After $6M Box Office Bomb, Andy Serkis Breaks Silence On Reception Of His Adaptation Of 81-Year-Old Dystopian Novel

After directing Animal Farm, actor and filmmaker Andy Serkis is now speaking out about the intense reactions he got for his adaptation of the iconic George Orwell novella from 1945.

The dystopian story revolves around farm animals who attempt to create their own society, but the end result isn't exactly what they bargained for. When Serkis' film was released in U.S. theaters this May, it only grossed $6.2 million at the box office and was largely panned by critics, who gave the movie a 30% score on Rotten Tomatoes.

Even though Angel Studios executives loved the film, especially since they're "slightly changing the messaging of who they are" after releasing conservative and religious-leaning projects, the public wasn't as kind. Serkis told Variety he wanted Animal Farm to create a debate, "and, boy, did we get a debate in the States" from people on both sides of the political aisle.

"They each had their own particular reason for reviling it," he explained. "It was criticized for being anti-capitalist. It was criticized for being not anti-communist enough." The trailer got around 60 million views full of "outrage," according to Serkis. "It was a very, very strange outing."

"They just showed such an interest. I think they’re slightly changing the messaging of who they are and are backing films which bring light to the world. I think that’s the way they like to talk about it, or of films that hopefully affect some sort of change. And they really loved it.

"But we wanted to debate and, boy, did we get a debate in the States. It was from both left and right, and they each had their own particular reason for reviling it. It was criticized for being anti-capitalist. It was criticized for being not anti-communist enough. It seemed to do what we wanted it to do, which was cause a debate, but what it didn’t do was encourage parents to take their children to see it. It literally got something like 60 million hits on the first trailer — and of outrage. It was a very very strange outing."

The debate he wanted was not only there but materialized on a much grander level than even he expected. However, what didn't emerge were audiences in theater seats. Now, Animal Farm is about to be released in the UK on July 24, and Serkis believes that moviegoers there will be much more receptive to the film.

"I think there is a real love for the book and it's really valued," the director added. "I don't think there's anything in it that's so dark that a 6-year-old could not watch."

During test screenings, children "really loved it." The parents are the ones buying the tickets, though, so Serkis hopes that they will take their kids to go see it.

"I think so. I do. I think there is a real love for the book and it’s really valued. I truly hope that parents do go and take their kids because I don’t think there’s anything in it that’s so dark that a 6-year-old could not watch. I have this vision of families really enjoying it, and when we tested it with kids, they’ve really loved it. But of course they’re not the ones buying cinema tickets!"

Serkis not only directed and produced Animal Farm but also voices a couple of the characters. The cast boasts a star-studded lineup that includes Gaten Matarazzo, Seth Rogen, Kieran Culkin, Woody Harrelson, Kathleen Turner, Iman Vellani, Laverne Cox, Jim Parsons, Steve Buscemi and Glenn Close.

Serkis' breakout role in the entertainment industry came when he played Gollum in Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings trilogy, which was released from 2001 to 2003. He reprised the character almost a decade later for The Hobbit trilogy.

Serkis brought Gollum to life via motion capture, a technique that he also used for King Kong, the Planet of the Apes reboots, The Adventures of Tintin and the Star Wars sequels.

The multi-hyphenate talent also joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Ulysses Klaue in Avengers: Age of Ultron and Black Panther, and played Alfred Pennyworth in The Batman.

Over the past decade, Serkis has branched out behind the scenes as director of movies like Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle and Venom: Let There Be Carnage after gaining experience as a second unit director on The Hobbit trilogy.

Animal Farm is his latest directorial outing, and while neither audiences nor critics in the United States were receptive to his take on the Orwell story, he's getting a second chance when it hits UK theaters later this month.

Animal Farm will be released in the UK and Ireland on Friday, July 24, 2026.