Tom Hanks hurls expletive at movie critics after his $50m film Here bombed at box office

Tom Hanks had some choice words for film critics following the dismal box office debut of his $50 million film Here .

The two-time Oscar winner, 68, didn't hold back on Sunday's episode of Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend podcast, labeling movie critics as 'c***s****rs' while discussing how Hollywood's response to films has changed over the years.

Though his comments came just days after his Forrest Gump reunion with Robin Wright fizzled with a mere $5 million in opening weekend revenue, Hanks focused on his 1996 directorial debut That Thing You Do!, which was panned by reviewers upon release but has since gained cult status.

'Let me tell you something about these 'c***s****rs' who write about movies,' Hanks said, recalling a critic who slammed That Thing You Do! when it first came out.

'That same person later wrote about the cult classic That Thing You Do! Same exact person. They said, "All you need is 20 years between now and then, and it ends up speaking some words."'

For Hanks, it seems his gripe with movie reviews is the way they often reduce films to simple judgments.

At one point, he even jokes about grabbing a gun whenever a new review hits.

Yet, he's realistic about the role criticism plays in the business.

'But that's the thing we all signed up for,' the star explained. 'That's the carnival, that's the contest. I got faith in that. That's okay.'

Hanks' podcast confession follows Here director Robert Zemeckis' own take on the film's box office flop.

Zemeckis attributed the disappointing performance to the 'stressful situation' gripping the movie industry.

Despite its ambitious concept—set entirely in a single room yet unfolding over thousands of years—Here struggled to draw in audiences and generate revenue.

Sources told Deadline that Here was a shaky bet from the offset, saying all 'studios passed on the movie at the package stage seeing how it was a risky and difficult movie for broad audiences.'

Here was also made without a domestic distributor in place

Zemeckis said: 'I have to give all the credit to (former Miramax Head) Bill Block who had the courage and had the vision to understand the movie and make it. He's the one guy who had the conviction to do this. That was fantastic. Thank God that he was there to do it.'

Block left Miramax in October 2023 when Here was 'close to finished.' Sony then took on the film in a distribution deal due to its relationship with Hanks on past releases A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood and A Man Called Otto.

Zemeckis added: 'I think the theatrical movie business is in a stressful situation right now.'

Here is described on IMDb as 'a generational story about families and the special place they inhabit, sharing in love, loss, laughter, and life.'

The drama film, which is based on the 2014 graphic novel by Richard McGuire, also stars Paul Bettany, Kelly Reilly, Michelle Dockery , Gwilym Lee, and Ophelia Lovibond, among many others.

Rewind to 1994 and Hanks, Wright, Zemeckis and Roth were riding high amid the massive success of Forrest Gump.

The acclaimed film follows the life of Alabama man Forrest Gump (Hanks), who's mentally and physically challenged, as he experiences many of the most prominent events of the 20th century in the U.S.

Along with Hanks and Wright, the main cast featured the likes of Sally Field, Gary Sinisem Mykelti Williamson and Haley Joel Osment.

The Zemeckis directed film written by Roth went on to become a smash hit with moviegoers and critics alike, grossing $678.2 million art the worldwide box office against a budget of $55 million.

Among its many accolades were 13 Academy Award nominations, resulting in six wins, including Best Picture, Best Director for Zemeckis, and Best Actor for Hanks.

In December 2011, Forrest Gump became one of the rare films to be selected for preservation in the Library of Congress' National Film Registry.

The Registry said that the film was 'honored for its technological innovations (the digital insertion of Gump seamlessly into vintage archival footage), its resonance within the culture that has elevated Gump (and what he represents in terms of American innocence) to the status of folk hero, and its attempt to engage both playfully and seriously with contentious aspects of the era's traumatic history.'