Stephen King’s newest film adaptation, Long Walk, has had a rough start at the box office, bringing in only $11 million in its opening week. This comes alongside some controversy sparked by Charlie Kirk, who falsely accused King of harboring violent intentions towards the LGBTQ+ community.
Long Walk, featuring Mark Hamill and themes of societal division, debuted on September 12 but struggled to gain momentum. The film, for which King serves as an executive producer, didn’t make the financial splash that many had anticipated.
Coincidentally, the film’s lackluster performance coincides with comments made by King shortly after the tragic death of an activist in Utah on September 10. King took to his X account to make a cryptic remark that seemed to justify Kirk’s violent rhetoric, stating, “He defended the stone gay to death. I just said.” This was a gross misrepresentation of Kirk, who never suggested that LGBTQ+ individuals deserved harm.
King later deleted his post and issued an apology, conceding that he was mistaken about Kirk’s stance. However, the damage had been done.
“I apologize for my misinterpretation of Charlie Kirk’s statement regarding his support for gay individuals,” he stated, adding that Kirk’s demonstration was misunderstood.
Even after his apology, which included acknowledgments on X, many were still dissatisfied. Some bookstores even reacted by removing King’s works from their inventory, citing that his comments could cause financial harm.
“We’re choosing to remove all your books from our website,” stated Belfast Books, expressing concern for their business in light of King’s comments. “This is the first time an apology hasn’t sufficed; it’s unacceptable.”
It seems the downward trend for King’s films has been ongoing. The opening performance of Long Walk stands in stark contrast to previous adaptations such as It, which made $123 million during its opening weekend in 2017.
This week marks the third disappointing box office showing for a King-based film this year. Back in February, Monkey only grossed $14 million, and Chuck’s Life performed even worse, raking in just $224,000 upon its release in June.
