It’s that time again! That magical final moment of the year when we take a deep breath, and look back on all the things we’d love to forget.
Last year, with Hollywood in the pit of COVID gloom, pouring on the mockery seemed…not to capture the spirit of the moment somehow. So we granted a one-year amnesty to all f-ups of 2020 and suspended the proceedings.
But this year…well, now that we’ve had Spider-Man, and our Covid gloom-and-doom feels like a pair of old shoes, there’s room for seasonal mockery and finger-pointing aplenty, so let the celebrations begin!
The Ankler 100 is our year-end compilation of the industry’s lowest moments: bad decisions, missteps, horrors, terrible behavior, snafus, smash-ups and feet-in-mouth from across the spectrum.
The year, after last year’s hiatus, gave us a bumper crop of bad. So before we try to forget, let’s remember one last time. Here they are! Counting down now…presenting YOUR Ankler 100! (Or at least 100-51, part 2 coming in a few days!)
100. The Cinerama Dome closing. And almost a year later, it remains closed. In the capital of moviedom, no one had the ability or will to keep one of the most legendary movie palaces even operating.
99. Lion’s Gate and MRC failed to secure the sequel rights for their monster hit Knives Out and let the franchise slip away to Netflix.
98. The intense middle-aged white guy in a baseball cap film genre. Strangely none of these movies took off.
97. The Halle Berry film Bruised required a poster-busting 23 producers to bring it to the screen. The honor roll: Mary Aloe, Halle Berry, Guymon Casady, Jean-Luc De Fanti, Anik Decoste, Gerard DiNardi, Terry Dougas, Brad Feinstein, Jonathan Fuhrman, David Gendron, Linda Gottlieb, Gillian Hormel, Phil Hunt, Joseph Ingrassia, Basil Iwanyk, Ali Jazayeri, Paris Kassidokostas-Latsis, Erica Lee, Jason Pinardo, Brian Pitt, Compton Ross, Chad Stahelski and Christina Weiss Lurie.
96. AMC Theaters’ stock surge via internet mischief-makers, turning the company’s financial model into some sort of performance art piece.
95. AMC’s bold “Pivot to Popcorn”, offering their signature overcooked and comically overpriced snack for take out and delivery.
94. Appearing in a live Zoom interview with a YouTube stock tips show, AMC’s CEO Adam Aron appears to inadvertently reveal that, below the desk, he is in fact, pantless.
93. Amidst all this and while his theaters are mostly shuttered and his workforce waylaid, Aron awards himself a $3.75 million bonus.
92. The decision to hold the Oscar ceremony, for Hollywood to stage a festival of self-congratulation while the world was reeling from a 100-year pandemic.
91. During which, theaters had largely been shut down so there was no cinema to even celebrate. Or none that had been shared by audiences (outside of, of course, private screening rooms in Brentwood and Bel-Air).
This has been a sneak peek preview of today’s very special edition of The Ankler 100. To read the rest of this issue and find out who made the list, subscribe today for just $17 a month and don’t miss out on who’s in the hot seat next!
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