Marlon Wayans Claps Back At HIM Reviews, Calls It A Classic On Par With White Chicks

Early chatter had HIM positioned like it might be an awards play. Jordan Peele and Monkeypaw were behind it, the buzz machine was humming, and yes, a few folks even floated Marlon Wayans as someone who could sneak into the conversation. Fast-forward to now: the movie is sitting below 30% on Rotten Tomatoes and not exactly headed for a statuette parade. Wayans, for his part, says that means you should go see it yourself and maybe get in early on its potential cult phase.

Wayans pushes back on the reviews

As HIM went wide, Wayans jumped on Instagram with a defense that was equal parts gracious and defiant. He says he respects critics and the role they play, but he also thinks some movies take time to be appreciated and that innovation tends to get dinged in the moment. The bigger ask: do not let the Tomatometer make the decision for you — go watch it and decide.

I respect critics and their work. But one opinion is not everyone’s opinion. Some movies are ahead of the curve. Art is subjective. So don’t take anyone’s word — go see for yourself.

The receipts he posted

To make his case, Wayans shared screenshots of Rotten Tomatoes pages for earlier movies he starred in — all of them critical underperformers that later found audiences to varying degrees.

• White Chicks
• Don’t Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood
• Scary Movie
• Scary Movie 2
• A Haunted House

Collectively, those titles hover around a 24% average on Rotten Tomatoes. His point: low scores do not automatically kill a movie’s long-term life. And, to be fair, the Scary Movie series definitely has staying power — enough that Scary Movie 6 is due next year — and Don’t Be a Menace still gets quoted. Calling White Chicks and A Haunted House classics, though, is… bold. Let’s just say those are not exactly critics’ favorites.

So where is HIM right now?

Despite the rough reviews, HIM opened solidly: number 2 at the box office with a $13.5 million debut. Not awards-bait numbers, but not a faceplant either. The bigger narrative swing here is Wayans framing it as a movie that might click later — the kind people claim once they find it on its own terms rather than through the critic score filter.

The earlier awards heat — and the reality check

That initial awards speculation came largely because of the Monkeypaw factor. Peele’s company backing a genre-leaning project tends to raise expectations. But with that sub-30% score, the Oscars dream is off the table. What Wayans is pitching instead is the long game: word of mouth, audience discovery, and maybe cult status.

Bottom line

Wayans is not fighting the critics so much as trying to route around them. If HIM lands for you, great — he wants you to help write the second chapter. If not, well, the Tomatometer already wrote the first one. Did you catch HIM in theaters? Where do you land compared to the critical consensus?