“Tell Variety to do better Ben!” - Fans react as Ben Stiller calls out magazine over Sinners opening box office criticism

Netizens are lauding actor and filmmaker Ben Stiller for calling out entertainment publication Variety for their coverage of the newly released film, Ryan Coogler’s Sinners.

On April 21, Ben Stiller took to X to criticize Variety for downplaying Sinners’ strong performance at the global box office.

Netizens praised Stiller for highlighting the publication’s unfair coverage and agreed with him that Variety should have assessed Sinners’ box office performance more appropriately. Fans expressed pride in the actor’s stance, which confronted distinguishing practices prevalent in the entertainment industry. They also condemned Variety for failing to report objectively on the earnings of a film that is receiving strong responses from audiences and critics alike.

In response to Stiller calling out Variety, a netizen wrote,

“Tell @Variety to do better Ben!”

Another fan took to X to laud Stiller and defend Sinners’ box office performance, writing,

"this is *thee* biggest opening weekend of any original film since the pandemic... CLOCK IT, BEN!”

A netizen commented on X, adding,

“Thanks for calling that out Ben. @Variety do better…”

Another netizen maintained objectivity while agreeing with Stiller. The netizen wrote,

"It’s not a headline; it’s a tweeted excerpt from the article. Which is lazy, since you’re right—it’s misleading and unfair.”

A fan wrote a detailed response to Stiller’s criticism of Variety, sharing their own dissatisfaction with the filmmaking industry and film journalism, writing,

"Exactly Ben. They just hating to be hating man. Instead of praising the filmmakers for their originality and pure genius, they throw dirt on them. Unbelievable. Meanwhile, saw dust and cactus is growing at all the LA based mega studios as they have become virtually ghost towns. Love your work too brother and I miss seeing u up on the silver screen. God bless!”

While another fan supported Stiller’s defense of Sinners, they criticized the Hollywood studio system and the unfortunate financial aspects of filmmaking. The fan wrote,

"I hope it does well, too, but this is quite literally the most common headline imaginable for any high-budget film that opens to 1/3 of what it needs to just break even”

While netizens largely agreed with Stiller, a few people were quick to explain how earnings are calculated and defended Variety’s coverage. A netizen wrote,

“90M price tag plus 35M in global marketing expenses suggests it's about halfway there. So it might barely break even, seems like a valid headline. This is a business not unicef”

What did Ben Stiller say about Variety’s coverage of Sinners?

On April 20, Variety shared a link on X featuring its analysis of the box office results for Sinners, starring Michael B. Jordan and Hailee Steinfeld. The film earned $61 million in its opening weekend but has not yet generated a profit. The publication noted in the caption,

“Sinners" has amassed $61 million in its global debut. It's a great result for an original, R-rated horror film, yet the Warner Bros. release has a $90 million price tag before global marketing expenses, so profitability remains a ways away.”

Ben Stiller criticized Variety’s coverage of the film, a historical horror set in the Mississippi Delta in 1932. In response to the article, Stiller defended the film and criticized Variety for downplaying its box office success.

The actor wrote,

"In what universe does a 60 million dollar opening for an original studio movie warrant this headline?”

A netizen commented on the coverage, writing that earnings amounting to around $60 million are a good performance for a film during its opening weekend. In response to the comment, Ben Stiller unanimously agreed.

While Ben Stiller sparked debate around the unfair coverage of Sinners’ performance, it remains to be seen whether the film proves itself to be an unforgettable hit.