Focus Features
The recently-released film The American Society of Magical Negroes has been pulled from movie theaters after just three weeks.
The film, directed by Kobi Libii, made just $2.4 million at the box office after less than a month in theaters and currently has a 28% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes. The American Society of Magical Negroes had a reported budget of $15 million.
As of April 8, the trailer for the film had 146,000 dislikes versus just 10,000 likes. Similarly, the top comment on the trailer on YouTube reads: “You know what I like about this film. It’s bringing blacks and whites together. We can all agree that it’s a collective ‘no’ for all sides.”
Despite its bold title, calling the movie The American Society of Magical Negroes actually wasn’t the ultimate downfall of the film, but rather, its plot.
While the movie initially had some promise given its intriguing title, the wheels on the project fell off when the first trailer revealed that the film was a romantic comedy. The trailer almost felt like a spoof given the jarring tonal shift in the middle of it.
Here is the official synopsis for The American Society of Magical Negroes, via Focus Features:
The American Society of Magical Negroes is a fresh, satirical comedy about a young man, Aren, who is recruited into a secret society of magical Black people who dedicate their lives to a cause of utmost importance: making white people’s lives easier.
The American Society of Magical Negroes stars Justice Smith in its lead role alongside David Alan Grier, An-Li Bogan, Drew Tarver, Michaela Watkins, Aisha Hinds, Tim Baltz, Rupert Friend, and Nicole Byer.
Luckily for Smith, the film is unlikely to dent his growing career, as he’s following it up with a starring role in I Saw the TV Glow, which has been getting nearly unanimous rave reviews.