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  1. Wokeometer
  2. Movies
  3. Brightburn
Brightburn
Box Office
Hit · 5.5x
Budget$6M
Worldwide Gross$33.2M
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Brightburn

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Brightburn

Brightburn

movie·R·May 24, 2019·
Box OfficeHit · 5.5x
$6M
Budget
$33.2M
Gross
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Shop this title

Brightburn

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Digital video
Amazon — Digital video. Search this format: Brightburn. Opens in a new tab
DVD & Blu-ray
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Brightburn

movie
R
May 24, 2019
Wokeometer Rating
1Based
Audience Woke Score
No Ratings Yet
Scale: 0 = not woke, 10 = maximally woke

TL;DR Verdict

Brightburn delivers pure evil-Superman horror with zero identity politics, DEI casting, or social justice messaging. At a 1/10 woke score, it's safe, story-first entertainment.

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Detailed Analysis

Brightburn is a straightforward horror deconstruction of the Superman origin story, centering on an alien boy raised by a rural Kansas couple who discovers superpowers and turns violently evil rather than heroic.

The premise, plot, and execution focus exclusively on themes of unchecked power, parental failure, and sinister impulses from an alien ship commanding conquest, with no embedding of progressive ideological elements such as identity politics, DEI-driven casting, critiques of traditional norms, systemic oppression narratives, or social justice messaging. Casting features a conventional white American family with no race- or gender-swapping of established characters or forced diversity.

Creator intent (from the Gunn brothers and producer James Gunn) emphasizes subversive horror and anti-superhero tropes without activist framing. Audience and critical reception highlights gore, tonal issues, and the evil-Superman concept, with zero notable backlash or discussion framing it as 'woke.' Any tangential interpretations (e.g., toxic masculinity in isolated reviews) are post-hoc readings unrelated to the film's actual narrative drive or intent. The story would remain unchanged without any modern progressive overlay.

Key Factors

  • Core premise is a pure 'evil Superman' horror twist with no social commentary or identity-based themes
  • Casting and setting adhere to traditional source material conventions without alterations for diversity mandates
  • No creator statements, subplots, or dialogue addressing systemic issues, patriarchy, or activist concerns
  • Reception shows no audience or critic framing as progressive messaging or 'go woke' controversy

Methodology: Each score synthesizes audience discourse, critic and aggregator reception, and press coverage — weighed against the work itself, not any single source.

Detailed BreakdownPro

Identity Politics & Racial Essentialism
Gender Ideology & LGBTQ+ Themes
DEI Casting & Representation Mandates
Preachiness & Message-First Agenda
Corporate & Creator Activism

See how this title scores across all 5 woke subcategories with detailed explanations.

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Directed by

  • David Yarovesky

Is Brightburn Woke?

We've run a full content analysis on Brightburn and scored it 1/10 on the woke scale. Read our detailed breakdown above to see exactly what we found.

Frequently Asked Questions

What kind of woke content is in Brightburn?

Our analysis checks for themes like identity politics, race-swapping, gender ideology, environmental activism, anti-religious messaging, and other progressive agenda elements. The score breakdown above shows which specific categories were flagged and how heavily they factor into Brightburn's overall score.

Is Brightburn family-friendly?

Wokeometer focuses on ideological content rather than traditional ratings (violence, language, etc.). Brightburn is rated R. For a full picture, combine our woke analysis with the age rating to decide if it's right for your family.

How does Wokeometer score movies?

We evaluate media across multiple ideological categories on a 0–10 scale. Scores of 0–3 mean story-first, 4–6 have moderate elements, and 7–10 flag heavily agenda-driven content. Learn more about our methodology →

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