Are Male Fans Responsible for ‘The Acolyte’s 14% Rotten Tomatoes Score? Kathleen Kennedy was Prepared for It

The release of ‘Star Wars: The Acolyte’ sparked controversy. Critics praised it highly, ranking it among the best in Star Wars history, but it received one of the lowest audience scores. These divergent ratings suggest bias from both sides.

The show faced review bombing and undeserved critical praise, with Forbes’ Erik Kain highlighting critics’ lack of objectivity. Being a critic now seems to demand liking certain things and disliking others.

Regardless, even before the review bombing (or opposite review boosting) occurred, Kathleen Kennedy was already prepared to address the public perception that there might be issues with the show. She highlighted the challenges women face in Star Wars within toxic, male-dominated spaces and personal attacks. Here’s her full statement:

I think a lot of the women who step into Star Wars struggle with [toxic fandom attacks] a bit more. […] Because of the fan base being so male dominated, they sometimes get attacked in ways that can be quite personal… Operating within these giant franchises now, with social media and the level of expectation — it’s terrifying.

So, is the key to a successful show really about appeasing male fans with male leads, or is there more to it? It’s likely the latter. There’s a common narrative that toxic male fans despise female-led projects, causing them to flop and lose money. However, recent cases have shown this theory to be flawed – fans simply dislike mediocre storytelling and overt moralizing.

‘Andor’ stands out as one of the best ‘Star Wars’ shows, currently boasting a 96% score on Rotten Tomatoes and an 86% audience score. Despite featuring strong female characters, ‘Andor’ presents them in a more nuanced and developed manner compared to ‘Star Wars: The Acolyte.’

There’s also the recent release of the ‘Fallout’ adaptation. Despite being primarily female-led, it’s been widely praised as a successful video game adaptation and one of the best in the genre’s history. The show currently holds a 93% Rotten Tomatoes score and an 89% Audience score. The demographics don’t explain this success, as the Fallout franchise traditionally has a much larger male fanbase compared to female fans.

Similarly, ‘Furiosa,’ a recent ‘Mad Max’ spinoff starring Anya Taylor-Joy and Chris Hemsworth, has garnered high ratings from both critics and audiences. While not as financially successful as hoped, it has been well-received, particularly by the predominantly male fanbase.

It’s premature to label ‘The Acolyte’ as a failure since only 3 episodes have been released, but its initial viewership numbers were notably lower compared to ‘Ahsoka,’ another female-led project with respectable scores. Perhaps next time, PR teams should study the marketing strategies of successful projects like ‘Furiosa’ and ‘Fallout.’ It might be wise not to alienate your core audience while attempting to deflect criticism onto them for weak storytelling and mediocre plots.

What are your thoughts? Share them in the comments below!