UK Channel Showed Terrible Film Instead of Queen's Funeral

Channel 5 decided abysmally rated 'Emoji Movie' would be a good substitute for royal coverage
By Jenn Gidman,  Newser Staff
Posted Sep 19, 2022 11:43 AM CDT
Brits Who Don't Want to Watch Queen's Funeral Have This
This image show Gene, voiced by TJ Miller, in "The Emoji Movie."   (Sony Pictures Animation via AP)

Although it was expected that almost every channel in the UK would air some kind of coverage about Queen Elizabeth II on Monday, offering a look at her funeral or her life in general, EW.com notes it also "makes sense" that Channel 5 decided to opt out of all that, instead airing children's programming for the kids who were at home from school during the national day of mourning. But it's the choice of one of the films broadcast as the monarch's coffin made its way to the final resting place that has some eyebrows raised: 2017's The Emoji Movie, which has an abysmal 6% rating on Rotten Tomatoes—a step up from the zero percent it initially claimed.

The AV Club reports on just how bad this movie, featuring the voices of Patrick Stewart, James Corden, and TJ Miller, really is, noting that Jordan Peele has said he quit acting after being offered a role in the film. That outlet's own review described the movie as "Inside Out crossed with a Sony commercial and dunked in toxic ooze." It also won worst picture of the year at the 2018 Razzies. At any rate, the online sphere is having fun with Channel 5's selection, reports Variety, which notes there's been "mild criticism" of how much coverage the queen and royal family have seen since her death on Sept. 8.

"[A]s her majesty is laid to rest, the nation pauses with upmost sorrow to pay respect by watching the emoji movie on channel 5," one commenter snarked. From another: "It is a bit of an emotional watch and there will never be anything quite like this again, it's so unique and so culturally significant. Saying that, I do hope they make a sequel to the Emoji Movie." Other kids-themed shows set for the rest of day on Channel 5 include Stuart Little, Sing, and Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs. (More Queen Elizabeth II stories.)

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