Babylon’ Backlash? Margot Robbie Just Said What Everyone Was Too Scared To Admit

In an industry where silence is safer than honesty, Margot Robbie just lit a match—and Hollywood’s still watching to see what burns. The Australian-born actress, best known for her Oscar-nominated roles in I, Tonya and The Wolf of Wall Street, is finally addressing what might be the biggest head-scratcher of her career: the spectacular failure of Damien Chazelle’s epic, “Babylon.”

“I still don’t understand why people hated it,” she said during a candid sit-down earlier this week. “I wonder if in 20 years people are going to be like, ‘Wait, Babylon didn’t do well at the time? That’s crazy.”

And just like that, Robbie reopened one of Hollywood’s most controversial wounds.

BABYLON: A $110 MILLION BEAUTIFUL DISASTER

Released with sky-high expectations in December 2022, Babylon was meant to be a love letter to early Hollywood decadence. Written and directed by Damien Chazelle, the genius behind La La Land and Whiplash, the film boasted a powerhouse cast: Brad Pitt, Diego Calva, and, of course, Margot Robbie, whose manic performance as aspiring starlet Nellie LaRoy was supposed to be award-season gold.

But what came instead?

A critical bloodbath, a box office nosedive, and one of the most painful words in Hollywood: flop.

With a bloated 3-hour runtime, explicit scenes of debauchery, and a plot that critics called “chaotic,” Babylon barely crossed the $60 million mark worldwide—half its production cost.

THE INTERNET WENT TO WAR—AND ROBBIE STAYED QUIET… UNTIL NOW

For months after the film’s release, Robbie maintained her classic PR composure. No defensive rants. No cryptic tweets. No passive-aggressive interviews. She moved on—at least publicly.

But now, two years later, she’s done biting her tongue.

“People were like, ‘Ugh, it’s too much, it’s messy, it’s loud,’” Robbie said. “And I was like… that’s the point. That WAS Hollywood back then. It was chaos. It was excess. It was wild. We showed that.”

And that’s where the real tension lies.

Because what Robbie’s really asking isn’t just why people hated the movie, but why they rejected the truth behind it.

HOLLYWOOD HATES LOOKING IN THE MIRROR

What Babylon dared to do—what Robbie dared to perform—was expose the filth beneath the glamour, the raw and unfiltered foundation of Tinseltown’s birth. It wasn’t supposed to be comfortable. It wasn’t even supposed to be beautiful.

But audiences, it seems, didn’t want the ugly truth. Not in 2022. Not during a time when feel-good nostalgia was easier to sell.

“It’s like we tried to pull back the curtain,” Robbie said. “And people just said, ‘Nah, we don’t want to see that.’”

IS HOLLYWOOD ONLY INTERESTED IN SANITIZED HISTORY?

The question Robbie poses—“Why did people hate it?”—isn’t rhetorical. It cuts deep into the industry’s habit of rewriting its own mythology.

When La La Land sang and danced its way into hearts, audiences applauded. But when Babylon screamed and spiraled into the darkness of Hollywood’s early years—with drug overdoses, dead extras, elephant dung, and all—the applause turned into boos.

Even film buffs who appreciated its ambition couldn’t agree on what the movie was trying to say.

“Was it satire?” “Was it sincere?” “Was it a cautionary tale or a tribute?” —the confusion only made things worse.

A MASTERPIECE AHEAD OF ITS TIME?

Now, Robbie believes the movie’s failure wasn’t because it was bad—but because it was too bold, too raw, too early.

“Maybe it’s like Blade Runner or Fight Club,” she said. “Movies that bombed when they came out but ended up being legendary. Maybe Babylon’s just… not ready to be understood yet.”

It’s a risky comparison. But she’s not wrong—plenty of cinematic legends were misunderstood at first. And with the way film culture is evolving—especially on platforms like Letterboxd, TikTok, and Reddit—Babylon is slowly gaining a cult following.

Some fans are already calling it a misunderstood masterpiece.

MARGOT ROBBIE: “I GAVE IT EVERYTHING.”

For Robbie, Babylon wasn’t just a film—it was a full-body, soul-depleting dive into a world of fire and fame. She broke teeth during stunts. She lost her voice screaming during scenes. She danced until her feet bled.

“I gave it everything,” she said. “And I stand by it.”

It’s not the first time Robbie has gone all-in on a role, but it might be the first time she’s seen that effort dismissed by the masses.

And that stings.

“There were moments I genuinely thought this was going to change the game,” she added. “Not just for me. For how people see movies about Hollywood.”

THE INDUSTRY REACTS: SPLIT DOWN THE MIDDLE

Following her recent comments, Hollywood has been loudly divided. Some insiders quietly agree, admitting the film was “too much, too soon.” Others have doubled down, saying the movie was “self-indulgent,” “tone-deaf,” and “a bloated mess that should’ve stayed on the cutting room floor.”

But even the haters can’t deny it: Margot Robbie’s performance was electric.

“She gave the kind of performance actors dream of,” said one studio exec who asked to remain anonymous. “If that had been in any other film, she’d have won every award.”

SO… WAS BABYLON A FAILURE OR A FUTURE CLASSIC?

The truth? It might be both.

A box office failure? Undeniably.
A misunderstood cinematic swing? Probably.
A film worth rewatching with fresh eyes in 2030? Very likely.

Just ask Margot Robbie, who has one final message for those who wrote Babylon off:

“Rewatch it. Then tell me again why you hated it.”

FINAL THOUGHTS: WHEN THE DUST SETTLES… WHO WILL BE RIGHT?

Two years on, Babylon remains one of the most polarizing films of the decade—and now that Margot Robbie is speaking out, the debate has only just begun.

What will we think in 10, 15, or 20 years? Will Babylon rise like The Shining or fade like Cutthroat Island? Will Robbie’s defiant defense spark a renaissance for the film?

Only time will tell.

But one thing’s for sure: Margot Robbie is not done fighting for Babylon.
And maybe—just maybe—she’ll be proven right.