The Apprentice director Ali Abbasi calls out “power people” who he suggests are trying to prevent his film’s release. The movie, starring Sebastian Stan, Jeremy Strong, and Maria Bakalova, functions as a biopic focusing on the early career of Donald Trump as a real estate mogul in the 70s and 80s, in the years before his rise to the presidency. The Apprentice has received strong reviews and was released at Cannes on May 20, but so far, it has not been given a domestic release date in the United States.

In an explosive tweet on X, Abbasi replied to a post from The Nation, which bemoaned the lack of audience interest in sequels and remakes. He aimed at those seeking to repress the release of The Apprentice, which is neither a remake nor a sequel, by claiming “People In Your Country Don’t Want You To See It!!!” Check out the Tweet below:

Abbasi’s profanity-laden reply shows his frustration with the lack of a US release for The Apprentice due to the legal issues the movie has faced, namely from Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign.

Could The Apprentice Have Helped The Box Office?

Hollywood Has Been Enduring Some Box Office Bumps Even With Their Major Movies.

Box office takings have been disappointing across the industry, with Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga’s Memorial Day struggles to help illustrate this. Hollywood is also still trying to recover from a string of expensive flops over the past year, including movies like The Fall Guy and Madame Web. Despite functioning as a biopic, The Apprentice is at least a fresh, unique movie that is not a sequel, reboot, or part of a franchise, so Abbasi is right that it may have proven popular with audiences.

There is hope that the summer will provide a spike in interest in blockbusters and that the box office can recover, but this may depend on the product available. Whether The Apprentice will ever get a release is unclear, especially since investor Dan Snyder demanded a recut before any theatrical release. Trump’s legal team is also trying to prevent the movie’s release with a recent cease and desist letter, likely until after the 2024 presidential election on November 5, amid likely concerns the movie could hurt his image, especially in the wake of his recent criminal conviction.

The timing could actually help to propel The Apprentice to box office success, even if it is released post-election. Hollywood is facing some trouble right now, with studios seemingly losing money with every release, and many in the industry will be keen to see movie takings increase across the industry. How much of a role movies like The Apprentice will play in this is unclear, but the subject matter could help capture global interest.

Source: Ali Abassi/X