Andy Serkis’ “Animal Farm” did the impossible.
The “new” take on the George Orwell classic alienated just about everyone, and it somehow united audiences in the process. The film proved too heady for kids but not meaty enough for their parents.
Few rallied to its side, even with its overt culture war implications.
Conservatives raged against it for discarding the source material’s attack on communism for an anti-capitalist bent. Liberal film critics weren’t pleased with it in general, giving the film a terrible 24 percent “rotten” rating.
The only people who liked it? Tucker Carlson and Riley Gaines, apparently.
My husband and I got an early access screening to Animal Farm, an animated adaptation of George Orwell’s novel made by Angel Studios.
Incredibly well done. They do a perfect job of reminding viewers that Marxism always has and always will fail.
In theaters May 1st!… pic.twitter.com/DvLamy02qM
— Riley Gaines (@Riley_Gaines_) April 28, 2026
The film earned a measly $3.4 million over the weekend. What went wrong? In a word, everything.
The title’s rollout should be a primer for how not to bring a film to the public. Here are some key takeaways from the debacle.
Stay In Your Lane
Angel Studios has done a remarkable job producing quality films on a budget. The shingle does so by telling stories that the majors won’t go near, often involving faith-driven plots or uplifting angles. It’s the anti-Hollywood, and it matters.
Think “Sound of Freedom,” “Cabrini” and “Bonhoeffer.”
An adaptation of “Animal Farm” is the perfect fit for the studio, assuming the film hews close to the source material. It didn’t. Now, even diehard Angel Studios admirers are crying foul.
Don’t Insult Your Fans
We’ve seen this story before. A woke company produced a woke dud, and the folks behind it attack the fans instead of taking responsibility for their woke handiwork. This often happens with geek-friendly content tied to “Star Wars,” “Star Trek” or “Doctor Who.”
“Bleep you, bigots!” It’s anti-PR at its worst.
Yet Angel Studios released a comedic short addressing the rancor tied to the project. Along the way, the clip gently attacks those who didn’t appreciate the film. (The studio apparently took down the clip in question)
That’s just dumb.
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Hollywood, Inc. Is Not Your Friend
Angel Studios roped in some high-caliber voice talent in acquiring “Animal Farm.” Woody Harrelson. Seth Rogen. Glenn Close. That might have been great for the company’s sense of self, but those stars aren’t aligned with the studio’s point of view.
Co-star Laverne Cox, a trans performer, used the film’s promotional circuit to promote trans issues. That’s all well and good for progressive Hollywood, but chances are the average Angel Studios fan wasn’t keen on hearing that argument.
Kids Don’t Want Income Inequality Screeds
Children love going to the movies, and PG-rated fare has helped Hollywood survive through some rough economic times. This year’s hit parade includes kid-friendly titles like “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie,” “Hoppers” and “GOAT.”
“Animal Farm,” with its $3 million opening weekend, won’t come near those films. Why? Children likely aren’t invested in income inequality riffs or laments about consumerism gone wild.
If It Ain’t Broke …
There’s nothing wrong with tweaking classic material. The modern James Bond would never swat a woman on the bottom a la old school 007. Changing it so much that it’s barely recognizable?That’s different.
We saw how audiences responded to the extreme “Snow White” makeover last year. We’re witnessing something similar play out here.
Why is Angel studios complaining? I typically liked Angel Studios previously…
I won’t be a fan, though, anymore, if this is going to be the future trend. Most likely, if they were to keep to the original source material of Orwell, they wouldn’t have been able to get the voice ‘talent’ they did… Most of these ‘actors’ are open leftists, and at least one of them I can barely stand in non-political roles (because it always seems that he or the writers need to shoehorn-in political observations, comments, and/or jokes into every script). This is like rewriting a documentary of WWII where they NAZIs and Axis powers were the good guys and those evil Allies were stopping their enlightened ways of health, vegetarianism, animal rights, and, oh, genocide, because, you know, Southern Democrat Jim Crow served as the inspiration for the Nuremberg Laws. Its like a screen adaptation of Friedrich Hayek’s Road to Serfdom but making the Democrat Socialists the heros of civilization.
When will Hollywood learn that most of the U.S. (and a large part of the world) isn’t interested in their woke ‘utopian’ bubble with bearded dudes with beer bellies portraying Disney princesses and following your pre-school daughters into the bathroom.
Besides, why they are complaining about box-office earnings? After all, why should a movie promoting anti-capitalist philosophy expect a profit? Any profit? It isn’t about the money, it’s the message, right? As a matter of fact, should they even complain if their movie was pirated? Isn’t hearing the message a “human right”? I wonder what would have happened if the voice actors’ checks bounced… Do you think they’d be upset?
I suspect that Riley Gaines and Tucker Carlson said they liked the movie because they were paid well to do so.
As far as the video mocking the movie’s critics, I think they were trying to be edgy not insulting, but they just dug the hole deeper. Sarcasm is tough to pull off effectively.
If they have a PR department, I wouldn’t want to be working there right now.
I wonder if they even watched it, but in all fairness, neither have I. Hard pass!
I have invested in Angel Studios films in the past and even owned stock. I sold out and will not support their movies in the future. They revealed their true face, they are not the family friend, Christian center studio they pretended to be. They are just another studio who will do whatever they think will make money, be damned any form of moral code. Sorry, they are dead in my eyes.
True! I watched the Angel Studios “Sarah’s Oil” looking for an interesting movie “based on actual events” and what they produced was about 90% fiction. The movie played up racial stereotypes that never happened to Sarah. If you saw it… there never was a man who tried to steal her land or oil, ever… there never were wildcatters that tried to help her, ever… there never were men with guns threatening her, ever! Sarah hired a contract driller that produced oil and made her rich. The fake racist incidents that were heavily played in that movie NEVER happened. I’m done with Angel studios.
One note Christian, and its a small thing that is easy to overlook – Angel Studios didn’t actually produce Animal Farm, they picked up the North America distribution rights via their ‘Angel Guild’ label after no one touched Animal Farm for months after it’s premiere. I’d imagine the terms favorable but nothing was publicly disclosed.