Robin Williams has set his next project, The Interpreter. The light-hearted comedy about a schlub who interprets rather than translates in tense international negotiations might as well be called Flubber 2, following his expected hit Thanksgiving release. Ironically, when Robin was in negotiations to play The Riddler in Batman Forever four years ago, I asked him why he wanted the part. He said, “If I don’t play a bad guy soon, I’m going to become f***ing Fred MacMurray!” No word on whether the Double Indemnity remake is on his “To Do” list.
The Full Monty will be the first late-summer release to go all the way to profitability. Even though the film’s gross has just hit $6 million, it should pass $15 million in the next two or three weeks, putting the film into the black considering a $3 million production cost and an estimated $8 million P&A (Prints & Advertising) budget. On the flip side, G.I. Jane, September’s top drawer (with silk stocking in it?), is in its fourth week with a $39 million total, making it a poor bet to even match its production costs in domestic box office, though it will certainly be profitable in the long worldwide run. Naked fat guys everywhere rejoice!
Speaking of G.I. Jane, what was with the men in short shorts and hairless legs? Despite Moore’s pointedly feminine physique, Ridley Scott‘s vision of the S.E.A.L.S was more about beefcake than a Chippendale’s video.
You think it’s easy to be in the movie business? MGM, formerly the lion of Hollywood, has been singing in red ink for the last five years to the tune of $1.7 billion. Yes, billion with a B. Even last year, with The Birdcage and Goldeneye on the release list, MGM dropped $90.5 million. Fortunately, studio chief Frank Mancuso has taken home almost $30 million in salary and stock in that same five years. Makes Michael Eisner‘s paycheck look pretty reasonable, huh?
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Posts Tagged ‘G.I. Jane’
Robin Williams Has Set his Next Project,
Tuesday, September 16th, 1997Tags: Frank Mancuso, G.I. Jane, MGM, Ridley Scott, Robin Williams, The Full Monty, The Interpreter
Posted in Hot Button, Old MCN Blogs | Comments Off on Robin Williams Has Set his Next Project,
LA Confidential Emerges as Strong Oscar Contender
Monday, September 15th, 1997It was no contest as The Game won the weekend box office race. It was the only real contestant. With over $14 million at the box office, it did more than four times as much as G.I. Jane, yet fitting its labyrinthine plot, The Game disappointed. It was Douglas’ best opening since Basic Instinct’s $15.1 million, but movies had a longer theatrical life back then. It was the second best September opening ever, after last year’s The First Wives Club, but Goldie, Bette and Diane did $18.9 million, 35 percent more than The Game. Ultimately, The First Wives Club hit $100 million. The Game won’t come close. Especially with L.A. Confidential coming in hot on its tail.
Speaking of L.A. Confidential, the first of this year’s serious Academy Awards contenders, it has three remarkable features. First, with an Oscar in hand, Kevin Spacey now gets top billing for playing the same kind of small character part he played when he was billed fourth. Second, two Australians, who first became famous for their work as gay men — Guy Pierce in Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, and Russell Crowe in The Sum Of Us — are now going to be known as hard-bitten L.A. detectives from the ’50s. And third, Kim Basinger really can act. The degree of amazement may not be in the order listed.
Sony’s promoting Gattaca by running realistic print ads for genetic engineering with a small Sony tag on the bottom. Those interested are instructed to call 1-888-4-BEST-DNA. Don’t dial quite yet. The number wasn’t working as of posting time. Seems that there has been some controversy about the ads being too real and somehow insulting those of us who haven’t been genetically engineered. For my two cents, I wouldn’t put my child’s DNA in the hands of a company that couldn’t come up with a better name for a movie than Gattaca.
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Tags: Basic Instinct, G.I. Jane, Kim Basinger, LA Confidential, Russell Crowe, The Game
Posted in Hot Button, Old MCN Blogs | Comments Off on LA Confidential Emerges as Strong Oscar Contender
