Paramount Stands Behind "Mother!" Despite How Much You All Hate It
"We don't want all movies to be safe. And it's okay if some people don't like it," a Paramount spokesperson said.
This weekend, Mother! — the new film from Black Swan director Darren Aronofsky — opened nationwide.
The critical response to the movie has been fairly positive — it has an 68% score on Rotten Tomatoes — but many acknowledged it would be a tough sell to the general public.
And that proved to be true: Mother!, which stars Jennifer Lawrence, became the first movie since 2012 to get an F rating from audiences via CinemaScore.
mother! joins Solaris, Killing Them Softly, The Box, & The Devil Inside in one of the most exclusive clubs in Holly… https://t.co/pw3y5k3qyF
CinemaScore is a marketing research firm that surveys audiences that fit a variety of demographics after they leave a film opening night. Once the results are in, they calculate a letter grade for the film that reflects audiences' reaction to it.
Based on tweets about the movie, the F isn't entirely surprising.
"Mother!" is the worst movie I've ever seen in my entire life. Listen to the people when they say this, it is actually true.
My parents went to see Mother! last night...
#mothermovie is the WORST film I have seen in my entire life and only the second time I have ever left a theatre before a movie ended.
That being said, when I die I'll remember how much I fucking hated Mother!
Megan Colligan, the president of worldwide marketing and distribution at Paramount (the studio that distributed Mother!), stands by the film.
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, she said: "This movie is very audacious and brave. You are talking about a director at the top of his game, and an actress at the top of her game. They made a movie that was intended to be bold."
"Everyone wants original filmmaking, and everyone celebrates Netflix when they tell a story no one else wants to tell. This is our version," Colligan continued. "We don't want all movies to be safe. And it's okay if some people don't like it."
People couldn't get over Colligan's quote.
Wait! 😅😅😅 Paramount straight released a STATEMENT about mother! because it failed so bad? I'm dead. https://t.co/iK2hZPHztB
Though some applauded her sentiment...
Paramount’s statement about MOTHER! is awesome. I hope it’s sincere and they keep making more ambitious movies: https://t.co/5IKJau6wUs
Shout out to @ParamountPics for this amazing statement defending Mother! We need more studios with this mentality.
Paramounts Statement about releasing "mother!" And I find this very true. Everyone criticizes original work like this, but also wants it
Others called it "bullshit."
I didn't like mother! at all, even as a fan of Lawrence & Aronofsky. But they knew it'd be controversial, so this bullish statement is weird
And many couldn't get over the comparison to Netflix.
I actually want to see mother, but 'everyone celebrates Netflix' sounds like such a pissy statement. https://t.co/dSpBJfMfTM
@BabsVan So I read this movie got a F on CinemaScore. And Paramount pretty much says "Netflix does this weird shit so we are too."
@NextBestPicture @ParamountPics This statement came from Paramount Pictures,and everyone signed off on that childish,whiny swipe at NETFLIX?
Netflix to Paramount is apples to oranges. Subscription businesses should serve niches -- individual movies don't n… https://t.co/P9jG9JxmkS
When reached, a representative for Paramount had no further comment. A representative for Netflix had no comment when asked about Colligan's quote.
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Marcus Jones is an entertainment reporter for BuzzFeed News and is based in Los Angeles.
Contact Marcus Jones at marcus.jones@buzzfeed.com.
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