Steven Spielberg is one of the most successful directors of all time. Generally, his name on the marquis is a huge draw. But as his latest movie, Ready Player One, nears its premiere, his magic doesn’t seem as strong as it usually does.
The movie, based on Ernest Cline’s novel, is a celebration of pop culture, set within a sci-fi story in a dystopian future. And to emphasize that, Warner Bros. Released a slew of posters on Tuesday, using characters in the film to recreate classic film posters (like The Matrix, The Iron Giant, and Back To the Future).
It didn’t go well.
The Internet erupted with vitriolic criticism of the posters and the film’s premise.
I used to dream about the day somebody would write fanfiction about stuff I wrote but I feel like if anything I wrote had been written into Ready Player One I would feel kind of dirty
— Mara Wilson (@MaraWilson) March 6, 2018
I thought Schindler's List would be the most depressing movie by Steven Spielberg but Ready Player One is shaping up to take that spot.
— GERD Vaccine Patent Pending (@MegosVolve) March 6, 2018
ready player one should be 100 minutes of someone standing at the bottom of an enormous landfill that is slowly filled with funko pops, first burying the person at the bottom, then overflowing, breaching the oceans, suffocating the earth
— Zac Bertschy (@ActionZacku) March 6, 2018
https://twitter.com/kellytindall/status/971137642552160256
Ready Player One might just be the thing that unites both sides of the internet together in hating it.
It's truly a blessing in its own way.
— Jack Laytons Of Pipe, Leader of No Dry Pussy (@DryChrisVII) March 6, 2018
Incurring the wrath of the pop culture fans you were hoping to lure to the theater isn’t a promising start for the film, which will continue its PR blitzkrieg at the South by Southwest conference next week.
Spielberg hasn’t had a true box office blockbuster for a while. Last year’s The Post has earned $80.5 million life to date, according to Box Office Mojo. And 2016’s The BFG only took in $55 million. The director’s last true smash was 2012’s Lincoln, which made $182 million.
Of course, Spielberg still has fans, so some people did defend the film.
Https://twitter.com/NewTSage/status/971127317488635904
Um, what did Ready Player One do to you, Film Twitter?
— Chris Agar (@ChrisAgar90) March 6, 2018
The scepticism surrounding Ready Player One makes me really sad. What part of "directed by Steven Spielberg" do people not understand? Did everyone suddenly erase his filmography from their brains?
— Stefan Ellison (@MisterCoat) March 6, 2018
Ready Player One will hit theaters on Mar. 29.