Ben Stiller’s attempt to drum up excitement for another Fockers comedy quickly drew an avalanche of hostility. His social media promotion for Focker In-Law was met by scores of X users declaring that they had no interest in watching the Universal Pictures film, as reported by Breitbart.

The latest entry brings Stiller back alongside Robert De Niro, with Ariana Grande also joining the comedy. Rather than welcoming the franchise’s return, many people responding to Stiller focused on their objections to the stars and their political involvement.

Stiller promoted the movie from his X account on Monday with a brief message that leaned directly into the franchise’s familiar wordplay. “Time to get Focked up.”

Time to get Focked up

— Ben Stiller (@BenStiller) October 12, 2026

The movie’s story follows Stiller’s son as he brings a new girlfriend home to meet the Focker family. Grande plays the girlfriend entering the family’s famously chaotic orbit.

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That premise did little to win over the hostile commenters who descended on Stiller’s post. Many of the objections cited Stiller and De Niro’s repeated involvement in political causes and proclamations associated with the left.

One X user delivered a blunt assessment of the promotion and made clear that even money would not change the decision. “You couldn’t pay me to watch it.”

Another commenter transformed the movie’s title into an early prediction of failure, calling it “Flopper In-Law.” The jab was pointed, but Stiller still acknowledged the wordplay in his response.

“Ouch. Good pun though,” Stiller wrote back. His reaction showed that he had seen at least one of the mocking replies gathering beneath his promotional post.

@BenStiller The last one was garbage, much like the two main stars. Flopper In-Law.

— ChristopherN (@CDNeil77) October 13, 2026

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The criticism did not stop with jokes about the title. Another user told Stiller to “Fock Off!” before attacking the people involved in the movie as political obsessives and using violent language concerning another person.

A separate X user said Stiller’s political statements had damaged the appeal of a franchise the commenter had previously enjoyed. That response framed the upcoming movie as a potential example of politics driving away an existing viewer.

“This will be one of those go woke, go broke moments. Loved the previous movies, but you’ve tainted viewing with your ideological views and screeching at Trump. You went full retard unfortunately,” the X user wrote.

That comment combined praise for the earlier movies with a refusal to separate Stiller’s political views from his entertainment work. The user’s complaint was aimed not only at Focker In-Law, but also at the actor’s public criticism of Trump.

Still another commenter claimed to be speaking on behalf of the entire country while promising that audiences would stay away. The user wrote, “I speak for ALL Americans” before declaring, “we WON’T be watching.”

The replies described in the post reflected a recurring complaint among the hostile users. Their stated objections centered less on the movie’s premise than on the political speech and activism associated with Stiller and De Niro.

Stiller nevertheless used his account to promote the return of the Focker family and its latest comic complication.

His short promotional line received attention, although much of the reaction highlighted by the article came from people publicly promising not to buy into the reunion.

The social media response left the actor facing mockery before the Universal Pictures comedy reached audiences.

Between predictions of a “Flopper In-Law,” vows to avoid the movie, and complaints about politics, the promotional post became a gathering place for viewers determined to announce their rejection.