If You Don't Like Asteroid City, Wes Anderson Thinks You Should Watch It Again

Wes Anderson has a request for moviegoers: if you think you don't like his new movie "Asteroid City," watch it again to be extra sure. The filmmaker behind such films as "The Grand Budapest Hotel" and "Moonrise Kingdom" is back with another cinematic adventure with an absolutely stacked cast that looks very much like something only he could make. Even though Anderson's flavor isn't for everyone, he is imploring audiences to really give his latest effort a fair shake. Perhaps more than a fair shake.

Speaking with Entertainment Weekly, Anderson was discussing the reception to "Asteroid City," which has been pretty good thus far, which was described as a "top-tier" entry in the director's filmography with a "magical sci-fi edge" in our review out of Cannes. Even so, Anderson feels this might be one of those films that benefits from repeat viewings:

"I have a funny feeling that this movie might be one that benefits from seeing it twice. When somebody doesn't like a movie, it isn't exactly their first instinct to say, 'I'll watch it again.' But you might have to see it once just to get the whole idea of it. Then, the second time, you might be able to just experience it more than the first time — if there is a second time."

Anderson's latest takes place in a fictional American desert town circa 1955 when a Junior Stargazer/Space Cadet convention is disrupted by world-changing events. The absolutely massive cast includes the likes of Jason Schwartzman, Scarlett Johansson, Tom Hanks, Jeffrey Wright, Tilda Swinton, Bryan Cranston, Edward Norton, Adrien Brody, and Liev Schreiber, among many others.

This is an admittedly bold thing for a filmmaker to say. For one, it's pretty hard to get people out to theaters right now for anything that isn't connected to some form of pre-existing IP. Anderson isn't necessarily suggesting that viewers watch his new movie twice in theaters, but he is suggesting that in an age with too much to watch and not enough time to watch it all, people take the time to watch something they didn't like again.

Admittedly, I have personally benefited from visiting films more than once, gaining a greater appreciation for them on a second viewing. But I live, eat, and breathe this stuff — not everyone else does. For the casual viewer, this is a big ask. Speaking a bit further, Anderson mused about how films are initially received versus how they are received on a longer timeline.

"When you make a movie, you can't help but pay attention to how it's being received, because you hope it's going great and you know when it's not. You make a movie and at first it gets whatever reaction it gets, and that's just what it is. But in time, some of the movies have a different kind of life; they sort of go off on their own and people rediscover them, or not."

Unfortunately, in the streaming age, it's very easy for movies to just become lost to time if they don't hit with general audiences up front. Let's just hope that the majority of viewers won't need that second viewing to swing them in this case.

"Asteroid City" is set to hit theaters on June 16, 2023 on a limited run, opening wide a week later on June 23.