The Scream 7 Boycott
Scream 7, the latest entry in the slasher horror franchise, Scream, officially premiered on February 27th, though its release has not been met without controversy. Activist groups and many longtime fans have called for a complete boycott of the film. The catalyst for this happened back in 2023, when actress Melissa Barrera was fired from her lead role after voicing support for Palestine on social media. She described Israel's actions in Gaza as an "ethnic cleansing" and urged people to be more media literate to see past censorship. Production company, Spyglass, went on to publicly characterize her posts as antisemitic, condemning any sort of incitement of hate. They reported to have zero tolerance for "... false references to genocide, ethnic cleansing, [or] Holocaust distortion." The actress went on to clarify that she simply stands for the Palestinian people while denouncing both antisemitism and Islamophobia. Backlash soon ensued, as many considered this an unjustifiable firing and the suppression of free speech in an attempt to silence pro-Palestinian voices.
Despite the boycott and some small protests organized by activist groups such as Entertainment Labor for Palestine and CODEPINK, the film went on to gross $176.9 million in box office earnings. While many online are calling the boycott a failure, this situation raises a complex conversation. The audience that called for the boycott saw the inherent value in their role as consumers. They saw that they can ultimately choose how they spend their own time and money, treating it as political currency. Many threatened to cancel their Paramount+ accounts as well, further proving that their engagement depends on their morals and political alignments. Hollywood does not exist in a vacuum, and it's becoming more and more notable how politics can find their way into it, especially when considering how personal values dictate consumer behavior.
Read more about it:
Comments
Post a Comment