Glen Powell avoids politics, blames Paramount for film flop
The actor cited divisive discourse for his silence on political matters.
AI-assisted coverage comparison, editor-supervised · How this was made
Glen Powell avoids politics, blames Paramount for film flop
Photograph: Deadline (embedded from source)
What this story says
- Glen Powell stated he avoids discussing politics because he believes it divides people and that current discourse is unhealthy.
- Powell attributed the box office failure of 'The Running Man' to Paramount laying off its marketing department during a merger.
- 'The Running Man' grossed under $70 million against a reported $110 million budget, and 'How to Make a Killing' earned $21 million worldwide.
- Powell's mother worked in the Reagan administration at the U.S. Treasury Department.
Who covered it
Percentages are shares of the 9 outlets carrying a published leaning rating. 4 of the 13 outlets we know ran this story carry no rating and are not counted in them. Coverage measured .
Trust
42/100
Craft
61/100
Hype
41/100
13 sources · methodology
Actor Glen Powell has explained his public silence on political matters, stating that he finds political discourse unhealthy and divisive. Powell told Esquire that engaging in politics is "not presently possible" for him, though he respects those who fight for their beliefs. He noted that his mother worked in the Reagan administration at the U.S. Treasury Department, but politics were not a frequent topic at home.
Powell also addressed the underperformance of his film 'The Running Man,' which he starred in. He attributed its box office failure to significant changes at Paramount Pictures. According to Powell, the studio "let go of an entire marketing department a month before our movie came out in the middle of a merger." The film grossed less than $70 million on a reported $110 million budget. Another film Powell starred in, 'How to Make a Killing,' earned $21 million worldwide.
Disagreement on film performance
While Powell stated that 'The Running Man' grossed under $70 million on a reported $110 million budget, and 'How to Make a Killing' underperformed at $21 million worldwide, the reports do not provide alternative figures for these films.
What the coverage left out
None of the reports printed below mention Powell's mother's work in the Reagan administration at the U.S. Treasury Department.
Still developing. We have re-checked which outlets are covering this 1 time, most recently on 7 Oct 2026, 21:00, and will add the sides that appear.
How other outlets pictured it
Which photograph to run is each newsroom’s own choice. The leaning beside a name is that outlet’s published rating, not a claim that the pictures divide along it. Every picture is shown from the outlet’s own server and links to the article it ran in.
How each side covered it
Our own reading of the reporting listed below, written from the outlets’ articles rather than quoted from them. The reasoning is set out on our methodology page.
Left
6 rated outlets
- Left-rated reports highlighted Powell's comments on avoiding politics, quoting his statement that "politics divide people" and that he "genuinely do not like the discourse." These reports also focused on Powell's explanation for 'The Running Man's' box office failure, specifically mentioning Paramount's decision to lay off its marketing department during a merger. Several reports included Powell's exact words about the situation, such as "They let go of an entire marketing department a month before our movie came out in the middle of a merger." The financial figures for 'The Running Man' and 'How to Make a Killing' were also included across these reports.
Centre
3 rated outlets
- Centre-rated reports focused on Powell's explanation for the box office struggles of 'The Running Man,' noting his attribution of the failure to changes at Paramount Pictures. These reports included Powell's statement that the studio "let go of an entire marketing department a month before our movie came out." The actor's reasons for avoiding political discussions were also covered, with reports mentioning his view that political discourse is divisive.
Right
0 rated outlets
No outlet rated right has run this story so far. We are still checking, and will say plainly if that does not change.
Questions about this coverage
- How did the left and right cover Glen Powell avoids politics, blames Paramount for film flop?
- Of the 9 outlets on this story carrying a published leaning rating, 67% are rated left, 33% are rated centre, 0% are rated right. Those percentages are shares of the rated outlets, not of every outlet that ran it, which was 13. The sections above set out what each side emphasised, in its own terms.
- Is Glen Powell avoids politics, blames Paramount for film flop left or right?
- Too few of the outlets on this story carry a published leaning rating to say. 9 of them do, and this site does not characterise a field under 12: at that size one newsroom filing moves the share by ten points. The percentages above are the count as it stands.
- Is the coverage of Glen Powell avoids politics, blames Paramount for film flop biased?
- Glen Powell avoids politics, blames Paramount for film flop is one event reported by 13 outlets, and this page does not rate the story as biased or unbiased. What it publishes is the spread: which outlets ran it, where named rating organisations place each of them on the spectrum, and what each side chose to lead with. A leaning rating describes an outlet's record over time, not this article, and the two should not be run together.
- Which outlets covered Glen Powell avoids politics, blames Paramount for film flop?
- 13 that we know of, every one of them listed further up this page with a link to its own report and to what we hold on the publisher. Nothing here is a summary of somebody else's summary: the outlets are named so the original reporting can be read.
- Why does Glen Powell avoid talking about politics?
- Glen Powell stated that he avoids political discussions because he believes politics divide people and that the current discourse is not healthy. He indicated that engaging in politics is not presently possible for him, though he respects those who do.
- What caused 'The Running Man' to flop at the box office?
- Glen Powell attributed the box office failure of 'The Running Man' to actions taken by Paramount Pictures. He explained that the studio laid off its entire marketing department a month before the film's release, during a merger, which he believes prevented the movie from being properly promoted.
- How much did 'The Running Man' and 'How to Make a Killing' gross?
- 'The Running Man' grossed under $70 million on a reported budget of $110 million. 'How to Make a Killing,' another film starring Powell, earned $21 million worldwide.
Read it at the source
13 outlets, grouped by the leaning a published rating gives them. Every headline links to the original; an underlined outlet name opens our profile of that publisher.
Left
6- Glen Powell Says He Doesn’t Want to Talk Politics, Blames Paramount Marketing Cuts for ‘The Running Man’ Box Office Performance (opens The Hollywood Reporter in a new tab)
The Hollywood Reporter — is The Hollywood Reporter biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Glen Powell Says He Avoids Politics Because It “Divides People”—Then Blames Corporate Layoffs & A Merger For ‘The Running Man’ Flopping (opens The Playlist in a new tab)
The Playlist — is The Playlist biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Glen Powell On Why He Doesn't Talk Politics & Why 'Running Man' Flopped (opens Deadline in a new tab)
- Glen Powell has a message for fans asking about his politics (opens The Independent (US) in a new tab)
The Independent (US) — is The Independent (US) biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Glen Powell has a message for fans asking about his politics (opens The Independent in a new tab)
The Independent — is The Independent biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Glen Powell Is Staying Quiet on Politics Because ‘I Do Not Like the Discourse,’ Says ‘Running Man’ Flopped After Paramount Laid Off ‘Entire Marketing Department’ (opens Variety in a new tab)
Centre
3- Glen Powell Explains Why The Running Man Movie Was Such a Big Box Office Flop (opens ComingSoon.net in a new tab)
ComingSoon.net — is ComingSoon.net biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Glen Powell Explains Why Politics Is Off-Limits for Him (opens Reality Tea in a new tab)
Reality Tea — is Reality Tea biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Glen Powell Explains Why He Doesn't Talk Politics & Why His 2 Recent Movies Weren't Box Office Hits (opens Just Jared in a new tab)
Just Jared — is Just Jared biased? Our profile of this outlet
Right
0No outlet in this group ran the story.
Not rated
4- Glen Powell Clarifies His Stephen King Adaptation’s $110M Box Office Bomb (opens ScreenRant in a new tab)
ScreenRant — is ScreenRant biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Glen Powell Opens Up About Avoiding Politics and Blames Paramount Turmoil for ‘The Running Man’ Flop (opens Fiction Horizon in a new tab)
Fiction Horizon — is Fiction Horizon biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Glen Powell Explains Why 'The Running Man' Flopped, and He Points the Finger at Paramount (opens comicbasics.com in a new tab)
comicbasics.com — is comicbasics.com biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Glen Powell Opens Up About His Girlfriend and the Film That Broke Him in New Esquire Cover Story (opens Daily Front Row in a new tab)
Daily Front Row — is Daily Front Row biased? Our profile of this outlet
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