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‘The Drama’ Sells Tickets and Splits Opinion

Strong ticket sales meet a debate over how to market sensitive stories.

Overview

  • The A24 release logged a strong opening weekend in wide release, yet reaction from both audiences and critics remains sharply divided.
  • Reviewers widely single out Zendaya and Robert Pattinson, saying their performances anchor the film’s uneasy tone.
  • Coverage notes that publicity held back key plot details to preserve an early reveal, which left some viewers feeling misled once the film’s darker subject emerged.
  • March for Our Lives criticized the marketing as out of step with the gravity of the topic, highlighting concern over a light promotional tone for a sensitive story.
  • Director Kristoffer Borgli faces separate scrutiny over a resurfaced 2012 essay about a relationship with a 16-year-old, and recent reports say neither he nor A24 has offered a substantive public response.