Scarlett Johansson is no stranger to taking on the studio system, with the Marvel Cinematic Universe stalwart filing legal action against Disney when Black Widow was awarded a hybrid streaming and theatrical release without her consent.
However, the two-time Academy Award nominee has also come in for a fair share of criticism herself, with two notable titles in particular standing out. Johansson was forced to publicly apologize after dismissing the initial controversy that accompanied her casting as a transgender man in biopic Rub and Tug, before the project was ultimately scrapped.
Before that, the longtime Natasha Romanoff was blasted for headlining Rupert Sanders’ live-action Ghost in the Shell, with the entire production coming in for criticism and accusations of whitewashing. Even though original anime director Mamoru Oshii had no issues, fans were furious about the widespread changes.
In the end, it was more of a storm in a teacup than anything else, with Ghost in the Shell bombing at the box office after bringing in just $169 million on a $110 million budget, while a 43% Rotten Tomatoes score and 51% user rating underlined the mediocrity on display.
That being said, the completely forgettable blockbuster has been experiencing a resurgence on streaming this week, with FlixPatrol revealing the cyberpunk dud has been creeping up the HBO most-watched list for the last several days.
Published: Feb 9, 2022 01:03 pm