Anthony Mackie Attempts Damage Control After Boycott Launched Against 'Captain America: Brave New World'
Captain America: Brave New World actor Anthony Mackie attempted some damage control and PR spin after a boycott was launched in response to his comments claiming that America should not be represented by Captain America.
During a press appearance to promote Captain America: Brave New World, Mackie said, “For me Captain America represents a lot of different things. And I don’t think the term 'America' should be one of those representations.”
He added, "It’s about a man who keeps his word, who has honor, dignity, and integrity. Someone who is trustworthy and dependable."
Mackie’s comments went viral and he was pilloried. Pop culture expert Gary Buechler aka Nerdrotic said, “[Captain America] was created during World War II. This is his costume. It’s the f***ing American flag. His shield is the f***ing American flag. You know what’s on his forehead? A giant f***ing ‘A’ for America. This doesn’t stand for France!”
Political and culture commentator Benny Johnson took it a step further and called for a boycott of the film.
He wrote on X, “Time to boycott the new Captain America movie.”
Johnson was not the only one. TheConservativeHunter also wrote, “I was going to see this when it comes out but now Anthony Mackie and his anti American rhetoric will not be getting my money. People should boycott.”
X user 1True_American also posted, “Boycott Captain America and all Anthony Mackie movies.”
Another individual posted, “More woke bullshit. #boycottcaptainamerica.”
READ: The BBC Hires Transgender Activist Author Of "This Book Is Gay" For Doctor Who Season 2 Writers Room
After his comments went viral and the criticism mounted, Mackie took to his Instagram Stories, where he posted, “Let me be clear about this, I’m a proud American and taking on the shield of a hero like CAP is the honor of a lifetime. I have the utmost respect for those who serve and have served our country.”
“CAP has universal characteristics that people all over the world relate to,” he concluded.
It’s unlikely this damage control and spin will help. The film was already looking like it was going to struggle at the box office.
Box office expectations were lowered by analyst Shawn Robbins after just one week. He lowered his opening week expectations from a range of $81 million to $107 million to a range of $81 million to $98 million.
Not only did he lower the high end of the range, but he lowered his firm prediction from $96 million to $90 million.
READ: New Rumored Details For 'The Mandalorian & Grogu' Claim It Will Depict Rotta The Hutt As A Gladiator
On top of Robbins lowering his opening weekend predictions, The Hollywood Reporter seemingly indicated the film would have a 4-day opening weekend of just $90 million during the Valentine’s Day/President’s Day weekend. Robbins’ predictions above are for the traditional 3-day weekend and do not include President’s Day, which falls on a Monday.
Furthermore, a report from Luiz Fernando earlier this month also indicated the film was only performing 1.4x better than The Marvels in pre-sales and just on-par with Eternals.
The Marvels had an opening weekend of $46.1 million while Eternals did $71.2 million.
What do you make of Mackie’s attempt at damage control and PR spin?
NEXT: Lucasfilm Hires New Writer For Rey Movie As Star Wars Brand Dies
Mackie defined some one who is not himself. He is a POS.
Captain Reparations