Stephen King’s ‘The Long Walk’ Flops At Box Office After Backlash Over Charlie Kirk Comments — Lowest Opening In 33 Years
Stephen King is no stranger to headlines, but this time it wasn’t his storytelling that grabbed attention. His latest movie adaptation, The Long Walk, opened in theaters this past weekend and stumbled badly at the box office, marking the lowest opening for a Stephen King adaptation in more than three decades. The film earned just $11.5 million domestically across nearly 3,000 theaters, despite a $20 million production budget. That’s not only disappointing, it’s historic for all the wrong reasons.
The poor showing didn’t come out of nowhere. In the weeks leading up to the release, King faced major backlash after making controversial remarks about Charlie Kirk. He falsely claimed that Kirk had advocated stoning gay people to death, a statement that quickly went viral and drew widespread outrage. King later walked those comments back and issued an apology, admitting he had been wrong. But by then, the damage had already been done. Fans who might have gone to the theaters stayed away, critics of his comments called for boycotts, and the buzz around the film shifted from anticipation to controversy.
For a writer whose work has defined horror and suspense for generations, the numbers are a shock. Over the years, King’s adaptations have ranged from major successes like It and The Shining to smaller cult classics. Even when a film underperformed, it usually had some staying power with audiences. But this time, the combination of weak turnout, bad press, and a cloud of controversy gave The Long Walk the worst debut of his career since the early 1990s. In an era when opening weekend can make or break a movie, the stumble is especially hard to ignore.
The film itself was supposed to be one of King’s more intriguing adaptations, based on a dystopian story he first published under his Richard Bachman pseudonym. It explores themes of survival, endurance, and the human spirit under extreme conditions—classic King territory. The source material has long had a dedicated following, and the adaptation had potential to connect with a new audience. Instead, the rollout was overshadowed by King’s own words, and it left both the studio and fans frustrated at how quickly things spiraled.
What makes this moment striking is how much author reputation still matters in Hollywood. Many moviegoers admitted they didn’t want to support the film after King’s comments, regardless of how strong the story or cast might be. In today’s climate, when public figures’ statements spread instantly across social media, one controversial remark can derail months of marketing and planning. The numbers for The Long Walk seem to prove that point in real time.
Stephen King’s apology may soften things in the long run, but it came too late to save opening weekend. Industry insiders will now be watching to see whether the movie has any chance of recovering in its second week, or if it will fade quickly from theaters. With streaming platforms always ready to scoop up underperforming releases, the film could find a second life online, but its box office legacy is already set in stone.
For longtime fans of King, this is a disappointing chapter. A story that many hoped would shine on the big screen has instead become a cautionary tale about how personal controversy can overshadow art. Whether audiences eventually separate the movie from the backlash remains to be seen, but for now, The Long Walk is remembered less for its haunting story and more for being the Stephen King adaptation that stumbled right out of the gate.
