Marlon Wayans has encouraged fans to go and see his new horror film Him despite it receiving overwhelmingly negative reviews from critics.
The film, which Get Out’s Jordan Peele produces, currently has a score of just 28 per cent on Rotten Tomatoes and reportedly earned just $13.5m (£10m) at the box office, against a budget of $27m.
Wayans, who stars as the film’s antagonist, Isaiah White, has since taken to Instagram to implore people to see the film, claiming that it is “ahead of the curve”.
Sharing a post that featured screenshots of the negative scores of his other films, such as White Chicks and Scary Movie, Wayans wrote: “I respect critics. Their job is to critique. I respect their work. It shapes our industry. But an opinion does not always mean it’s everyone’s opinion.”
“Some movies are ahead of the curve,” he added. “Innovation is not always embraced and art is to be interpreted and it’s subjective. I’ve had a career of making classic movies that weren’t critically received and those movies went on to be CLASSICS. So don’t take anyone’s opinion just go see for yourself. Love to all. Him in theatres now.”
The 53-year-old has since shared numerous positive reviews that fans have posted, with some calling it “inspirational” and the “best piece of visual storytelling” they’d seen in a long time.
In another post, Wayans responded to a headline about his comments, saying that it wasn’t a “clap back” at critics but was a “perspective”.
Produced by Peele’s Monkeypaw production company and directed by Justin Tipping, Him is about a promising young quarterback (Tyriq Withers) who is invited to train with a veteran (Wayans) at an isolated compound but soon discovers that something much darker is at play.
The film finished second overall at the North American box office over the weekend, trailing behind anime Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle, which opened with a huge $70m box office earlier this month.
Him was also nearly upstaged by another horror, The Conjuring: Last Rights, which made an estimated $13m in its third weekend. With a global total of $400 million, it’s now the biggest film in the Conjuring universe.
