The backlash against Chris Pratt has not affected the performance of his big-budget franchise films so far, but it could negatively impact his upcoming TV show, The Terminal List. With an acting career spanning over two decades, Chris Pratt has come a long way from being a comic side character to becoming a leading man in box office juggernauts. While his roles as Peter Quill/Star-Lord in the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise and Andy Dwyer in Parks and Recreation have earned him acclaim for his versatility and on-screen humor, he has been in the limelight for many negative reasons of late.
Chris Pratt first garnered criticism for his affiliation with Hillsong Church whose executives are infamously known for having a long history of anti-LGBTQ+ sentiments. When Elliott Page asked Chris Pratt to shed some light on the Church's problematic views, the actor defended the institution by claiming that it "opens their doors to absolutely everyone." A few of his social media posts, especially the one where he impassively compared lamb hunting to "unplugging a TV" further greased the wheels of all the backlash coming toward him.
Although many of his MCU co-stars have come out to support him in the past, his appeal as a leading man could potentially dwindle and even inflict damage to the overall viewership of Amazon's The Terminal List. Jurassic World Dominion's overseas reception proves that his popular franchise films will remain unscathed by his negative public image. The film's impressive $55.4 million international opening goes to show that the dinosaur-centric franchise's grasp on the box office is far too firm to be swept down by the backlash. However, considering that The Terminal List—unlike Guardians of the Galaxy and Jurassic World—is neither a part of a well-established franchise nor is it led by any other prominent Hollywood actors, the Amazon Prime series will put Chris Pratt's star power to the ultimate test.
Of course, a few other factors could also influence The Terminal List's performance. For instance, since it is an adaptation of bestselling author Jack Carr's eponymous novel series, most readers well-versed with the source material will initially be intrigued by the series, regardless of Chris Pratt's reputation. Furthermore, given that Amazon has a convincing track record with action thrillers like Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan and Reacher, it is likely that this adaptation, too, will not disappoint. Even so, as the teaser trailer of The Terminal List establishes, Chris Pratt is undeniably one of the major selling points of the series, and its fate heavily depends on whether viewers are willing to accept him after his controversies.
So far, Chris Pratt has managed to keep these controversies at an arm's length by clarifying that even though his faith is important to him, there is a lot more to his identity than his association with the church. In the near future, he will also probably further cement his hold as one of the film industry's top-tier leading men with his upcoming box office hits—especially with Guardians of the Galaxy 3. However, his case still serves as a cautionary tale of how a celebrity's brand value can take a hit if they are not wary of publicly expressing their personal opinions and beliefs.