Richard of PopCults.com writes "From what I have seen in the trailer, I am severely disappointed so far. I know that I should reserve judgment on the film until I see, which I probably still will because I am right now hoping against hope that the movie is better than I am expecting it to be – but right now I am feeling the cold shiver of fear that one of my most precious childhood memories have been violated by Hollywood corporate clowns who think that making a 30-plus year old property, whose fans have been begging for this movie to be made, and turning it into a modern pop friendly drama to appease the teenage crowds."
EW: Jem is contagious! Truly truly truly outrageous! But who exactly has she been dragged into 2015 for? That’s a question director John M. Chu (his resumé includes two Step Up films) doesn’t really answer in his updated, already much-maligned take on the cult ’80s cartoon.
THR: Director Jon M. Chu helms this big-screen adaptation of the popular '80s-era Hasbro animated series.
When the trailer for Jon M. Chu's big-screen reinvention of the popular 1980s Hasbro animated show Jem and the Holograms was first unveiled, deeply upset fans of the original took to the Internet. Among those voicing their displeasure at the obvious liberties taken with the property was no less an authority than William Shatner, who tweeted, "I watched the Jem trailer. No star earrings? Where are the Misfits????"
Deadline: In a weekend where distributors offered five wide entries, most of which were paltry, audiences decided what was old was new for them as 20th Century Fox shot its way back to No. 1 with an estimated $15.9M with Sony’s Goosebumps chasing behind in No. 2 with a studio-reported $15.5M, down 34% at 3,501 theaters and a 10-day take of $43.7M.
