscar gold. Since the voting was already finished, their statement couldn’t affect their Academy hopes. In the end, the studios behind “Dreamgirls” got two Oscars and said sorry within the same week.
Just a few days before Peter Fonda was set to appear in the movie “Boundaries”, he issued an angry tweet aimed at then President Trump’s immigration policies. A portion of the actor’s angry and very nsfw message suggested that Baron Trump should be put into a horrible situation. Fonda’s message was so harsh to the young kid that his mother called for the Secret Service to step in. Before this PR nightmare could get out of control, Sony Pictures Classics called out its star for making such a negative and harmful tweet. At the same time, the company still stood by releasing the movie with Fonda’s role intact. Despite the actor’s apology, “Boundaries” didn’t get much love from audiences or critics.
Despite being set in Egypt, this 2016 fantasy movie filled most of its lead roles with actors who were not from the region. Moviegoers almost immediately called out the film for its casting choices. Around the time that the director expressed his regret for the lack of diversity, Lionsgate also released a statement about the ensemble. According to reports, the company said that they “failed to live up to our own standards of sensitivity and diversity”. It’s unclear if better casting could’ve saved the film from being a box office bomb. However, viewers were definitely unwilling to accept that this Egypt-set fantasy fell short in one major way before the credits even rolled.
What was supposed to be a harmless monster fighting flick became the center of an international PR disaster due to one scene. During the film, a conversation between two soldiers included a reference to a racist joke used against Chinese and Japanese people. The dialogue exchange stirred up so much backlash in China that “Monster Hunter” was completely pulled from theaters. Constantin Films quickly moved to issue a full apology to everyone who had been offended. Additionally, the controversial dialogue was taken out of every version of the movie worldwide. But those measures couldn’t prevent both the movie and even editions of the game it was based on from getting hugely negative reviews from offended audience members.
As soon as viewers heard the Italian trailer for “Promising Young Woman”, they called out a problematic creative decision. When transgender actress Laverne Cox spoke, the voice of an Italian actor named Roberto Pedicini came out. Audiences were incredibly offended that Cox was represented by a cisegender male performer for this version of the movie. In response to the backlash, Universal Pictures International took swift action. After issuing a full apology, they swore to bring in new people to represent Cox and even delayed releases to add the necessary changes. Universal Pictures International also pledged to “prevent similar mistakes from happening again on future projects.”
After the heroes in a half-shell enjoyed a pretty solid opening in America, Australia was ready to launch their live-action tale in its cinemas. They showcased their excitement by featuring a poster that featured the heroes and an exploding building. The tweet instantly became problematic when people saw it had a September 11th release date. Since the imagery mirrored the events of that tragic day, the company immediately removed their post. Paramount Australia additionally noted “Combining that image and date was a mistake.”. Fortunately for the studio, this gigantic social media blunder didn’t overshadow the film.
Since “A Cure For Wellness” revolves around a health facility that’s not what it seems, employees at 20th Century Fox decided to reflect that sense of deception in their marketing. In 2017, the company created a few websites that pushed fake news. The false stories ranged from misinformation about vaccinations to saying a secret meeting occurred between Putin and Trump. Although a number of people started sharing these articles, it was eventually uncovered that it was nothing more than a stunt. After receiving harsh backlash, 20th Century Fox said “The digital campaign was inappropriate on every level”. It’s hard to believe that anyone thought pushing realistic fake news to promote a film could ever be appropriate.
#10: Making Light of Allergic Reactions in “Peter Rabbit”
Sony PicturesA feud between animals and a man named Thomas nearly went from playful to deadly during an infamous scene. While Peter Rabbit is trying to get rid of his rival human, he and his allies trigger the man’s blackberry allergy. When Thomas saves his own life at the last second with an epipen, the animal actually sounds disappointed he survived. Many adults were angry that a kids’ movie included a scene that makes triggering deadly allergies seem like a joke. In the wake of calls to boycott the movie, Sony Pictures said they “sincerely regret not being more aware and sensitive to this issue”. Their apology made it clear that having a cartoony rabbit take advantage of a realistic problem was a bad idea.
#9: Fining a School for Watching “Lion King”
Walt Disney StudiosWhen Emerson Elementary School parents wanted to raise money for students, they decided to host a screening of 2019’s “Lion King”. Their innocent attempt to boost the budget was rewarded with an official notice that they owed Disney money. A company called Movie Licensing USA claimed that the school had to pay $250 for that “Lion King” screening because it counted as a “public performance”. This legal notice might’ve felt especially absurd since the remake made over a billion dollars worldwide. After the story broke, then Disney CEO Robert Iger said the studio was sorry for the fine and even offered to give the school money. The parents at the school were probably singing Hakuna Matata for that official message.
#8: Giving the Villains Limb Differences in “The Witches”
Warner Bros.In an attempt to set the remake of the Roald Dahl’ fantasy apart from the original film, filmmakers changed an aspect of the villains. The 2020 movie decided that all the sinister witches would have three fingers on each hand. Not only was this physical characteristic absent from the book the movie was based on, but the design choice offended several communities. Critics pointed out that making every evil character have three fingers sent a harmful message to adults and kids who had similar limb differences. Both representatives from Warner Bros. and “The Witches” star Anne Hathaway stepped in to apologize for any offense they caused. Although both critics and audiences were already lukewarm on the film, this controversy only made its reputation worse.
#7: Misrepresenting People in “Dreamgirls”
Dreamworks & Paramount PicturesMost audiences expect that movies inspired by true stories might alter some details to add extra drama. However, several famous people couldn’t accept how they were portrayed in “Dreamgirls”. Music mogul Berry Gordy Jr. in particular was upset that a character loosely based on him came off as villainous throughout the fictional movie Although both movie studios publicly acknowledged that they might’ve gone too far, the timing of their statement was also criticized. Dreamworks & Paramount Pictures issued their apology only days before the world would find out if “Dreamgirls” took home any Oscar gold. Since the voting was already finished, their statement couldn’t affect their Academy hopes. In the end, the studios behind “Dreamgirls” got two Oscars and said sorry within the same week.
#6: Peter Fonda’s Threatening Tweet
Sony Pictures ClassicsJust a few days before Peter Fonda was set to appear in the movie “Boundaries”, he issued an angry tweet aimed at then President Trump’s immigration policies. A portion of the actor’s angry and very nsfw message suggested that Baron Trump should be put into a horrible situation. Fonda’s message was so harsh to the young kid that his mother called for the Secret Service to step in. Before this PR nightmare could get out of control, Sony Pictures Classics called out its star for making such a negative and harmful tweet. At the same time, the company still stood by releasing the movie with Fonda’s role intact. Despite the actor’s apology, “Boundaries” didn’t get much love from audiences or critics.
#5: Whitewashing “Gods of Egypt”
LionsgateDespite being set in Egypt, this 2016 fantasy movie filled most of its lead roles with actors who were not from the region. Moviegoers almost immediately called out the film for its casting choices. Around the time that the director expressed his regret for the lack of diversity, Lionsgate also released a statement about the ensemble. According to reports, the company said that they “failed to live up to our own standards of sensitivity and diversity”. It’s unclear if better casting could’ve saved the film from being a box office bomb. However, viewers were definitely unwilling to accept that this Egypt-set fantasy fell short in one major way before the credits even rolled.
#4: Including an Offensive Joke in “Monster Hunter”
Constantin FilmsWhat was supposed to be a harmless monster fighting flick became the center of an international PR disaster due to one scene. During the film, a conversation between two soldiers included a reference to a racist joke used against Chinese and Japanese people. The dialogue exchange stirred up so much backlash in China that “Monster Hunter” was completely pulled from theaters. Constantin Films quickly moved to issue a full apology to everyone who had been offended. Additionally, the controversial dialogue was taken out of every version of the movie worldwide. But those measures couldn’t prevent both the movie and even editions of the game it was based on from getting hugely negative reviews from offended audience members.
#3: Using a Male Voice to Represent a Transgender Actress
Universal Pictures InternationalAs soon as viewers heard the Italian trailer for “Promising Young Woman”, they called out a problematic creative decision. When transgender actress Laverne Cox spoke, the voice of an Italian actor named Roberto Pedicini came out. Audiences were incredibly offended that Cox was represented by a cisegender male performer for this version of the movie. In response to the backlash, Universal Pictures International took swift action. After issuing a full apology, they swore to bring in new people to represent Cox and even delayed releases to add the necessary changes. Universal Pictures International also pledged to “prevent similar mistakes from happening again on future projects.”
#2: 9/11 Imagery in a “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” Advertisement
Paramount Studios AustraliaAfter the heroes in a half-shell enjoyed a pretty solid opening in America, Australia was ready to launch their live-action tale in its cinemas. They showcased their excitement by featuring a poster that featured the heroes and an exploding building. The tweet instantly became problematic when people saw it had a September 11th release date. Since the imagery mirrored the events of that tragic day, the company immediately removed their post. Paramount Australia additionally noted “Combining that image and date was a mistake.”. Fortunately for the studio, this gigantic social media blunder didn’t overshadow the film.
#1: Creating Fake News for “A Cure For Wellness”
20th Century FoxSince “A Cure For Wellness” revolves around a health facility that’s not what it seems, employees at 20th Century Fox decided to reflect that sense of deception in their marketing. In 2017, the company created a few websites that pushed fake news. The false stories ranged from misinformation about vaccinations to saying a secret meeting occurred between Putin and Trump. Although a number of people started sharing these articles, it was eventually uncovered that it was nothing more than a stunt. After receiving harsh backlash, 20th Century Fox said “The digital campaign was inappropriate on every level”. It’s hard to believe that anyone thought pushing realistic fake news to promote a film could ever be appropriate.
Have an idea you want to see made into a WatchMojo video? Check out our suggest page and submit your idea.
Step up your quiz game by answering fun trivia questions! Love games with friends? Challenge friends and family in our leaderboard! Play Now!