You won’t prevail in a debate on Twitter, according to Davis.
The Woman King topped the weekend box office with a $19 million debut despite without a well-known I.P., franchise ties, or a large fighter plane. It was an unexpected hit, and while its $300 million debut may not have been as spectacular as Avengers: Endgame’s, it was nonetheless amazing to see an original action epic at the top of the box office. The Woman King can be watched without having seen any other movies.
Before seeing the movie, individuals who had studied up on the Dahomey Kingdom had some reservations. The Dahomey Kingdom, about which The Woman King presents a mostly fabricated tale, participated in the slave trade, and online critics of the movie charged that it glorified and whitewashed the slave trade. In an interview with Variety, Davis and her co-star, producing partner, and husband Julius Tennon defended the movie. They began by lamenting the pointlessness of engaging in online debate.
You won’t win an argument on Twitter, according to [director] Gina Prince-Bythewood, and Davis agreed. “When we started the story, the kingdom was in transition and at a turning point. They sought a means of preserving their civilisation and monarchy. They weren’t completely wiped out until the late 1800s. The majority of the narrative is made up. There must be.
Tennon went on to refer to the film as “edu-tainment,” stating that if it didn’t “entertain people, then that would be a documentary.” “People wouldn’t be in the movies doing the same thing we witnessed this weekend,” if the movie didn’t entertain. We didn’t want to sugarcoat the reality. There are facts in the vast past that have been revealed. People can conduct further research if they wish to learn more.
In the end, Davis is adamant that the film focus on women who were coerced into combat or faced death. Between the ages of eight and 14, according to Davis, they were recruited. “The King enlisted them to defend the Dahomeyan kingdom. They were prohibited from getting married and bearing kids. Those who rejected the call were executed by beheading.
Davis doesn’t appear very bothered by the criticism. Earlier this year, she responded to calls for boycotts: “Don’t come see it, then, you’re sending a message that Black woman can’t lead a box office globally, and that you are supporting that narrative.” But in her interview with Variety, she emphasised the delight she felt from the audience’s applause. “I recently watched a TikTok video of women in an AMC movie restroom, and I don’t believe they knew one another. All of them were meditating and chanting. That is indescribable in words.