“Pipeline” eco-terrorist bombs at the box office

James Cameron caught little heat for a shocking admission. He loves eco-terrorism.

It’s one thing for the “Avatar” director to be so green that he forces his cast and crew to eat vegan. This seems odd compared to a quote that has been ignored by most news outlets.

Now we have an entire movie dedicated to eco-activists willing to use violence to meet their needs. And it’s clear where the empathy of the story lies.

“How to Explode a Pipeline” deserves some sort of Truth in Advertising award. The story follows a gang of eco-thugs plotting to fulfill the promise of the title.

HiT guest reviewer Joshua Sharf called it “really good agitprop” with that disclaimer.

In other exchanges, one hears the familiar refrain “you can’t make omelettes without breaking a few eggs”, not knowing that a violent revolution generally produces many broken eggs and few omelets.

The film enjoyed a limited release on April 7 but expanded north of 500 theaters last weekend. The results?

A paltry $600,000 so far.

The company behind the project told Variety that “Pipeline” has more than just box office appeal. This could attract a coveted demographic to theaters.

Yohan Comte, co-founder of Charades, said the company wanted to “convey the important ecological message” of the film and also believed it had the potential to “bring young audiences back to theaters”.

Not so fast.

The rave reviews didn’t help. The film enjoys a 95% “fresh” rating on Rotten Tomatoes.com, a site that showcases the extremely liberal slant of the critical community.

The Hollywood Reporter noted how easily the film’s message could translate into real-world violence.

How to Blow Up a Pipeline may not offer a blueprint for explosive solutions, but it might spark some ideas.

That didn’t deter critics from wrapping their arms around the film. Rolling Stone, far left and wary of free speech, called it a “hot date movie”.

The Libertarian Raison argued that the film does the opposite of its intentions.

it is also a subtle, if totally unintended, indictment of the violent fringe activists of the climate movement.

The film’s debut at the festival also generated abundant press, another boon to the possible success of an independent film.

Ironically, social critics attacked 2019’s “Joker” for supposedly encouraging violence through his storytelling. The film’s incel-heavy themes, they cried, could spark the destruction of the real world. The newly awakened US military echoed these concerns.

NYPD covering ‘Joker’ screenings over fear of incel violence https://t.co/DTlOXsmhUc pic.twitter.com/miEHozj9MX

— New York Post (@nypost) September 30, 2019

No real violence occurred and “Joker” crushed box office competition and star Joaquin Phoenix won the Best Actor Oscar for his troubles.

Will “Pipeline” incite people to violence? It’s a tricky First Amendment question, but if so few people actually see the movie, the chances of chaos are greatly reduced.