The Netflix show Queen Cleopatra was released on Wednesday to abysmal ratings. As of publication, the show has over 2,500 audience reviews on Rotten Tomatoes for an aggregate score of 1 percent, the lowest score possible on the website.
The show also has an average critic score of 11 percent with only one out of nine critics giving it a favorable rating. With over 35 thousand reviews on IMDB, Queen Cleopatra has a rating of 1.1 out of 10 making it among the lowest rated shows listed on the website.
According to CBS, Egyptians were unhappy with the producers for annexation of their culture and rewriting history.
“Since the film is classified as a documentary and not a drama, those making the film have to be accurate and it should be based on historical and scientific facts, to ensure that history and civilizations are not falsified,” the Egyptian Ministry said. “The rejection of the film before its screening was in defense of the history of Queen Cleopatra… and has nothing to do with racism.”
Lawyer Mahmoud El-Semiry filed a formal complaint to investigate and possibly prohibit Netflix in Egypt over the dispute. “We have known for thousands of years that Cleopatra is of Greek origin and was born in Egypt. This is a fact,” he said. “Our main objection is the falsification of these facts. It is not about being Black or White or even Yellow. Let’s say they wanted to portray Cleopatra as a man, we would also object to that.”
“I did think people would talk about it, and I did think people would be excited about it,” Cleopatra actress Adelle James told Glamour. “There are versions of Cleopatra that exist already with actresses in that role who are fairer skinned than I am, but I think I have every right to have a shot at humanizing this incredible woman.”
Netflix’s ‘Queen Cleopatra’ Has The Worst Audience Score In TV History
Imagine a documentary series about Martin Luther King, where Tom Hanks plays MLK.
That’s what Cleopatra is.@netflix @jadapsmith
https://t.co/e84NBuOzPv pic.twitter.com/7CgZoc8Rr5— ꧁🍃 Ɣ 🍃꧂ (@V_its_me_) May 15, 2023
Egypt Fires Back After Netflix Casts Cleopatra As Black, Makes Their Own Series With History Prioritizedhttps://t.co/813jEwOQcF
— Dinesh D'Souza (@DineshDSouza) May 15, 2023
