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When Sandra Bullock was announced as Danny Ocean’s sister Debbie Ocean in anOcean’sspin-off, fans weren’t exactly jumping on the hate train. It was the trend of the time to troll female-led reboots of popular films. The all-female cast ofGhostbustersreboot in 2016 bore the brunt of social media hate. However,Ocean’s 8did not receive such a reception.
According to experts, the film did not belong to the“geek culture”where films and characters became part of people’s childhood. Unlike such films, George Clooney’s heist film was fun to watch for the adult demographics and hence fans didn’t mind the female-led adaptation much.
Why Did Sandra Bullock’sOcean’s 8Escape The Treatment OfGhostbusters2016?
The gender-bent reboot ofGhostbustersreceived a lot of trolling on social media when it was first announced. Before the film hit theaters, it was review-bombed on sites like Rotten Tomatoes and IMDb. The cast also received brutal hate, withLeslie Jonesbecoming avictim of severe racial discrimination.
Things were not much different for Disney’s female-ledStar Warssequel films. WhileDaisy Ridley‘s Rey was hated throughout the run of the series, actress Kelly Marie Tran had to leave social mediadue to the racist taunts. However, all gender-bent films didn’t receive the same treatment. One film that escaped such a treatment wasSandra Bullock‘sOcean’s 8.
Sandra Bullock on Her Most Disturbing Role That Originally Wanted Angelina Jolie: ‘There’s nothing about me that is false’
While there were some criticizing comments, the film wasn’t ripped apart like the others. According to USC Annenberg professor Sarah Banet-Weiser, the genre plays a crucial role in the female-led films being targeted (via THR). She shared that the online trolls targeted geek genres, which Banet-Weiser says was previously a male-dominated domain.
According to the professor, the fans of the genre have gone after women who dared to enter this genre. The nostalgia factor of these films also plays a role in how the female-led reboots are received. Banet-Weiser shared:
The audiences for those movies are now adult men and they had a particular impact on them as adolescents and teenagers and growing up. Ocean’s 8 doesn’t have that.
WhileOcean’strilogy has a fan base of its own, it doesn’t exactly fall into the geek genre. Steven Soderbergh’s films were based on the 1960 Rat Pack movieOcean’s Eleven. Moreover, most of the film’s viewers back when it was released belonged to the adult demographics. They did not put Danny Ocean or Rusty Ryan on a pedestal.
Sandra Bullock AndOcean’s 8Team Would’ve Fought Back Such Trolls
When Sandra Bullock was asked about the online hate againstGhostbustersduring an interview with Entertainment Weekly, she shared that she was still trying to find a reason behind all the hate. She was disappointed that people did not wait for the film to be released to judge the film.
Sandra Bullock Doesn’t Want You to Know About Her 5% Rated Movie That’s Much Worse Than Speed 2
She shared thatOcean’s 8too received some negative comments but added that the film included some feisty women who would’ve fought back. She shared that it should be made into a rule that a film shouldn’t be trolled until after it comes out.The Proposalactress shared withEW:
We got some but boy, I mean, I’ll tell you, we’ve got some feisty women that will fight right back. It’s like, let’s just take a breath and let’s just see if we come up with something fun. There should be a moratorium. There should be a rule, you’re not allowed to say anything nasty until after it comes out. Obviously that’s never going to happen.
The film featured an ensemble cast that also included Cate Blanchett, Anne Hathaway, Mindy Kaling, Sarah Paulson, Awkwafina, Rihanna, and Helena Bonham Carter. It made $297.8 million at the box office (via Box Office Mojo).
Ocean’s 8is now available for rent on AppleTV.
Hashim Asraff
Senior Writer
Articles Published :3017
Hashim Asraff is a Senior Entertainment Writer at FandomWire, with over 2,800 articles published on celebrity culture, comic book movies, and major TV franchises. With a background in Sociology and a keen interest in pop culture, Hashim brings a unique lens to breaking news stories, character deep-dives, film rankings, and fan-driven perspectives.His coverage often includes the MCU, DCU, hit network shows, and celebrity profiles, giving readers a rich blend of entertainment and analysis. A longtime fan of crime and investigative series, Hashim has watched thousands of episodes of NCIS, Criminal Minds, Law & Order: SVU, Bones, Blue Bloods, and The RookieA passionate storyteller and wordsmith, Hashim has also worked as a ghostwriter and managed multiple social media handles. He brought his writing expertise to FandomWire to also pursue his lifelong love for cinema and television.
