Zachary Levi may have charmed us as the bumbling Chuck, or made us swoon as the cunning thief in Tangled, but these days, he’s got fans second-guessing their love.
Nowadays, he’s a bellowing MAGA stan with an unwavering loyalty to Trump. Whether or not that’s the reason for his recent box office decline is up in the air, but one thing’s for sure, Levi’s career has seen better days. Once celebrated as the charismatic star of Shazam!, only the ancient gods can save him now, as it’s pretty evident Levi’s Hollywood career is on life support.
Speculations that Levi might be the latest victim of cancel culture aren’t lost on the actor, but just like any other devoted MAGA stan out there, he’s not backing down. In fact, the actor insists he hasn’t been canceled by Hollywood. While appearing on Bill Maher’s Club Random podcast, Maher didn’t mince words when you said, “You got canceled,” referring to Levi’s streak of controversial comments. But the actor replied: “Have I been canceled? I hope I haven’t been canceled yet. I mean, if it happens, it happens.” Looks like Levi’s pretty sure he’s the man.
Last year, the actor caught heat for criticizing the SAG-AFTRA strike. He eventually walked back on his comments, but the damage was done. Add that to his string of underwhelming releases and it’s clear Levi’s Hollywood stock isn’t what it used to be. In late September, Levi raised eyebrows again by endorsing Donald Trump at a rally in Michigan ahead of the 2024 U.S. election. Levi himself called it “career suicide,” acknowledging that aligning with the MAGA movement could make him persona non grata in Hollywood, which he described as “very, very liberal.”
He went on to explain that none of his current projects have been affected by his Trump endorsement. Levi even suggested people might be blowing the whole “career suicide” thing out of proportion. That said, he’s not entirely naive; he confessed that he doesn’t know how things will play out in the future. Levi’s endorsement of Trump might have earned him applause at that Michigan rally, but Hollywood isn’t exactly rolling out the red carpet for MAGA supporters.
Levi’s latest box office flop
Based on the beloved children’s book, Levi’s live-action adaptation of Harold and the Purple Crayon, which hit theaters in August, had the potential to charm families and nostalgia-loving adults; however, it flopped hard at the box office, grossing a painfully low $9 million globally in its opening weekend against a hefty $40 million budget. Critics slammed the movie as “bleak and boring,” though audiences seemed to enjoy it, giving it a solid 92% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Unfortunately for Levi, that 92% didn’t translate to ticket sales, and the movie landed at number six on the box office charts, losing out to Inside Out 2 — which was already on its eighth weekend.
To make matters worse, this flop comes on the heels of Shazam! Fury of the Gods, which didn’t exactly cause a lot of noise either. Despite being a sequel to a well-loved superhero film, it brought in just $134 million globally against a $125 million budget. For context, when you factor in marketing and distribution, that’s what the industry politely calls a “disaster.”
Now, the real question is whether Levi can bounce back. Hollywood loves a comeback story, but his current situation is a tricky mix of bad box office numbers, divisive politics, and some ill-advised takes. For now, Zachary Levi is standing his ground, determined to keep his career afloat despite the controversies and flops.
Published: Dec 18, 2024 01:56 pm