By Matthieu Swigonski | Published
From King of the Hill has Office spaceMike Judge is an expert at creating iconic comedies that take the most mundane moments of an average person’s life and turn them into gripping storylines with hilarious punchlines. With IdiocracyJudge once again explored the trials and tribulations of an average Joe and made the greatest sci-fi comedy of the 2000s. Despite the strong potential of Idiocracy to become a box office hit, 20th Century Fox decided to squash the film before it even had a chance, and the reasons for its decision might… not really surprise you: Corporate America wanted the film failed.
Who is Mike Judge?
In 1993, Judge had his first big breakthrough with the release of Beavis and Butt Head, an animated series about two teenagers who aren’t exactly the cream of the crop, but for some reason they always seem to find themselves in the middle of trouble.
Although the show never aired anything too risky, it became something of a lightning rod for controversy, particularly from watchdog groups, giving Beavis and Butt-Head its counterculture reputation and the launch of Judge’s career. About 10 years after the release of Beavis and Butt-HeadJudge once again had his eye on a project that poked fun at pop culture and aimed to critique how stupid people had become and the future we could possibly hope for.
Idiocracy follows the story of Joe (Luke Wilson) and Rita (Maya Rudolph), two ordinary people who take part in an experimental military project aimed at freezing them for an extended period of time. However, once the two men enter their hibernation chambers, funding for the project is abandoned and they are left to their own devices until they wake up 500 years later in a radically different world the one they remember, full of anti-intellectual people struggling. understand even the most basic concepts. With a smart script, Judge at the helm and a major movie studio backing him, Idiocracy seemed poised for an impressive theatrical run; there was just one major problem.
The studio refused to commercialize Idiocracy
In March 2005, Idiocracy was screened for a test audience, and the reactions were so bad that 20th Century Fox ordered a wave of reshoots that would push back the film’s release date indefinitely. By April 2006, Judge and the team at Fox felt comfortable enough with the film to announce a September 2006 release. But by the time September rolled around, Idiocracy received the cold shoulder from the marketing department, not receiving a single movie trailer or television commercial before receiving a limited release in only 130 theaters across the country.
Never given a chance to fight in the cinemas
Although it was not reviewed by critics before its release, Idiocracy saw mostly positive reviews, resulting in a 71 percent critical score on Rotten Tomatoes. But these positive reviews had little effect on Idiocracywhich finished its theatrical run grossing just under $500,000 at the worldwide box office. The film’s limited release and poor box office performance intrigued critics, who questioned whether Idiocracy he may have laughed a little too much at pop culture.
American companies fought against idiocracy
Throughout much of the film, corporate America is presented as the main antagonist and the main reason for the anti-intellectual culture that has affected the country. President Dwayne Elizondo Mountain Dew Camacho, played by Terry Crews, is a former professional wrestler and porn star who gives excessive and idiotic speeches while addressing the nation, all while equipped with guns.
In a 2018 interview with GQ, Crews acknowledged that real advertisers invested money in the film thinking they would receive a positive portrayal, but were shocked when they realized that Idiocracy criticized them and accused the corporations of dumbing down America, prompting Fox to release the film.
In a more diplomatic approach, Judge pointed to poor test screenings of the film as the reason Idiocracy never got a full release, also revealing that Fox thought the film would eventually become a cult classic with audiences, which turned out pretty on the nose. 20 years after its release, Idiocracy is often used to correctly predict how politics would eventually become the media circus it began to become. Does anyone want a demolition derby?