The big screen adaptation of Jem and the Holograms didn’t go down well with fans of the original show – or movie goers in general – taking just $1.7 million on its opening weekend and failing to crack the top 10. The following day, director Jon M. Chu to deliver a keynote speech for Film Independent Forum, and shared the disappointments of the culmination of a decade-long adaptation, and the bile he received for it.
“I get fans sending me hate mail, I get death threats, I get racist remarks — it’s a really fun business,” he said. “Reviewers have been harsh, to say it lightly.”
Averaging just $570 across the 2,400 screens it was shown on, Jem and the Holograms is the worst opening ever for a major studio release playing in at least 2,000 theaters.
“Yes, we only made the movie for five [million dollars], but it doesn’t get easy when you hear those [box office] numbers,” Chu added. “I’ll probably get some texts along the way today saying it’s not going well…So this morning isn’t the best kind of day.”
Jem and the Holograms is out now with Jon M. Chu (G.I. Joe: Retaliation) directing a cast that includes Aubrey Peeples (Nashville) as Jem, Stefanie Scott (A.N.T. Farm) as Kimber, Aurora Perrineau (Pretty Little Liars) as Shana, and Hayley Kiyoko (The Fosters) as Aja alongside Juliette Lewis (Natural Born Killers), Molly Ringwald (The Breakfast Club), Ryan Guzman (Step Up All In) and Nicholas Braun (The Perks of Being a Wallflower).
Originally published October 27, 2015. Updated April 14, 2018.
