As a lifelong movie enthusiast who has witnessed the rise and fall of countless cinematic trends, I find myself in awe of the audacious move by The Daily Wire with their film “Am I Racist?”. Having grown tired of Hollywood’s predictable narratives and political leanings, it is refreshing to see a new player enter the scene, one that caters to the largely ignored right-leaning audience.
Occasionally, a movie made on a small budget, produced outside the mainstream studios, gains unexpected popularity among conservative audiences. This often leaves the executives in Hollywood’s film industry stunned and amazed.
Daily Wire aims to expand its film repertoire, which already includes movies like “The Passion of the Christ,” “I Can Only Imagine,” and last year’s “Sound of Freedom,” with the satirical movie “Am I Racist?” This will be the company’s first major cinematic release. Featuring comedian Matt Walsh, this “Borat”-style mockumentary targets the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) movement. With a nationwide debut in 1,510 theaters today, this marks one of Daily Wire’s boldest moves since its establishment by Ben Shapiro and Jeremy Boreing nine years ago.
Walsh points out that by ignoring the preferences of half their potential audience (red-state sensibilities), Hollywood is essentially leaving large amounts of profit untouched, and he’s more than willing to step in and capitalize on some of it.
Walsh disguises himself as a beta male in the daring approach titled “Am I Racist?” He delves into the realm of expensive Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) consultants, earns his DEI certification, and records uncensored encounters with prominent figures from the anti-racism industry, whom he labels as ‘grifters, con artists, and harmful influences.’ This portrayal is either amusing or upsetting, contingent on which MAGA camp you align with.
Still, there’s no denying the film’s studio-level production values. In fact, several of the principals hail from traditional Hollywood backgrounds. Producer Dallas Sonnier was a manager who broke the careers of Greta Gerwig and Leslye Headland before fleeing the mainstream industry because of its “politicized nature,” he says. Director Justin Folk worked on the visual effects teams of such films as “The Matrix Reloaded” before bailing to tackle stories “more about the war of ideas and what’s going on in our country,” as he describes it. And Boreing ran Coattails Entertainment with Zachary Levi before teaming up with Shapiro.
Right from the start, Borings and Shapiro aimed to broaden Daily Wire’s content beyond material that might offend our primary audience, as Borings put it. (Notably, Shapiro, known for his anti-woke social media presence, has publicly criticized the “Barbie” movie and has a history of supporting controversial views.) However, Boreing remained hesitant when Walsh presented his documentary proposal titled “What Is a Woman?
At first, Boreing had no interest in the realm of 501(c)(3), as he aspired to create commercial entertainment. However, as Matt articulated his vision for the project, it became clear to him that this wasn’t a typical documentary in the 501(c)(3) style. Instead, it was something unique.
The film titled “What Is a Woman?” – delving into gender ideology and helmed by Folk with production from Sonnier – was made for under $1 million. According to Sonnier, it generated over 30 times its budget through DailyWire+. As expected, the movie ignited intense discussions worldwide, with some labeling it as anti-trans. On the other hand, “Am I Racist?” with an estimated production cost of around $3 million, will receive a marketing budget similar to that of Neon or A24 films. The Daily Wire is confident in leveraging Walsh’s audience, given his popularity as one of the leading conservative podcasters in the U.S., and his daily show often ranks among the top 15 on Apple.
And Sonnier sees a gaping void at the multiplex, which the “Am I Racist?” team is glad to fill.
He notes that Hollywood seems to be preoccupied with its own internal issues and hasn’t yet considered content that would appeal to audiences in the Southern or Midwestern regions. He explains that conservative viewers have largely lost interest in the movies Hollywood produces, except for their major franchises (the ‘tentpoles’).
As Walsh sees it, the once-fertile genre of low-budget comedy is a wide-open lane.
“The left was using satire to mock the views that they disagree with,” he says, noting Sacha Baron Cohen’s “Borat” playbook. “Comedy died in Hollywood at some point. It just fell off a cliff. It got to a point where you can’t make jokes about anything anymore. There’s no one left that you can even poke fun at, except for white men, I suppose. But after a while, those jokes get pretty old too. So then, you know, everything’s stale, and I think it’s where we are now.”
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2024-09-13 17:16