Four major studio films lost an estimated two billion dollars combined, and in each case, a single public comment from a lead actress became part of the story. From Marvel to Disney to DC and James Gunn’s new DC universe, four different actresses saw their franchises suffer massive losses after their interviews went viral. The pattern has fueled the recurring online phrase “go woke, go broke,” used by critics who argue that political or social commentary during press tours damages ticket sales. The first case centers on Brie Larson, who won an Oscar for *Room* in 2015 and was later cast as Captain Marvel.
Her 2019 solo film earned over $1. 1 billion worldwide, making her one of Marvel’s biggest stars at the time. But during the press tour, Larson commented on diversity among film critics, saying she did not need a middle-aged white male critic to tell her what did not work about a movie made for young girls. She cited a USC Annenberg study showing that 67 percent of top critics reviewing the highest-grossing movies of 2017 were white men.
That comment triggered a heavy online backlash that followed her through the sequel cycle. When *The Marvels* was released in 2023, it opened to the lowest debut in the history of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The film finished with roughly $206 million worldwide against a reported budget between $270 million and $378 million, before marketing costs. Disney pulled the film from theaters early, and Larson has not led a major studio film since.
The second case involves Rachel Zegler, who was cast as the lead in Disney’s live-action *Snow White*. During the press tour, Zegler said the original cartoon scared her as a child and that she had not rewatched it for years. She also said the new version would not feature the prince saving the princess or dreaming about true love, and that her version of Snow White dreams of becoming a leader. Those comments, along with political statements during the tour, upset a significant portion of Disney’s audience.
Even the producer’s son publicly said her comments hurt the film and the crew who depended on its success. *Snow White* opened in March 2025 and suffered one of the steepest second-weekend drops in years. Reports cited a production budget between $270 million and $336. 5 million, and 2026 UK filing data obtained by Forbes revealed Disney’s real loss was close to $170 million, making it one of the largest dollar losses in movie history.
Not everyone blames Zegler alone for the outcome. Commentator Brett Cooper and others noted that she and co-star Gal Gadot were rarely seen together during press events, and that their sharply contrasting views on the Israel-Palestine conflict, which both had been vocal about, may have contributed to an awkward dynamic and broader audience backlash. The third case involves Amber Heard and the *Aquaman* franchise. Her first *Aquaman* film crossed $1.
1 billion worldwide in 2018, positioning her as one of DC’s rising stars. But her highly publicized defamation trial with ex-husband Johnny Depp in 2022 dominated headlines for weeks. During the trial, Heard said she wanted to move on with her life and her family, and that she wanted Depp to move on too. Public reaction was intense.
A change. org petition calling for her removal from *Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom* gathered over 4. 6 million signatures. Warner Bros.
did not recast her, but her role was significantly reduced, and Heard later said she did not know how much of her footage remained in the final cut. She said she fought to keep her job after the studio tried to release her from her contract. Reports noted that reshoots changed major parts of the original script to work around her reduced role. *Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom* opened to just $27.
7 million domestically against a reported $205 million budget. Heard has not been attached to a major Hollywood studio project since. The most recent case involves Milly Alcock, who became a breakout star playing young Rhaenyra in *House of the Dragon*. That performance earned her the role of Supergirl in James Gunn’s new DC universe.
In a March 2026 interview with *Vanity Fair*, Alcock responded to criticism about her casting by saying much of the hate came from accounts with no profile photo or from people who described themselves as “dad of four, Christian,” which she called hilarious. The comment sparked a new wave of mockery, with critics attacking her appearance in return. When *Supergirl* opened on June 26, 2026, it made only $38 to $40 million domestically, well below the pre-release estimate of $50 to $70 million, on a budget of $170 million. Early reports suggest total losses could reach as high as $200 million.
Across all four cases, the financial damage is substantial. The combined losses approach two billion dollars. The recurring question remains unresolved, and commentators are split on whether the pattern reflects a real trend in audience behavior or a coincidence that lined up four separate times in a row.
