Apple has a Will Smith problem.
The New York Times reporting on the lose-lose situation at Apple on the release of Emancipation, a $120 million Civil War drama starring Will Smith that finished filming about a month before Smith took the stage at the Oscars in March and slammed Chris Rock:
“If they delay the movie, will it hurt Apple’s reputation? If they release it, will it damage their reputation? … Hollywood loves a win-win situation. This one is lose-lose.”
The film is said to have generated an “overwhelmingly positive response” to private audiences, according to NYTs sources, with Smith’s occurrence described as “volcanic”. Some are now pushing for the film’s release before the end of the year to make it eligible for awards.