Stewart, Naomi Scott, and Ella Balinska starred as the titular Angels in the 2019 “Charlie’s Angels,” with Patrick Stewart and Noah Centineo showing up in supporting roles. Sony decided to market the film almost strictly to women, which didn’t sit well with Banks. Speaking to Rolling Stone in 2022, she voiced her frustration:
“So much of the story that the media wanted to tell about ‘Charlie’s Angels’ was that it was some feminist manifesto. People kept saying, ‘You’re the first female director of ‘Charlie’s Angels!” And I was like, ‘They’ve only done a TV show and McG’s movies […] what are you talking about? There’s not this long legacy.’ I just loved the franchise. There was not this gendered agenda from me. That was very much laid on top of the work, and it was a little bit of a bummer. It felt like it pigeonholed me and the audience for the movie.”
The strategy didn’t pay off. “Charlie’s Angels” opened against “Ford v Ferrari,” which made $31 million and topped the charts, leaving Banks’ reboot to settle for third place (pulling in just over $8 million). The following weekend, Disney released “Frozen II” and the writing was on the wall. “Charlie’s Angels” finished its run with $73 million worldwide against a $48 million budget. It was also met with mixed reviews, which didn’t help matters.
All of that being said, a movie not doing well doesn’t mean that everyone had to have a bad time making it. While Stewart declined to go into much detail, she doesn’t appear to be lamenting the fate of the film. She didn’t enjoy making it and that, undoubtedly, has impacted her decision-making in the years since.
“Love Lies Bleeding” opens in theaters on March 8, 2024.