Director: "Citizen Vigilante" Was Successful Because Of Social Media

"Citizen Vigilante", a new film starring Armie Hammer, has topped the U.S. Amazon chart for movie purchases.

The film, directed by Uwe Boll, is a German-produced action thriller that depicts Hammer as an American businessman in Europe who becomes "a feared vigilante who targets violent criminals, rapists and corrupt judges," according to the synopsis.

In an email shared with Newsweek, Boll said, "The reason that CITIZEN VIGILANTE turned into a massiv [sic] hit without any advertising budget is very simple: the power of social media."

"The movie shows an inconvenient truth what all other movies out there don’t want to show or try to sugarcoat in their productions. The audience wants real films again - bold and with impact and about reality. The times of SUPERGIRL and all that c*** are over," Boll said.

Boll’s comments make a direct comparison to the recent blockbuster film "Supergirl", the second outing from James Gunn’s DC Studios, which stars House of the Dragon star, Milly Alcock as Kara Zor-El, Superman’s female cousin.

"Supergirl" has been used as a point of comparison with "Citizen Vigilante", which has quickly become popular among right-wing commentators who have framed it as a film that is being suppressed. The popular right-wing account, Libs of TikTok, wrote on X, "Citizen Vigilante just hit #1 on Amazon Prime! This is the biggest F U to Germany and the open border globalists who really don’t want you to see this movie."

"Supergirl" produced an underwhelming opening weekend, grossing just US$ 38 million and on pace to be a loser for the production studio, according to a Variety report.

It is among a number of high-profile superhero movies featuring a female lead that have come out in the last decade, as comic-based movies have dominated Hollywood since "Iron Man" was release in 2008. Several films headlined by female leads have faced criticism from the right and have struggled at the box office.

"Citizen Vigilante" has ignited controversy on account of its extreme violence and what critics have called an anti-immigration stance. One scene that has been widely shared online shows Hammer's character shooting multiple members of a migrant family dead in retribution for an alleged rape. The film has been effectively banned in Germany, where it was refused a rating.

The film also marks a return to a mainstream project for 39-year-old Hammer.

"Citizen Vigilante" has gained support from major voices on the right, including Elon Musk and Tommy Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon. It has been praised by voices on the right who say it challenges mainstream views on immigration.

Musk, a former top adviser to President Donald Trump, has made the film temporarily free to watch on X, the social media platform that he owns.