Two-time Oscar winner Tom Hanks recently spoke some harsh words towards movie critics while he was on an episode of the podcast Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend.
This was sparked by a conversation around his latest movie Here, which only debuted with a mere $4.88 million at the box office in North America. The making of the film had cost $50 million, making the number a substantial loss.
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On the podcast, Hanks mentioned another movie
As he was talking on the podcast about film reviewers, the 68-year-old mentioned his directorial debut film That Thing You Do!
At the time of its release in 1996, this movie was shut down by reviewers before eventually becoming a cult classic.
He proceeded with his example
In talking about film reviewers, Tom Hanks had an explicit word to say about them, “let me tell you something about these ‘c***s****rs’ who write about movies,” he said before remembering a critic who had panned his directorial debut.
Hanks explained that the critic had changed their mind
He continued, “That same person later wrote about the cult classic That Thing You Do! The same exact person. They said all you need is 20 years between now and then, and it ends up speaking some words.”
Hanks explained his frustration with movie critics.
The actor dislikes their judgment
For the Cast Away star, the main problem with movie critics is that they often reduce the whole work down to a series of judgments.
On the podcast, he even makes a morbid joke about dying whenever a new review drops.
However, he recognizes that this is the job
Although angry with movie critics, Hanks still acknowledged that harsh criticism is part of the job. “But that’s the thing we all signed up for,” he said.
“That’s the carnival, that’s the contest. I got faith in that. That’s okay,” added Hanks.
This honesty came after his recent movie Here
The star’s words on movie critics did not come for no reason, but rather after his recent movie with director Robert Zemeckis Here lost in the box office.
The director explained that the movie did badly because of the “stressful situation” within the movie industry at the moment.
The movie had been declined by studios
Here is set in a single room over thousands of years, making it already an intriguing movie, but this wasn’t enough for studios to pick it up.
According to Deadline, the movie has been a risk from the start, with studios passing on it because it seemed difficult to promote to a wide audience.
The director explained how they handled it
In addition, the movie was made without a domestic distributor, making it hard to reach wide audiences.
However, Zemeckis explained that Bill Block, the former head of Miramax, gave him the courage to take on the movie. Sony agreed to distribute it based on its strong relationship with Hanks.
The director further explained what had happened
Robert Zemeckis, director of Here, attributed the lack of support from distribution companies and moviegoers alike saying, “I think the theatrical movie business is in a stressful situation right now.”
The movie was made to be “a generational story about families and the special place they inhabit,” according to IMDb.
Here wasn’t the first time Hanks and Zemeckis work together
The 2024 movie wasn’t the first time we saw both names together on screen. Hanks and Zemeckis worked together on the critically acclaimed movie Forrest Gump.
Forrest Gump grossed $678.2 million and received thirteen Academy Award nominations, making it a classic for critics and watchers alike.
