‘The Long Walk (2025)’ Flops After Stephen King’s Controversial Comments About Charlie Kirk’s Assassination
The dystopian thriller The Long Walk, the latest big-screen adaptation of Stephen King’s 1979 novel (written under his Richard Bachman pseudonym), stumbled out of the gate with a disappointing $11.5 million opening weekend on September 13, 2025, marking the author’s lowest box office debut in over three decades. Online speculations have wondered if King’s inflammatory X posts about the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk ignited a conservative boycott that torpedoed the film’s prospects.
The Long Walk Failed Despite Critical Acclaim
Directed by Francis Lawrence (The Hunger Games: Catching Fire) and starring Cooper Hoffman, David Jonsson, and Mark Hamill, The Long Walk follows a group of teenagers forced into a grueling, deadly walking contest in a totalitarian America, where stragglers are executed by soldiers. Despite earning strong critical acclaim, including a 93% Rotten Tomatoes score and a 71/100 on Metacritic for its “soulful performances” and “riveting ride” through King’s bleak vision, some have attributed the movie’s commercial underperformance to a recent controversy involving the 77-year-old author himself.
Stephen King’s Controversial Comments About Charlie Kirk’s Assassination Explained
Charlie Kirk, the 31-year-old co-founder of Turning Point USA, was assassinated on September 10, 2025, during a speech at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah. The shooting, carried out by 22-year-old suspect Tyler Robinson, who was arrested shortly after, sent shockwaves through political circles. President Donald Trump decried it as a dark moment for America, ordering flags at half-staff, while Kirk’s widow, Erika, vowed to carry on his legacy of youth conservatism.
In the immediate aftermath, reactions polarized along ideological lines. Some left-leaning figures on social media mocked Kirk’s death, prompting backlash from conservatives like Bill Maher, who called it disgusting. Enter author Stephen King, a vocal liberal critic of Trump and the right, who waded into the fray with a now-deleted tweet that quickly went viral.
Responding to Fox News host Jesse Watters’ claim on the social media platform X that Kirk was “not a controversial or polarizing figure,” King posted on September 10: “He advocated stoning gays to death. Just sayin’.” The remark referenced a distorted interpretation of Kirk’s past comments on biblical passages and opposition to gay marriage, but Kirk had never explicitly called for stoning anyone.
King’s tweet, viewed millions of times, was seen by critics as not just misinformation but a veiled justification for the violence, especially given its timing mere hours after the shooting. Conservative outrage erupted immediately. Texas Senator Ted Cruz fired back on X, labeling King a “horrible, evil, twisted liar” and questioning his “dishonesty & filled with hate.” Many people amplified calls for accountability, accusing King of spreading lies about Kirk.
Stephen King Apologized But Did His Misstep Hurt The Long Walk?
By September 12, as The Long Walk geared up for its Lionsgate release, King backpedaled. He deleted the tweet and issued multiple apologies on X, admitting, “Charlie Kirk never advocated stoning gays to death. I was wrong, and I apologize. I have deleted the post.” Responding directly to Cruz, King quipped, “The horrible, evil, twisted liar apologizes,” attempting levity but only fueling more ire. King clarified that his comment stemmed from a “cherry-picked” memory of Kirk’s biblical discussions, but the damage was done.
The fallout could have directly impacted the film. Conservative outlets like Breitbart declared the flop “karma,” with headlines screaming about King’s “lies” tanking the project. On social media, calls to boycott the film proliferated. Many conservatives vowed to ignore everything King ever produced, from his books to his films. Many observers have pondered if the controversy was responsible for the film’s abysmal opening weekend.
Marketing, Timing, and Politics: Why The Long Walk Underperformed
Others point to multiple factors beyond the film’s bad performance: Minimal marketing (the film flew under the radar for non-King fans), a bleak September release slot competing with family blockbusters, and the story’s niche appeal as a slow-burn survival tale. Reddit’s r/stephenking subreddit dismissed the Kirk connection as “brain dead,” arguing, that people who say they won’t see the film because of King’ weren’t planning to anyway.
Yet, the controversy’s shadow looms large. King’s history of anti-Trump tweets has long alienated conservative audiences, but this incident, coming right after Kirk’s assassination, crystallized backlash. For King, whose adaptations have grossed billions, this flop stings amid his ongoing activism. As The Long Walk limps toward a likely $40-50 million domestic total, debates rage: Is this karma, coincidence, or a warning for celebrity politicking? In King’s dystopian world, endurance is key, but in 2025’s culture wars, one misstep can end the march.
