'Justice League' News: Ben Affleck Groping Hilarie Burton, Annamarie Tendler Scandal Feared To Affect Box Office
Netizens were appealing to Warner Bros. to withdraw Ben Affleck as Batman or for Affleck himself to resign from the role. The calls came barely a month before the cinema premiere of "Justice League" movie. Uproars were made following sexual assault allegations from Hilarie Burton and much recently from Annamarie Tendler.
It would be recalled that amid the mounting allegations of sexual assault against Harvey Weinstein, actress Rose McGowan claimed that Affleck knew all about Weinstein's unacceptable behavior towards women. It would also be recalled that Affleck himself condemned Weinstein and expressed dismay that the man who was instrumental in his showbiz career was guilty of such misconduct. However, netizens were quick to remember that Affleck had also maliciously grabbed Burton in 2003. While Affleck apologized to Burton, Tendler accused him of the same misconduct towards her that allegedly took place in 2014.
On October 12, posts from netizens, first spotted by CNBC, were calling for Affleck to step down from his character as Batman. One netizen went as far as calling for a boycott against Affleck and even his best pal, Matt Damon. Some others were quick to point out that Affleck being chosen as Batman was controversial and unacceptable right from the start. The posts could be found below.
The call for Affleck's revocation as Batman was detrimental because "Justice League" was pitted against Disney and Marvel Studio's "Avengers" franchise. Amidst talks that it could affect the box office for "Justice League," experts remained confident. According to Daniel Loria, managing editor for BoxOffice Pro, their projection for the "Justice League" remained consistent since there was no distracting impact in their tracking since sexual assault allegations against Affleck had emerged. "This title is being principally marketed as an ensemble superhero film, as opposed to a Ben Affleck movie, so that should be taken into account when looking at the potential impact of the story," he told FOX Business. It was also reported that Warner Bros. was adamant that "Justice League" would be released as scheduled on November 17.
Ben Affleck must step down as Batman
— Jack Posobiec (@JackPosobiec) October 11, 2017
Told you guys from jump Ben Affleck wasn't the right choice for Batman. The dude is too wild. I didn't know how wild though.
— Cheryl Lynn Eaton (@cheryllynneaton) October 12, 2017
Ben Affleck needs to have his Batman card revoked
— #MC3 (@JubileeDJ) October 12, 2017
Warner Bros. remove Ben Affleck from Batman role . JLA Box Office will suffer
— rick colon (@rickcolon1467) October 12, 2017
Take a stand against sexual abuse & boycott Batman actor Ben Affleck & buddies #mattdamon & #harvey. Ben is no superhero, he is complicit!
— Grymlynz (@Grymlynz) October 12, 2017
