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  1. Wokeometer
  2. Movies
  3. Malignant
Malignant
Box Office
Flop · 0.9x
Budget$40M
Worldwide Gross$34.9M
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Malignant

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Malignant

Malignant

movie·R·Sep 10, 2021·
Box OfficeFlop · 0.9x
$40M
Budget
$34.9M
Gross
Shop

Shop this title

Malignant

We may earn a commission from purchases through these links.

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

Search US stores by format. Check the title and edition before buying.

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Catalog availability and subscription terms vary.

Malignant

movie
R
September 10, 2021
Wokeometer Rating
3Based
0/10
Audience Woke Score
No Ratings Yet
Scale: 0 = not woke, 10 = maximally woke

TL;DR Verdict

Malignant stays laser-focused on its gonzo medical horror plot, parasitic twin twists, and practical effects spectacle rather than any social messaging. It earns a low 3/10 woke score as neutral, story-first entertainment.

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Detailed Analysis

Malignant centers on Madison (Annabelle Wallis), a woman experiencing visions of murders that prove real, revealed as the work of her parasitic twin Gabriel who hijacks her body after trauma from an abusive husband awakens him.

The story draws from medical anomalies and Giallo influences for a gonzo horror twist involving gore, electricity manipulation, and a police station massacre, with Madison ultimately trapping Gabriel in her mind. Casting features a white female lead and supporting roles including detectives played by George Young and Michole Briana White, plus an adoptive sister Sydney (Maddie Hasson), all fitting an original contemporary Seattle setting without source-material alterations or forced clashes.

Themes touch on trauma, miscarriages, and sisterly support as Madison reclaims control, with director James Wan and co-writer Ingrid Bisu noting feminist undertones around bodily autonomy in interviews, yet these remain secondary to the visceral plot mechanics and practical effects spectacle. No explicit social justice lectures, identity politics as central conflict, or creator statements prioritizing activism over entertainment appear; reception highlights its polarizing camp and originality rather than ideological backlash.

Key Factors

  • Female protagonist's arc of overcoming domestic abuse and internal parasite framed as empowerment but subordinate to horror twist
  • Creator comments on feminist themes of control over women's bodies incidental to medical-anomaly premise
  • Diverse supporting cast (e.g., Black and Asian detectives) organic and non-central to narrative
  • Absence of race/gender swaps, DEI mandates, or overt critiques of traditional norms as plot drivers

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

  • James Wan

Is Malignant Woke?

We've run a full content analysis on Malignant and scored it 3/10 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 Malignant?

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 Malignant's overall score.

Is Malignant family-friendly?

Wokeometer focuses on ideological content rather than traditional ratings (violence, language, etc.). Malignant 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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Top Cast

Annabelle Wallis
3.2Based

Annabelle Wallis

Madison Mitchell

Maddie Hasson
3Based

Maddie Hasson

Sydney Lake

George Young
2Based

George Young

Detective Kekoa Shaw

Michole Briana White
3Based

Michole Briana White

Detective Regina Moss

Susanna Thompson
3Based

Susanna Thompson

Jeanne

Ingrid Bisu
3Based

Ingrid Bisu

Winnie

Jean Louisa Kelly
3Based

Jean Louisa Kelly

Jane Doe

Jake Abel
3Based

Jake Abel

Derek Mitchell

Jacqueline McKenzie
3Based

Jacqueline McKenzie

Dr. Florence Weaver

Christian Clemenson
4.2Mixed

Christian Clemenson

Dr. Victor Fields

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