War of the Worlds Producer Insists There Isn't Any Product Placement in the Widely Panned Reboot: 'We Never Intended for Amazon to Release the Movie'

Prime Video’s caller screenlife instrumentality connected War of the Worlds was wide panned upon its merchandise — and has adjacent faced accusations of blatant merchandise placement for Amazon. But shaper Patrick Aiello has insisted determination isn’t immoderate merchandise placement, and determination ne'er was intended to beryllium any, particularly not straight related to Amazon.

“Amazon didn’t spot it until it was each the mode done. We ne'er intended for Amazon to merchandise the movie,” helium explained successful an interrogation with Toni’s Film Club alongside exertion Charles Ancelle. “We ever thought Universal was going to merchandise the movie theatrically.”

Ice Cube stars successful 1 of the worst-reviewed movies of 2025. Image credit: War of the Worlds 2025 / YouTube.

David Bostick appears successful the film, which was made during the pandemic-fueled lockdown, arsenic an Amazon transportation driver, which of people added to the speculation — but choosing to marque him portion of that workforce was a calculated originative decision.

“In the aboriginal months… erstwhile you weren’t going to the market store and you couldn’t get toilet paper,” Aiello continued. “Who was bringing america – individually, to each of our homes – each of these products to support america going, support america neutral, support america surviving? Amazon drivers.”

He added: “These individuals are unsung heroes. They are not identified arsenic such, it’s not people’s imagination to go transportation people, but astatine the extremity of the day, they are rendering a idiosyncratic work to humanity, and they are doing truthful without ego.”

That said, there’s adjacent much evident merchandise placement successful the movie — which primitively had a 0% people connected Rotten Tomatoes erstwhile it dropped but has since gone up to 2%. There’s besides a infinitesimal successful the movie wherever a Prime drone is featured with the logo prominently displayed. “The crushed Charles and I decided to enactment the Amazon Prime Air bezel connected the drone surface was due to the fact that we needed to intelligibly differentiate the different static screens of Cubes disconnected the screen,” Aiello explained.

Ancelle besides noted: “There are 2 drone feeds successful that scene… it was precise confusing for a clip successful the edit erstwhile you didn’t person the Prime Air overlay.”

The War of the Worlds remake stars Ice Cube arsenic a homeland information serviceman who is trying to prevention the satellite from an alien penetration done his computer. The film, which was directed by Rich Lee, is told wholly done his machine surface and is present disposable to watercourse connected Prime.

It has been wide panned by critics and audiences alike. The Telegraph’s scathing 1/5 reappraisal carried the headline: “Amazon’s War of the Worlds update should ne'er person been released… The lone happening stunning astir this HG Wells retelling is the information that it has seen daylight.”

“It is silly, shoddy and features acold excessively overmuch of rapper-turned-leading antheral Ice Cube staring astatine a machine surface portion looking arsenic if he’s moving done a reasonably urgent digestive ailment,” the Telegraph’s reappraisal continued. “Like a heat-ray successful reverse, it leeches each the amusive retired of what should beryllium an epic communicative of alien invasion.”

Lex Briscuso is simply a movie and tv professional and a freelance amusement writer for IGN. You tin travel her connected Twitter astatine @nikonamerica.