Hollywood star Chris Pine’s career has taken a downward turn since the release of Don’t Worry Darling. The controversy and chaos surrounding the film have put a “curse” on Pine’s once-promising career. Each subsequent project of the star since this film has faced unique challenges of their own.
His directorial debut was no exception. There have been glimmers of hope with films like Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves but overall, luck has been in short supply for Pine. What happened at the premiere of his directorial debut project is truly surprising.
Audience Walked Out of Chris Pine’s Directorial Debut
Chris Pine made his debut as a director in Poolman, a film that he produced, co-wrote, and also starred in. Donning multiple hats on this project, the Wonder Woman actor must have expected the film to do well. However, at the 2023 Toronto Film Festival, the reception of the film was polar opposite. Set in Los Angeles, Poolman follows a pool cleaner who uncovers a sizeable water heist, which is on the same line way as Chinatown.
With quite an unconventional storyline, the comedy-thriller performed extremely underwhelmingly at the premiere last year. The reception of the film was largely inconsequential but the latest trailer release has brought it back into discourse. A fan who was present at the TIFF premiere revealed on Twitter/X that most of the audience walked out mid-film. Rendy (@rendy_jones) on X tweeted:
“Remember, half the audience at its TIFF premiere walked tf out, myself included.”
Remember, half the audience at its TIFF premiere walked tf out, myself included. https://t.co/n5L3wXi4HG
— Rendy (@rendy_jones) March 14, 2024
The film is not off to a good start. The reviews from the people who watched the premiere echo similar sentiments about the film.
Things Have Not Looked Great For Chris Pine Since Don’t Worry Darling
While the aforementioned incident might just be the worst one, it’s not all Chris Pine has dealt with. His projects have been a flop back to back since Don’t Worry Darling. He has also started in Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves; which is an exception to the poor-performing streak of Pine’s films.
He has also voice-acted for Disney Animated Studios’ Wish. It is a musical fantasy film that got a lukewarm reception from both critics and audiences. The movie failed to so much as reach the break-even point with a worldwide collection of $253 million against a production budget of $175-200 million.
Pine seems to be having a hard time finding his footing back in the industry since all that went wrong with Don’t Worry Darling. The film was surrounded by drama from the get-go and seems to have had some negative effects on Pine’s successful career as well.
Poolman is set to hit theaters on May 10, 2024. And Don’t Worry Darling is available for streaming on Max.
