Box Office
Underperformed · 1.9xBudget$13M
Worldwide Gross$24.6M
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The Death of Stalin
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The Death of Stalin
movie·R·Mar 9, 2018·
Box OfficeUnderperformed · 1.9x
$13M
Budget
$24.6M
Gross
Shop
Shop this title
The Death of Stalin
We may earn a commission from purchases through these links.
Search US stores by format. Check the title and edition before buying.
Explore Prime Video — Opens in a new tab
Catalog availability and subscription terms vary.
The Death of Stalin
movie
R
March 9, 2018
Wokeometer Rating
0Based
Scale: 0 = not woke, 10 = maximally woke
TL;DR Verdict
The Death of Stalin scores 0/10 for wokeness as pure historical satire on Soviet power struggles, with no identity politics or modern messaging layered in. It's neutral entertainment built entirely around story, farce, and bureaucratic absurdity.
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Detailed Analysis
The Death of Stalin is a 2017 dark comedy satire depicting the chaotic power struggle among Stalin's inner circle—primarily Beria, Khrushchev, Malenkov, and others—immediately after the dictator's 1953 death.
The narrative centers on bureaucratic infighting, paranoia, and the absurdities of Soviet totalitarianism, drawn directly from historical events and a French graphic novel, with no overlay of contemporary identity politics, systemic oppression narratives, or critiques of traditional norms. Casting adheres strictly to the all-male, ethnically Russian historical figures portrayed by white British and American actors (Steve Buscemi as Khrushchev, Simon Russell Beale as Beria, Jason Isaacs as Zhukov) without any race, gender, or sexuality alterations to established characters. The film's premise and appeal rest entirely on political farce and historical mockery of communism, not modern progressive activism.
Key Factors
- Pure historical political satire with no identity politics or DEI elements in plot, characters, or themes
- Period-accurate casting of established Soviet leaders with no swaps or forced diversity
- Creator intent focused on absurdist comedy of totalitarianism (Iannucci's style from Veep), not social justice messaging
- Reception controversies limited to Russian bans over anti-Soviet portrayal, with zero woke-related discourse or backlash
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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Is The Death of Stalin Woke?
We've run a full content analysis on The Death of Stalin and scored it 0/10 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 The Death of Stalin?
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 The Death of Stalin's overall score.
Is The Death of Stalin family-friendly?
Wokeometer focuses on ideological content rather than traditional ratings (violence, language, etc.). The Death of Stalin 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 →
