Sundance Sneak Peek Viewers of Jupiter Ascending Walk Out It's So Bad

quote:

---

The Sundance Film Festival isn’t a typical launchpad for studio blockbusters, but Warner Bros. surprised theater-goers on Tuesday night by unveiling the Wachowski siblings’ “Jupiter Ascending” at a “secret screening.”

...

Despite the hype of a secret screening, clusters of seats inside the 300-person venue remained empty, and a handful of patrons walked out of the two-hour-plus space epic starring Mila Kunis as a princess and Channing Tatum as an intergalactic soldier tasked with rescuing her.

...

“I hated it,” said one of the festival’s volunteers, who asked not to be identified for fear of irking Sundance. “It’s just ridiculous.”

Her husband was more forgiving. “It’s a combination of a whole bunch of things wrapped into one,” he said.

Neville Kiser, a screenwriter, thought the movie was hurt by the fact that it was debuting at a venue for highbrow films. “I actually liked it,” Kiser said. “But the Sundance context is weird. There were so many people in the audience scoffing and sneering. They are forgetting they are watching a movie targeted primarily to teenage boys. I’m sure those 15-year-old boys, and hopefully girls, will like it.”

The film’s co-directors and stars were not in attendance. One industry expert speculated that the discombobulated story would mean that Warner Bros., which spent $175 million on the film, would lose a significant chunk of money.

---