You have to wonder if anyone in Hollywood actually talks to a real person anymore. Their playbook is getting painfully old: an out-of-touch studio greenlights a project based on an elite cultural darling, pours tens of millions into it, and unleashes a marketing blitz, certain of a can’t-miss hit. Then, when opening weekend arrives, they are left baffled as Main Street America delivers its quiet verdict by simply staying home.
It’s a story we’ve seen countless times, but this latest chapter is particularly self-important. Instead of focusing on grit or the American dream, this film decided the world needed to see the profound, internal anguish of becoming a rich and famous rock star. Truly, the struggle of our time.
From ‘Daily Caller’:
Bruce Springsteen may be “Born to Run,” but the latest box office flick centered around his life barely made it out of the starting gate.
“Deliver Me From Nowhere” — the highly anticipated music biopic starring Jeremy Allen White as the famous singer — stumbled in its opening weekend, bringing in a lackluster $9 million domestically and $16.1 million worldwide. The numbers fell well short of projections, marking a major letdown for a film that seemed poised to hit all the right notes.
The film, which carried a hefty $55 million budget, stumbled out of the gate with a lackluster $9 million at the domestic box office. Audiences who did show up were thoroughly unimpressed, giving it a mediocre B+ on CinemaScore, while critics left it with a “rotten” 60% on Rotten Tomatoes.
A Misfire in a Booming Genre
Before the well-paid Hollywood spin doctors can trot out their usual excuses about a “dying genre,” the facts say otherwise. Music biopics are thriving. As recently as last Christmas, the Bob Dylan film “A Complete Unknown” captured audience attention, opening to a strong $23.2 million. In recent years, films about Queen, Elton John, and Elvis Presley became cultural and financial juggernauts.
The evidence is overwhelming: Americans are more than willing to buy a ticket to celebrate a musical legend. They just weren’t willing to buy one for Bruce Springsteen. No, the problem isn’t the format. The problem, quite clearly, is the man.
From Working Man to Wealthy Whiner
And that’s where the whole thing becomes a masterclass in irony. Springsteen built his legacy as the voice of the blue-collar worker, singing anthems for the forgotten men and women of the Rust Belt. He became “The Boss” by projecting an image of authenticity. Yet, the story he chose to tell in his biopic wasn’t about the factory floor; it was about the trauma of global stardom. It’s a “struggle” that no working American can relate to.
Over the years, Springsteen traded his blue jeans for the cocktail circuit of liberal elites. He decided to use his platform not to sing, but to scold, lecturing ordinary Americans with the same tired, divisive talking points you hear on CNN. He became one of Hollywood’s most vocal critics of President Donald Trump and the millions of patriotic Americans who support him. In doing so, he betrayed his original fanbase, choosing applause from the coastal elites over the respect of the heartland.
The Trump Curse Strikes Hollywood
Remember when President Trump called him “dumb as a rock”? You have to wonder if Springsteen now wishes he had paid attention. The empty theaters across the nation suggest that a significant portion of the country agrees with that assessment. Could this be the latest case of the “Trump Curse,” where celebrities who build their brand on attacking the 47th President find their careers suddenly hitting a wall?
The disastrous opening weekend of “Deliver Me From Nowhere” feels like a quiet but brutal referendum. Springsteen made a calculated bet that he could alienate half the country with his political grandstanding and still cash in on his legendary status. That bet failed spectacularly.
This wasn’t just a bad weekend for a movie studio. Americans in towns and cities all over this nation sent a powerful message. The real “Boss” isn’t a self-important rock star; it’s the American consumer. And they’ve made it clear they are no longer interested in buying what Bruce Springsteen is selling.
Key Takeaways
- Bruce Springsteen’s biopic was a massive box office failure, proving the free market rejects woke Hollywood lectures.
- “The Boss” chose to tell a story of elite struggle, abandoning the working-class Americans who made him famous.
- The film’s failure demonstrates that attacking President Trump and his supporters can be career poison for celebrities.
Sources: Daily Caller, TheWrap
