Razzie Awards: Space Jam 2, LeBron James Earn Dubious Honors
Awards season is winding down and while all eyes are on the 94th Oscars this Sunday, another Hollywood award has just announced their winners. In keeping with tradition by announcing winners the day before the Academy Awards, on Saturday, the Razzie Awards handed out their picks and Warner Bros.'s Space Jam: A New Legacy along with star LeBron James came out as "winners" for the worst.
Space Jam: A New Legacy brought home two awards, including Worst Screen Couple and Worst Remake, Rip-Off, or Sequel while James won for Worst Actor. Space Jam: A New Legacy had been nominated for a total of four awards — the only award the film didn't win was Worst Picture, a distinction that went to Netflix's Diana: The Musical. Diana: The Musical had the most Razzie nominations going into the awards and ended up winning the most with five total wins. Space Jam: A New Legacy's trio or trophies was the second highest number of Razzie trophies won by a project this year.
Released last July, Space Jam: A New Legacy is the sequel to the iconic 1996 film, Space Jam. The James-led film was a hit with family and actually won the box office during its opening weekend. The film was also simultaneously released on HBO Max. The film also wasn't especially well-received by critics, though audiences responded much more favorably to the film. Despite this, the film's director, Malcolm D. Lee didn't entirely rule out a potential third film, telling Entertainment Weekly last year that he would never say never.
"I never say never. It's all going to be about whether the fans respond to this positively," Lee said at the time. "But I think the bar has been set so high in terms of the first one with this global iconic superstar Michael Jordan, and now the same global iconic superstar in LeBron James, who transcends sports. Who is that next person to put into that universe? And then you've got to find a script and story that's good enough to not repeat what's been done but will capture the spirit of it and keep it going."
What do you think about Space Jam: A New Legacy winning big at this year's Razzie's? Let us know your thoughts in the comments or hit me up on Twitter @lifeinpolaroid!