Debate Continues to Rage Over ‘Django Unchained’ as It Gallops Past $64 Million at the Box Office
Notable figures both in and out of Hollywood continue to weigh in on Quentin Tarantino’s “Django Unchained,” taking sides on the film’s treatment of slavery, adherence to the racist lingo of the era and ethics of placing it all in a spaghetti Western context. The latest is “Training Day” director Antoine Fuqua, who voiced some criticism of Spike Lee’s recent swipes at Tarantino while visiting the Capri, Hollywood Film Festival in Italy Sunday, according to the Hollywood Reporter’s Eric J. Lyman.
Fuqua took issue with both the content of Lee’s criticism and the way he delivered it. “If you disagree with the way a colleague did something, call him up, invite him out for a coffee, talk about it. But don’t do it publicly,” said Fuqua, who knows both Tarantino and Lee but is not close with either. “I don’t think Quentin Tarantino has a racist bone in his body. Besides, I’m good friends with [‘Django Unchained’ star] Jamie Foxx and he wouldn’t have anything to do with a film that had anything racist to it.”
Fuqua had more detailed commentary on the film, which he said he still hasn’t seen, as reported by Lyman. You can read the full article here.
Meanwhile, “Django” continues its strong opening run, grossing another $30.7 million over its first weekend in release to bring its six-day total to $64 million domestic. The ongoing debate about the film can only help its prospects — “Django” is now more than halfway to the domestic box office total of “Inglourious Basterds,” Tarantino’s highest-grossing film, and it’s galloping there at a faster rate. “Basterds” needed another four days to pass $64 million.
