Harvey Weinstein is currently on trial for sexual assault crimes, but the disgraced movie mogul — who has already been convicted of rape, and is currently serving a 23-year sentence — couldn’t help but react to “She Said’s” opening weekend performance.
“She Said” received strong reviews and is generating awards buzz, but opened to a dismal $2.2 million this past weekend, marking one of the worst wide-release openings for a major studio film this year and a poor result for the $30 million production. The film is based on the New York Times’ investigative reporting that contributed to Weinstein’s downfall and ignited the #MeToo movement.
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On Monday, after “She Said” debuted in theaters, Weinstein’s spokesperson reached out to Variety on his own accord to issue a statement on Weinstein’s behalf. He said that Weinstein could not offer comment himself.
In the statement, Weinstein’s spokesperson gloats over “She Said’s” box office performance and hails Weinstein’s talents as a film producer and distributor. The statement makes no mention of his ongoing criminal trial.
“The film ‘She Said’ bombing isn’t a surprise,” said Weinstein’s spokesperson, Juda Engelmayer. “Movie watchers want to be entertained, especially now. Details of the investigation, the #MeToo movement, the story of Weinstein and the accusers, has been told over and over again these past five years and it is clear that there was little worth paying to see it here. Harvey, the film producer and distributor, would have known that.”
Universal did not respond to Variety‘s request for comment on Weinstein’s statement.
“She Said” is based on the book of the same name by the two reporters who broke the Weinstein story at the New York Times in 2017. Since that story, more than 100 woman have accused Weinstein of sexual harassment, assault and abuse. Real-life survivors of Weinstein contributed to the film, both on and off screen, in order to ensure an accurate and sensitive depiction of the survivors’ stories.
Weinstein is currently facing 60 additional years behind bars in Los Angeles where his criminal trial is ongoing, and he faces seven counts of rape and sexual assault. He is in the process of appealing his New York conviction for which he was sentenced in 2020 to 23 years. He also faces additional charges in the U.K.
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