The Honest Trailer for Cats has arrived, summarizing Tom Hopper’s epic flop in song. One of the biggest box office bombs of 2019, Cats has already been on the receiving end of savage mockery. The movie musical was greeted with strikingly negative reviews upon its release in December 2019. The onslaught was so widespread, and so unique, that it was even incorporated into the film’s marketing in an attempt to draw in audiences. The gambit never quite paid off. Reportedly costing at least $100 million to produce, with an additional $95 million given to advertising, Cats grossed $75.4 million by the end of its theatrical run. Hopper’s feature was also highlighted at the annual Golden Raspberry Awards, which celebrates the worst of cinema. It won Worst Picture and Worst Director.
Still, the big screen adaptation of the stage hadn’t yet received the Honest Trailer treatment. Now though, Screen Junkies has uploaded its Honest Trailer for Cats. Given the movie’s already notorious reputation, with even star James Corden reluctant to defend the project mere days after its premiere, the flop offers itself up to mockery. The trailer starts off strong, suggesting that Cats is the result of a Faustian bargain following Hopper’s Oscar win for The King’s Speech. It doesn’t let up from that point, finding new ways to make fun of Cats by breaking into song. Check it out for yourself below.
There are, of course, references to the Butthole Cut. The bizarre controversy about an alternate version of Cats, in addition to Hopper’s treatment of the project’s visual effects artists, has kept the movie relevant in recent months. The trailer toys with that, although it frequently returns to the point that Cats is a horrifying spectacle which will leave audiences wishing they could somehow unseen it.
Given the consistent and evolving negative response to what was promoted as a big blockbuster, it’s possible that Cats will receive a reexamination in the future. Five years from now, or perhaps after a decade has passed, future film enthusiasts might argue that the adaptation is actually an underrated gem. Jennifer’s Body and Southland Tales have existed long enough to earn more friendly reexaminations. However, at least for the time being, most everyone seems content to simply laugh at Cats.
Source: Screen Junkies