Why was Æon Flux not pre-screened for critics?

In 2005 I had the pleasure to see an animated cartoon brought to life on the big screen: Æon Flux. The post-modern architecture, the action, the cheesy lines all paid homage to the MTV cartoon with a good storyline.

Critics detested it, but so did viewers. However, I read that it was not screened for critics in advance. I suspect it might have affected their response to the movie. Does not screening for critics happen often?

reception aeon-flux

Best Answer

Does not screening for critics happen often?

Of course, many films do that. Even in the related editorial.rottentomatoes.com discussion about Æon Flux, they listed a few films which were not screened For Critics:

In the Mix (2005)

The Fog (2005)

Cry_Wolf (2005)

King’s Ransom (2005)

Cursed (2005)

And they got bad reviews from critics after release. But not all films not screened for critics are received badly. There are some exceptions like Psycho (1960), where the director wanted to avoid pre critic screening to maintain the suspense and it got mixed to positive critics response.

Why was Æon Flux not screened for critics?

I can find no official statement about it from the officials but Wikipedia listed two popular reasons for not screening for critics:

Critic (or "press") screenings are held for national and major market critics well in advance of print and television production-cycle deadlines and are usually by invitation only. This step may be omitted if a studio anticipates negative critical reviews, or if a film is still being edited until immediately before release.