According to recent reports, Disney’s latest installment in the Star Wars universe, “The Acolyte,” cost nearly a quarter of a billion dollars to produce, only to be canceled after just one season. Critics have railed against the show for its woke themes and socially charged messaging which many feel has become more pervasive in the latest Star Wars releases since Disney acquired the franchise.
Financial disclosures indicate that Disney spent over $231 million on producing the heavily criticized show. That Park Place reported, “United Kingdom tax documents filed by the Walt Disney Company’s UK branch reveal that Lucasfilm and The Walt Disney Company spent over 172 million GBP (231 million USD) on the production of The Acolyte, a prequel series set in the Disney Star Wars universe.”
The outlet further reported, “In an interview with Vanity Fair, The Acolyte series creator Leslye Headland publicly claimed the show cost “180 million,” which was assumed by several to be stated in US dollars. It is evident that if Headland had knowledge of the series financials that she was more likely referring the the amount in Great British Pounds. Accounting for exchange rates at the time of this article, this means that The Acolyte cost almost $230 million US dollars.”
“The Acolyte” was poorly received by fans, which quickly became one of the worst-rated pieces of Star Wars entertainment in franchise history. According to Rotten Tomatoes, the show currently sits at an audience rating of 18%, a sharp contrast from the critic score of 78%. Demonstrating the palpable disdain dedicated Star Wars fans have toward the now-canceled show, a petition was started to de-canonize “The Acolyte” from the rest of the franchise to separate it from the legendary works of George Lucas.
The petition, which has garnered tens of thousands of signatures, reads, “Like so many fans of Star Wars, I found the show the acolyte absolutely frustrating. For some it might’ve been the abysmal writing, the ever-changing character motivations, or the awkward cinematography and strange jump cuts. The show was completely misdirected. For others could be the multiple ways the show breaks canon, jangles keys of established characters damaging them in the future or the way the show makes the prophecy of the chosen one completely insignificant. Help me show Disney that we want to reset the prequel era back to George’s original vision that I know so many of us love.”
As a long time SW fan, I care about the stories and the characters created by George Lucas. I hate seeing their stories being trashed and ret-conned by creators that hate the very existence of George Lucas’s original story and his characters. They can’t create so they want to destroy,” one person commented under the petition.
“I know Disney won’t listen. But I want to stick it to them anyway. You do Give consumers what they want, then you will lose, said consumers! Stop, hijacking, narratives, to serve your social political purposes, while writing horrible stories,” another person said. Similarly, one user wrote, “This was an abomination of the Star Wars lore. The franchise should have never been given to such incompetent, ideologically motivated team, who prioritizes activism over art and good writing. This was an embarrassment for both Star Wars and cinema.”
Watch Megyn Kelly blast Disney for being woke below:
Featured image credit: Featured image credit: original designer: Suzy Rice, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons,
