Image via Complex Original
From #OscarsSoWhite to numerous depressing studies about representation, 2016 is the year of calling Hollywood's out for shi*tty practices.
The latest casting controversies include the films Nina, Ghost in the Shell, and Doctor Strange. Backlash has ranged from criticisms against whitewashing to petitions calling for recasts.
But would boycotting these films work? It has before.
Here are five big-budget movies that became box-office flops after accusations of racism:
1. 'The Last Airbender' 2010
Nickelodeon series Avatar: The Last Airbender aired from 2005 to 2008 and is one of the network's most celebrated animated shows. While its film adaptation was technically a financial success, some mark it as the beginning of the end of director M. Night Shayamalan’s career.
Die-hard fans went to war against the film, accusing it of "whitewashing" Asian characters. Some even created the website Racebending to re-imagine the movie without white actors.
The Racebending website became so popular that the movement now serves as a go-to method for fans to call out bad Hollywood casting decisions and offer their own takes. The Last Airbender was a critical mess, receiving some truly scathing reviews.
2. 'Exodus: Gods and Kings' 2014
Ridley Scott’s Exodus: Gods and Kings was supposed to be an epic Biblical film about the exodus of Hebrews from Egypt. But people cried blasphemy when it was revealed that Christian Bale would play Moses and Australian actor Joel Edgerton would play Ramesses.
Before the film was released, some outlets pointed out that there were people of color in the film—but they all portrayed slaves. At least partially due to the casting controversy (along with poor reviews), the big-budget film only made around $29 million domestically in its opening weekend, which is pretty low considering it was marketed as the next Ten Commandments.
3. 'Aloha' 2015
Aloha was director Cameron Crowe’s most recent film about a white man trying to find himself.
With an all-star cast including Bradley Cooper, Emma Stone, Rachel McAdams, and Bill Murray, the highly-anticipated film flopped spectacularly. It was set in Hawaii, but none of its leading actors were Hawaiian. Beyond that, many took issue with Stone's casting as a character who was supposed to be one quarter Hawaiian, one quarter Japanese, and half Swedish.
Crowe and Stone both apologized for the casting choice after the film’s release, but it was too late. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the financial loss of the film totaled nearly $65 million.
4. 'Pan' 2015
Pan was a live-action origin story of the classic character Peter Pan. Unfortunately, many took issue with the decision to cast Rooney Mara as Native American character Tiger Lily. Nearly 100,000 singed a petition against whitewashing after Mara's casting.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, director Joe Wright defending his choice, saying, “J.M. Barrie is not specific in the book as to where the 'native tribe' comes from.”
The film only recovered 10.3 percent of its production cost.
5. 'The Forest' 2016
The Forest features Game of Thrones star Natalie Dormer as an American woman who sets out to find her missing twin sister in Japan's Aokigahara Forest. It might sound like a standard plot, but the forest situated at the base of Mount Fuji is known as the “suicide forest."
For the last 30 years, Japanese people have used the forest as a location to end their lives, often by overdosing on medication or hanging themselves from trees. Japan has one of the highest suicide rates in the world, and it's one of the leading causes of death in the country.
Popular Facebook page The Love Life of An Asian Guy called for a boycott the film, explaining that its "whitewashed" cast dehumanizes Asians and erases the Japanese suicide epidemic. Though the film made more than it's small $10 million budget, The Forest didn't get many good reviews, and only has a nine percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
If these effective boycotts and the success of movies like The Force Awakens are any indication, audiences are ready for more diverse films. Maybe it's time Hollywood finally comes through.