Him director didn’t expect to get so much hate from US critics: "Everyone became Regina George on me"

“It's actually fascinating the lengths that people are getting in fights about what it was supposed to mean, or how it was supposed to be interpreted, or what our intentions were while making it," he said. "But no one – including the studio – thought that I would get so much hate from American critics the way I've been getting."

He continued: "The pre-screens were all positive. So suddenly it was like... everyone became Regina George on me, and was like, 'F**k that guy and f**k his film,' which sucks the first day, not gonna lie. I was in a dark place – like, 'Whoa, maybe I should never make a movie again. What the hell is happening?' And also a lot of things are out of my control. But hey, that's showbiz, baby!"

Tipping added that a couple of days after his initial disappointment, he realised that despite the negative press, there was no shortage of people who loved the film.

"My nephew loves the movie, that matters more," he said. "Every one of my collaborators had a great time, and that matters more. And yeah, it feels like we all did something pretty punk. I'd have a badge of honour if it was the most hated movie critically!"

He also explained that his film eliciting strong opinions either way was a better result for him than a more muted reception might have been, claiming that an apathetic response would have been his "actual nightmare".

"I would rather have you love it or hate it, especially now finally we're getting back to a place where original ideas are showing up, including Sinners, Weapons," he explained. "I got to do this. It's not lost on me. It's not normal for a first time studio director to take the reins of something original. And so f**k 'em!"

After the initial wave of reviews, the film's star Marlon Wayans – who plays a legendary American football star who takes a rising quarterback under his wing – made a post on his Instagram account explaining that several of the films he's made in the past had originally been dismissed by critics only to develop large followings.

And he told RadioTimes.com that he reckons the same might be true this time around.

"I think this is a cult classic, meaning that if you're ahead of the curve and you enjoy the movie you gotta be a part of the cult," he said.

"And if not, it's gonna be a classic later on, and then you're gonna be mad that you weren't... like you didn't see it. Why? Because you was influenced by what other people's perception of the art was."

Wayans added that while he had great respect for critics, his own view was that Tipping was a "visionary" and that he had given the finest performance of his career in the film.

And he also mentioned he'd already received plenty of positive feedback from punters who have seen the film.

"I like looking at my comments and just they consistently say, 'Great film, great film, great performance, your best work.'" he explained. "There's a lot to be said about the normal people's response.

"And I think it may be ahead of it's time. That's the other thing, right? It's like White Chicks [his 2004 comedy film], right? Way ahead of its time, two Black guys playing two white girls, and talking about pop culture. Add you talk about these things, Scary Movie, Don't Be A Menace... we've always done things like that. I think this is one of those movies where it's kind of ahead of its time."

Meanwhile, he added that audiences in the UK might be more likely to respond to the film that their US-based counterparts.

"I think they're going to really appreciate it here in [the] UK, because I think it's like, even with the time zone, right – you guys are ahead! And y'all are ahead with humour... [the] UK has always had strange... Monty Python [was] ahead of his time, and that came to the US, we was like, 'Wait, what is this?'

"But you guys got it. I think sometimes the US could be a little bit... we could be a little bit behind the curve."

Him is now showing in UK cinemas.

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