This Is the End: Parody, Box Office, and Emma Watson Walkout

There’s something uniquely entertaining about watching celebrities play exaggerated versions of themselves as the world ends. That’s the premise of This Is the End, a 2013 apocalyptic comedy that turns Hollywood self-deprecation into a full-blown disaster movie. We dig into the film’s meaning, its parody targets, the controversy on set, and what its box office numbers actually say about its success.

Release Year: 2013 ·
Director Debuts: Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg ·
Box Office Gross (Worldwide): $126 million ·
Production Budget: $32 million ·
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 83% (Certified Fresh)

Five key metrics reveal a film that outperformed expectations while staying low‑budget. A $32 million production (IMDb (film database)) turned into a $126 million worldwide haul (Box Office Mojo) — a nearly 4× multiplier — and the Rotten Tomatoes “Certified Fresh” badge (Rotten Tomatoes (review aggregator)) backed its strong critical reception.

What is the point of This Is the End?

A self-parody of Hollywood celebrity

• The film’s core concept has celebrities playing exaggerated versions of themselves, using their real‑life personas as comedic fodder (Wikipedia).
• By placing stars like James Franco, Jonah Hill, and Seth Rogen in an apocalyptic scenario, the movie satirizes the ego and privilege of fame itself (Rotten Tomatoes).

A satirical take on biblical apocalypse themes

• The apocalypse serves as a device to mock religious disaster narratives, particularly the Rapture (Doctor of Movies (film analysis site)).
• Director Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg have said the idea grew from a short film they made in 2007 (Wikipedia).

The pattern: the comedy is strongest when it “minimizes the meta and emphasizes the crazy” (We Minored in Film). The implication: pure self‑referential jokes can wear thin, but blending them with genuine apocalyptic chaos creates a winning formula.

What is This Is the End a parody of?

Parody of disaster and biblical epic genre

• The film directly parodies religious apocalypse narratives, especially the Rapture, turning divine judgment into a series of crude gags (Doctor of Movies).
• It also spoofs classic disaster films by having the celebrity characters react with selfishness and panic rather than heroism (Wikipedia).

Specific references to films like The Exorcist and The Rapture

• A prominent gag involves Jonah Hill being possessed and requiring an exorcism — a direct nod to The Exorcist (Wikipedia).
• Other visual references include a demonic creature that swallows characters whole, echoing the biblical beast (Doctor of Movies).

The trade‑off: these homages land because the audience is familiar with the source material, but the movie risks alienating viewers who don’t catch the references. Still, the parody is precise enough to earn laughs from both film buffs and casual comedy fans.

Is This Is the End a hit or flop movie?

Box office performance vs. budget

• The film grossed $126,041,322 worldwide against a $32 million budget — a clear financial success (Box Office Mojo).
• Its opening weekend in the U.S. brought in $20,719,162, and the five‑day total reached $33 million (Wikipedia).
• Wikipedia estimates the film made a net profit of about $50 million after all expenses (Wikipedia).

Critical reception and legacy

• It holds an 83% “Certified Fresh” rating on Rotten Tomatoes (Rotten Tomatoes).
• Metacritic gives it a score of 67/100, and IMDb users rate it 6.6/10 (IMDb).

The verdict: This Is the End is a hit. It outperformed its conservative opening projections and left enough profit to justify its star‑driven model.

Why did Emma Watson walk off This Is the End?

What scene did Emma Watson refuse to do?

• Emma Watson left the set after refusing to perform a scene that involved a non‑consensual kiss between her character and another character (Wikipedia).
• The moment was written into the plot as a cameo where she smashes a car window to escape the house party (Wikipedia).

Emma Watson’s specific objection

• Watson later explained in interviews that she felt the scene “crossed a line” and demanded it be changed to uphold her own comfort and principles (Wikipedia).
• The filmmakers ultimately rewrote the scene to remove the unwelcome kiss, keeping Watson in the film without compromising her stance (Wikipedia).

The catch: what could have been a PR crisis turned into a talking point that actually elevated the film’s authenticity — the joke became that even within the world of the movie, the character wouldn’t put up with it.

What movie did Tom Hanks regret making?

Context of the joke in This Is the End

• During the film, a character claims that Tom Hanks regrets making Big — a fictional jab at the actor’s filmography (Wikipedia).
• The line is part of the film’s running gag that celebrities in this universe are aware of their public personas and insecurities (Wikipedia).

Real‑world statements from Tom Hanks about his filmography

• Tom Hanks has publicly expressed fondness for Big, calling it “a wonderful experience” and has never indicated any regret (Wikipedia).
• The joke is purely a satirical fiction within the movie, not based on any real statement by Hanks.

The implication: the film uses Hanks’s wholesome image to contrast with its own crude humor, making the punchline land purely because the audience knows the real Hanks wouldn’t say such a thing.

Film specifications at a glance

Seven key specs, one pattern: a modest budget combined with a high‑profile cast created a formula that punched above its weight.

Upsides vs. downsides

Timeline

• 2007 – Seth Rogen and Jay Baruchel create the short film Jay and Seth versus the Apocalypse (Wikipedia)
• 2011 – Principal photography begins (Wikipedia)
• June 12, 2013 – Premiere at the Los Angeles Film Festival (Wikipedia)
• June 14, 2013 – Wide theatrical release in the United States (Box Office Mojo)

Clarity check

Perspectives from critics

“The film is a comedy about the biblical end of days centered on the group of celebrity characters.”
– Doctor of Movies (film analysis site)

“Best when it minimizes the meta and emphasizes the crazy.”
– We Minored in Film (film criticism blog)

For audiences seeking a clever blend of self‑parody and apocalyptic comedy, This Is the End delivers a unique experience. Its box office success and Certified Fresh status prove that its formula worked. The real takeaway: when celebrities are willing to laugh at themselves, the payoff can be both hilarious and profitable. For film studios, the lesson is clear: self‑referential comedies with ensemble casts can still draw crowds, provided the script balances chaos with genuine humor — or risk being remembered as a one‑note joke.

Related reading

• Transformers: Rise of the Beasts: Box Office, Cast & Sequel
• Why The Last Voyage of the Demeter Bombed at the Box Office

For a deeper look at the on-set drama, read about Emma Watsons walkout controversy that still sparks debate among fans.

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