Space Jam 2 Panned by Critics, China Still Won’t Show It

Film critics savaged LeBron James’ Space Jam: A New Legacy, saying it’s one of the worst movies ever made. To add insult to injury, LeBron’s target market China has yet to approve the showing of the movie to its millions of theaters. 

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Critics Panned Space Jam 2

As more and more reviews of the film came out, the consensus is becoming clear. The movie, while expecting to still make a killing at the box office because… you know, it’s Bron, Bugs Bunny, and basketball.

Kids will want to watch it. Parents will have to come along. And yet, when people start milling out the theater, nobody would probably say it’s life-changing. Space Jam: A New Legacy starring LeBron James sucks, according to nearly every film critic. 

Meanwhile, national film critics didn’t mince words in giving their thumbs down to the movie. At present, Space Jam 2 carries a paltry 31% Tomatometer score. In fact, some of the reviews were brutal.

The New York Post gave both parting advice and a parting shot at the film. “LeBron James’ film is an abomination. During the endless final sequence of Space Jam: A New Legacy, Porky Pig calls himself ‘the Notorious P.I.G.’ and begins to rap. ‘This pig is lit,’ the Looney Tune says. ‘I’m super legit.’Porky should’ve added: ‘And my movie is s–t,'” it wrote. Then CNBC called the movie a “bloated mess.”

Is LeBron James Losing His Luster?

Is LeBron James going to suffer for this movie monstrosity? Many expect his rep to survive. After all, he still has his main squeeze, professional basketball, to fall back into.

However, he seems to lose some of his signature lusters, as former diehard supporters are now raising eyebrows. For example, supporters of the movie bragged about the film’s highly developed CGI effects. However, the LA Times, a longstanding LeBron supporter, called the movie’s effects a “garbage tornado”. 

Even The Wrap, also a known LBJ stan, wanted its money back. “LeBron James Nets Nothing in Overstuffed Sequel. A New Legacy barely has jokes for the Looney Tunes, let alone the entire Warner Bros. cast of characters, who spend the film mostly just standing around,” The Wrap reviewed.

In addition, Cinema Blend gave Space Jam 1.5 stars out of 5. The reason for the low score? “LeBron James looks like he has no interest in Space Jam: A New Legacy, so why should we?” the outlet posted.

China Has Yet To Decide If They Will Approve Space Jam 2

Despite knocking off Marvel’s “Black Widow” out of the top spot last weekend, Space Jam 2 isn’t breaking records just yet. The lucrative China movie market has yet to allow the screening of the film in its millions of theaters. And without exposure to Chinese theaters, the film will lose out on hundreds of millions of dollars in ticket and merchandise sales.

If China remains closed to Space Jam, the movie expects a gross between $60-70 million dollars globally. Unfortunately, putting Lebron James in the lead role (plus the CGI)  made the movie’s production bill climb to $200 million.   

The China conundrum might be particularly confusing for the NBA player. James spent the last few years bowing down to what China wants in order to protect his merchandising empire. 

He told fellow NBA athletes to just “shut up and dribble” instead of speaking out for China’s alleged atrocities. When Hong Kong citizens went up to protest, LeBron criticized then-Houston Rockets, GM Daryl Morey, for speaking up and tweeting his support for the movement.

Despite China’s seeming indifference to his movie, James would not say something bad to China for fear of losing out in full.

Watch the Black and White Sports report on Space Jam A New Legacy gets destroyed on Rotten Tomatoes by critics. Lebron James ruins Looney Tunes:

Did you watch Space Jam 2? If not, do you plan to do so? How do you see LeBron as an actor? Do you think he can transition a career into acting once he retires from basketball?

Let us know what you think. Share your comments in the comments section below!