Light Between Oceans director Derek Cianfrance's wife slams film critics in open letter
Shannon Plumb claims negative reviews cost the film 'a couple million dollars' at the US box office
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Your support makes all the difference.Shannon Plumb, the wife of director Derek Cianfrance, has questioned the validity of film critics in an open essay that accuses them of costing her husband's new film "a couple million dollars" at the US box office.
Romantic period tale The Light Between Oceans, which stars Michael Fassbender and Alicia Vikander, debuted at Venice Film Festival earlier this month but was met with frosty critical reception.
In her essay, Plumb claims that several outlets ignored the film's embargo and posted their negative reviews days before the premiere.
“There was an embargo on reviewing the movie. No one was supposed to post a review until a few hours before its premiere. But there were five reviews up, one by Variety, and it was two more days till the premiere," she wrote.
"The critics had broken the embargo. They were testing their words like North Korea testing atomic bombs. ‘Look what I can do,’ they seemed to say.
She continued: "The critics are not a voice for the people, yet they can affect the reputation and success of the movie. By writing early and with vehemence against The Light Between Oceans, it probably lost a couple million dollars in its first weekend."
Plumb went on to say that the bad reviews made Cianfrance feel as is "someone stomped on [his] brain."
The film, budgeted at $20 million, went on to take $4.8 million in its US opening weekend; to date, it's overall haul sits at an underwhelming $11.6 million.
This is Blue Valentine director Cianfrance's first film since The Place Beyond the Pines in 2012. You can read Plumb's full essay here.
Film director Xavier Dolan's latest film It's Only the End of the World was received negatively by critics at Cannes Film Festival; he broached the subject in an open letter explaining why he is unable to submit upcoming film The Death and Life of John F. Donovan to next year's Festival.
He wrote: "...the culture of trolling, bullying and unwarranted hatred shouldn't be an inextricable part of the cinematic and analytical adventure. But since it appears we live in a time where they are unable to be dissociated, it is one's right to choose different trajectories for his work."
The Light Between Oceans will be released 4 November.
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