Alan Cumming Says “Josie and the Pussycats ”Could've Been More Commercially Successful If the Marketing Team Hadn't 'Blown It'

Meredith WilshereSat, February 21, 2026 at 1:00 PM UTC

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Alan Cumming

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While Alan Cumming has been in many successful movies, there's one he believes would have done better at the box office if it had been marketed better

Cumming says 2001's Josie and the Pussycats was "ahead of its time" but poorly promoted

"It could have found its audience sooner, and it could have been a much more commercially successful film if they hadn’t blown it in the marketing department," he said

There’s one film Alan Cumming believes would have done better at the box office if it had been marketed better.

During a chat with InStyle Magazine last month, the Traitors host, 61, said he felt like the Josie and the Pussycats marketing team missed the mark when it came to promoting the 2001 musical comedy.

“My strongest memory and feeling about Josie and the Pussycats is that it was a marketing disaster," he said. "It was totally marketed to the wrong audience."

While the movie "was marketed to tweens," he noted that "it’s a very adult film."

Alan Cumming in 'Josie and the Pussycats'

Everett

"It's about sort of adult themes about the way that commerce is infiltrating our culture — it’s a fun comedy, but it’s got this underlying message that I don't think was appropriate or appreciated by the audience that it was targeted to,” Cumming said.

However, thankfully, in the last 25 years, the film has "found its audience and people really appreciate it and are obsessed with it," which he "loves."

“I actually love being in films where people don’t get it initially, and years go by, and it's sort of the gift that keeps on giving," he continued. "It could have found its audience sooner, and it could have been a much more commercially successful film if they hadn’t blown it in the marketing department. Sorry to the marketing department, I’m sure you’re all lovely, but you got it wrong.”

He went on to say that the film was “very much ahead of its time.”

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“It talks about the way that we are sold things through culture. We’re actually all used to that; that’s not a new thing, but then, 25 years ago, it was not really so common,” the Cabaret actor added.

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Josie and the Pussycats, based on the Archie Comic series of the same name, debuted in 2001. It starred Rachael Leigh Cook, Tara Reid and Rosario Dawson as the titular band members.

The movie debuted to poor reviews and a dismal box-office run, but the campy flick has since become a cult classic.

Alan Cumming in 'Josie and the Pussycats'

Everett

The satirical musical comedy also starred Parker Posey, Gabriel Mann, Paulo Costanzo and Missi Pyle.

In 2024, Cook and Reid reunited at Awesome Con in Washington, D.C., where they spoke about the movie's impact and teased a possible reunion or remake project. Cook shared her appreciation for Josie and the Pussycats' devoted fanbase, helping the film stay relevant and reach cult classic status.

"You guys are a testament that the movie worked all these years later," she said. "This is all about making that movie. So, thank you!"

"If this movie came out now, it would have been huge," Reid added. "But I really feel like this movie was ahead of its time."

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”