9 Recent Movies Sent Out To Die
4. Guns Akimbo
Guns Akimbo is a New Zealand action comedy starring Daniel Radcliffe that was released in March 2020. The film was first screened at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2019. Shortly after, it was picked up by Saban Films for its theatrical release to a limited market.
The movie did relatively well in critical and audience scoring, though it holds only a 52% on Rotten Tomatoes. It might have done better had it not been surrounded by controversy, which certainly didn't help with its theatrical release.
The controversy in question arose one week before the film's release. Director Jason Lei Howdon tweeted a series of statements that drew a great deal of criticism. He accused online film critics of bullying and even "attempted murder." These claims raised concern over the film's potential, so there was talk of delaying the release.
Ultimately, Saban opted to push the film out despite the Tweets made by the director with the following statement:
"While we do not condone, agree or share Mr. Howden's online behavior, which is upsetting and disturbing, we are supportive of the film and all the hard work and dedication that has gone into making Guns Akimbo."
Guns Akimbo is another example of a studio pushing a release it should have sat on to let the controversy die out. Unfortunately, it likely wanted to recoup its costs in acquiring the distribution rights, so they cut losses and sent it out to die. That's precisely what it did, as it only managed $979,330 at the worldwide box office.