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Yahoo
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Dakota Johnson Says ‘Madame Web' Flop ‘Wasn't My Fault': Decisions Are Made in Hollywood by ‘People Who Don't Have a Creative Bone in Their Body'
Dakota Johnson recently told the Los Angeles Times on her 'Materialists' press tour that 'Madame Web' flopping with critics and audiences wasn't her fault. The Sony-backed comic book movie was a notorious punching bag in winter 2024, earning a dismal $43 million at the domestic box office and an 11% on Rotten Tomatoes. Johnson headlined the film as Cassandra Webb, a paramedic who gains the ability to see the future after a near-death experience. 'It wasn't my fault,' Johnson said about the movie. 'There's this thing that happens now where a lot of creative decisions are made by committee. Or made by people who don't have a creative bone in their body. And it's really hard to make art that way. Or to make something entertaining that way. And I think unfortunately with 'Madame Web,' it started out as something and turned into something else. And I was just sort of along for the ride at that point. But that happens. Bigger-budget movies fail all the time.' More from Variety Dakota Johnson and Michael Angelo Covino's Open Marriage Comedy 'Splitsville' Cracks Up Cannes, Earning 6-Minute Standing Ovation 'Splitsville' Review: Dakota Johnson and Adria Arjona Play the Field in an Exhausting Knockabout Romcom Topic Studios' Ryan Heller Returns to Cannes with Open Marriage Comedy 'Splitsville' starring Dakota Johnson Not that Johnson feels burned by the movie's reception. As she explained: 'I don't have a Band-Aid over it. There's no part of me that's like, 'Oh, I'll never do that again' to anything. I've done even tiny movies that didn't do well. Who cares?' The actor told Bustle last year a few weeks after 'Madame Web' nosedived in theaters that 'films are made by a filmmaker and a team of artists around them. You cannot make art based on numbers and algorithms. My feeling has been for a long time that audiences are extremely smart, and executives have started to believe that they're not. Audiences will always be able to sniff out bullshit.' Johnson is currently out on a press tour for 'Materialists,' the new A24 film from 'Past Lives' Oscar nominee Celine Song. Johnson stars opposite Pedro Pascal and Chris Evans in the movie, which both embraces and subverts the romantic-comedy genre. It's Johnson's first rom-com since 2016's 'How to Be Single,' although that's not for lack of trying. 'They're not good,' Johnson said about all the rom-com scripts that came her way over the years. 'Sorry. I think a lot of what I read these days is void of soul and heart. And Celine is all soul and heart. I really love a rom-com if it feels like I can connect to the people in it. And I think I've found it hard to connect to the people in some of the ones that I've been offered.' 'Materialists' felt different for Johnson because of 'the complexities of all of the characters. The paradox. Everyone being confused about what the fuck they're supposed to do with their hearts. And what's the right move? I found that very honest and I found it just so relatable.' 'Materialists' opens in theaters June 10 from A24. Head over to the Los Angeles Times' website to read more from Johnson's latest interview. Best of Variety Emmy Predictions: Animated Program — Can Netflix Score Big With 'Arcane,' 'Devil May Cry' and the Final Season of 'Big Mouth?' What's Coming to Netflix in June 2025 New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Dakota Johnson Says ‘Madame Web' Flop ‘Wasn't My Fault': Decisions Are Made in Hollywood by ‘People Who Don't Have a Creative Bone in Their Body'
Dakota Johnson recently told the Los Angeles Times on her 'Materialists' press tour that 'Madame Web' flopping with critics and audiences wasn't her fault. The Sony-backed comic book movie was a notorious punching bag in winter 2024, earning a dismal $43 million at the domestic box office and an 11% on Rotten Tomatoes. Johnson headlined the film as Cassandra Webb, a paramedic who gains the ability to see the future after a near-death experience. 'It wasn't my fault,' Johnson said about the movie. 'There's this thing that happens now where a lot of creative decisions are made by committee. Or made by people who don't have a creative bone in their body. And it's really hard to make art that way. Or to make something entertaining that way. And I think unfortunately with 'Madame Web,' it started out as something and turned into something else. And I was just sort of along for the ride at that point. But that happens. Bigger-budget movies fail all the time.' More from Variety Dakota Johnson and Michael Angelo Covino's Open Marriage Comedy 'Splitsville' Cracks Up Cannes, Earning 6-Minute Standing Ovation 'Splitsville' Review: Dakota Johnson and Adria Arjona Play the Field in an Exhausting Knockabout Romcom Topic Studios' Ryan Heller Returns to Cannes with Open Marriage Comedy 'Splitsville' starring Dakota Johnson Not that Johnson feels burned by the movie's reception. As she explained: 'I don't have a Band-Aid over it. There's no part of me that's like, 'Oh, I'll never do that again' to anything. I've done even tiny movies that didn't do well. Who cares?' The actor told Bustle last year a few weeks after 'Madame Web' nosedived in theaters that 'films are made by a filmmaker and a team of artists around them. You cannot make art based on numbers and algorithms. My feeling has been for a long time that audiences are extremely smart, and executives have started to believe that they're not. Audiences will always be able to sniff out bullshit.' Johnson is currently out on a press tour for 'Materialists,' the new A24 film from 'Past Lives' Oscar nominee Celine Song. Johnson stars opposite Pedro Pascal and Chris Evans in the movie, which both embraces and subverts the romantic-comedy genre. It's Johnson's first rom-com since 2016's 'How to Be Single,' although that's not for lack of trying. 'They're not good,' Johnson said about all the rom-com scripts that came her way over the years. 'Sorry. I think a lot of what I read these days is void of soul and heart. And Celine is all soul and heart. I really love a rom-com if it feels like I can connect to the people in it. And I think I've found it hard to connect to the people in some of the ones that I've been offered.' 'Materialists' felt different for Johnson because of 'the complexities of all of the characters. The paradox. Everyone being confused about what the fuck they're supposed to do with their hearts. And what's the right move? I found that very honest and I found it just so relatable.' 'Materialists' opens in theaters June 10 from A24. Head over to the Los Angeles Times' website to read more from Johnson's latest interview. Best of Variety Emmy Predictions: Animated Program — Can Netflix Score Big With 'Arcane,' 'Devil May Cry' and the Final Season of 'Big Mouth?' What's Coming to Netflix in June 2025 New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week
Yahoo
30-01-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Johan Pilestedt is taking a sabbatical from Helldivers 2 after working 'around the clock' for 11 years, will move on to 'the next Arrowhead game' when he returns
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Arrowhead boss Johan Pilestedt is taking a break. The chief creative officer, who has been the face of Helldivers 2 through the ups and downs of its first year, will be on a sabbatical from the studio for "a while," and when he returns, he'll be working on a different game. "I know a lot of you are going to think 'por qué?' Pilestedt posted on X earlier today. "Well, while you have enjoyed Helldivers 2 for almost a year, I have been living it since early 2016, and with Helldivers [overall]—its since 2013." Helldivers 2's lengthy development might surprise some fans—the Sony-backed co-op shooter was not on the radar of most PC gamers before its release in February 2024, but the story of Helldivers dates back to the 2015 original, a top-down shooter made at a much smaller scale. Arrowhead spent years adapting the first game's core loop—stratagems, bugs, bots, the interactive galactic war—to a grandiose third-person shooter. "11 years of working 'around the clock' on the same IP has made me set aside family, friends and my lovely wife... and myself," Pilestedt continued. "I am going to take some time now to redeem what was lost from all of those that supported me for over a decade. "I am sure my friends at Arrowhead will do their utmost in the meantime to deliver amazing stuff to Helldivers 2." Back in May 2024, during a stretch of unpopular balance updates and the PSN sign-in fiasco, Pilestedt stepped aside from his CEO role at Arrowhead to focus completely on "games and the community." In the weeks after Helldivers 2's surprise Omens of Tyranny update in December, the chief creative officer has been talking about what comes next. Now, it's official. "When I'm back, I will start working on the next Arrowhead game." His first order of business as a man on sabbatical? Participating in a game jam with Arrowhead devs and founders. Does Johan know what "not working" means? 2025 games: This year's upcoming releasesBest PC games: Our all-time favoritesFree PC games: Freebie festBest FPS games: Finest gunplayBest RPGs: Grand adventuresBest co-op games: Better together
