“SHE SAID” - A masterpiece of investigative reporting depicts the triggers of #MeToo

Does the box office failure symbolize the decline of #MeToo?

The completed film was released in the United States in November 2022. Opinions are divided on whether the timing was early or late, five years after the first report in the New York Times and three years after the publication of "SHE SAID ." She Said" was well received by critics, it did not do well at the box office. To put it bluntly, it was a huge flop. It grossed $5.82 million in the United States and $13.93 million worldwide. It did not even recover half of its estimated $32 million production costs. The Hollywood Reporter reported that it was " the worst opening ever for a film released on more than 2,000 screens ."

It is not easy to pinpoint the cause of the box office failure, and "not being a hit does not necessarily mean it is a bad movie," but the disastrous box office performance was blamed on "#MeToo fatigue" and "the general public is not interested in Hollywood, contrary to the expectations of filmmakers." Although it was nominated for many film awards, it did not sweep the awards race and was completely ignored by the Academy Awards.

"She Said" (c)Photofest / Getty Images

Ronan Farrow's " Catch and Kill " was made into a podcast by Farrow himself, and was also made into a documentary series of the same name hosted by Farrow on HBO. However, this also did not receive much attention, and it has yet to be made into a feature film.

However, in the case of "She Said," it has a timeless quality that should be passed down over a long span of time, and it has a universal quality that is not affected by trends. Even if it missed the timing, the value of the work itself will not be diminished. I also think that it is one of the best masterpieces in the "investigative journalism" genre, but the rest will be left to the discretion of each person who watches it.

Text: Akira Murayama

Born in 1971. Writes articles for magazines, newspapers, movie sites, etc. Representative of “ShortCuts,” a review site for distribution-based works.

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(c) Photofest / Getty Images