The hype and hate surrounding "The Odyssey" reached Ludicrous Speed in the days before the film's June 17 debut.
It's woke! It's DEI casting on steroids! The actors are pushing a woke agenda in every other interview!
And there was some truth to all of the above. And it didn't matter.
Audiences couldn't wait to see what director Christopher Nolan had up his sleeve. They've seen his previous films, and they know he's a storyteller like no other.
The cast, the casting and the weird marketing tics couldn't derail "The Odyssey." That explains why it made $264 million in its opening weekend at the global box office. The film fell a tad under 30 percent stateside in its second weekend, a tremendous "hold," as they say in show business.
"Motor City" is another story.
The indie action film stars Alan Ritchson of "Reacher" fame as a wronged man out for revenge. The film is notable for its lack of banter. The press notes for the film reveal only five lines of dialogue are spoken from start to finish.
Remarkable.
The film also hit theaters on July 24, a window when no new major releases were on the schedule. Yet "Motor City" managed to bring in only $1.6 million on 1,600 screens. That's not great.
Here's where things get messy.
Ritchson became a household name thanks to his Prime Video series inspired by Lee Child's Jack Reacher novels. He seemed like a rising star, thanks to his rugged good looks and imposing bulk. His future looked bright, and he's gotten work in several films since the show broke out.
And, along the way, he's trashed both Christians and President Donald Trump in ways that fans won't easily forget.
Last year, he slammed Christians for supporting President Trump.
Trump is a rapist and a con man, and yet the entire Christian church seems to be treat him like he’s their poster child, and it’s unreal.
He also labeled Christians as "the most vitriolic tribe" and attacked the Catholic Church for covering for pedophiles.
Now, as "Motor City" is gracing theaters nationwide, Ritchson has doubled down on his hateful Trump critiques ... without evidence.
I don’t care what room they’re in. B****, move ... Give me the f***ing manilla envelope. Don’t you want to see what’s in there so that we can hold people accountable. These f***ing rapists. That b***** has the keys to the nuclear codes. He’s like all up into 13 year olds. Like, dude, what? Go to jail.
There's no proof that President Trump is a pedophile. None.
We do have evidence that Trump disliked Jeffrey Epstein and the feeling was mutual. Plus, Trump was glad to hear the police were circling the disgraced Epstein for potential crimes. Here's guessing Ritchson didn't read that story.
Christian conservatives, starved for throwback male heroes like Jack Reacher, embraced Ritchson early in his show's run. They didn't take kindly to his subsequent attacks on their faith and a president who supports life, not abortion.
Ritchson's latest comments probably chased a few more potential movie goers away from his latest project.
Some movies are commercially bulletproof. "The Odyssey" is the perfect example. Star Matt Damon could say almost anything, and film fanatics would still rally to see Nolan's vision.
"Motor City" is an indie film with a modest marketing budget, and it's trying to compete with larger titles (and their massive advertising spends).
Could someone tell Ritchson the difference?
