Natalie Portman mocked as 'mid-tier influencer' for plugging luxury train on Instagram: 'Hollywood is cooked'

Natalie Portman has come in for heaps of derision over her new promotional Instagram post for the British luxury train company Belmond.

The 44-year-old and a friend took a ride on the sumptuous private L'Observatoire carriage of the brand's Venice Simplon-Orient-Express.

She uploaded a suite of photos showing off the creature comforts she indulged in on the conveyance, where food and wine were served on porcelain dishes as guests sat in plush velvet armchairs being serenaded by live musicians.

'Thank you Belmond for a trip that felt like stepping back in time. L’Observatoire cabin was unforgettable,' she wrote of the train, which travels between London and Venice.

She was dressed in a flowing black dress that concealed her blossoming baby bump as she expects her third child, her first by French musician Tanguy Destable, who goes by the stage name Tepr and used to be part of the electronic band Yelle.

Her post earned a scathing response on X from Wall Street investment banker and Twitter personality John LeFevre, who declared: 'Hollywood is cooked.'

LeFevre sneered: 'Even Oscar winner Natalie Portman is out here doing luxury train promos like a mid-tier influencer. My kids and their friends haven’t watched a movie or TV show in years. It’s all YouTube. The entire industry is running on fumes.'

Social media users were sharply divided by his comments, with some sharing his dim view of the state of showbiz as others took a more bullish line.

'True, but also sad though. Streaming also killed off the old music business which had a great run between the 1950s and 2010s,' wrote one of the former.  'I feel sorry for my teenage kids that there is a whole aspect of priceless youth culture for prior generations that has disappeared.'

Another wrote in a similar vein: 'It's very sad and I am in anguish over this fact since a decade now. There's too much content out there. Now people can't even sit through 10 minute videos on youtube!'

However that X user was still able to retain a glimmer of hope that 'if a truly great film was made, it will do wonders at the box office.'

Still another snapped: 'Excellent. Hollywood has made a handful of very good movies in the last 2 decades. The entire complex need to be replaced.'

Some of the people in LeFevre's replies were, however, unconvinced of his point, in view of the strong box office performance of recent Hollywood releases.

'"Hollywood is cooked" as Michael is closing in on a billion dollars,' wrote one sarcastically. 'And Project Hail Mary and Devil Wears Prada have made 700 million. But yeah sure Hollywood is done for. Lol'. 

'Your kids’ watch history isn’t an industry report,' another noted. 'Go check the box office numbers, then come back and apologize to this post.'

'Portman has been doing ads since she was in the Professional, nothing new, just new to the USA,' said yet another. 'Your kids are cooked, Youtube is a short form drain on their ability to formulate long form ideas. Good Luck with that.'

A number of X users pointed the finger of blame at LeFevre, saying his children's preference for YouTube over movies and TV were 'just bad parenting. There is a whole world out there of magical true to life stories they could be exposed to.'

'Take your kids to the movies. Like damn. Be a parent. My dad took me to the theatre all the time growing up,' another snapped. 

Another pointed out that Belmond is a subsidiary of LVMH, as is Dior, which Portman has been affiliated with since 2011 as the face of one of its fragrances.