This film was made on a budget of Rs 225 croe but earned only Rs 45 lakh leading to huge setback for the makers.
Mega budget films are often expected to rake in the money at the box office, to justify their scale and scope. But quite often, that does not come to pass. There have been several films that were made with big budgets but fell flat at the box office. This is the story of one such film, that had everything going for it, but still did not cut it at the box office.
The Rs 225-crore film that made only Rs 45 lakh profit at box office
The Replacements is an American sports drama that released in 2000. Directed by Howard Deutch, the film was loosely based on the 1987 strike in America’s National Football League (NFL) and how the the Washington Redskins won all three replacement games without any of their regular players and went on to win Super Bowl tha year. The film was made on a budget of $50 million (Rs 225 crore at the time) and featured Keanu Reeves, who had just given his biggest hit- The Matrix. The film also featured Oscar winner Gene Hackman and several other notable stars. Yet, it tanked at the box office. As per Box Office Mojo, the film’s total worldwide profit was a paltry $100,000 (around Rs 45 lakh).
How The Replacements caused Keanu Reeves to slash 90% fees
Keanu Reeves was, at the time, the highest-paid actor in the world. The success of The Matrix had made him that. But even before that, courtesy hits like Speed, Keanu was a bankable star. After he was brought on board The Replacements, the makers expressed the wish to cast Gene Hackman, one of the biggest names in Hollywood at the time. The only problem as that they did not have the budget for him. Keanu generously cut 90% of his fees to allow the makers a greater budget and let them cast Hackman in the film.
Director Howard Deutch after The Replacements
Howard Deutch had been a film director for just under 15 years when The Replacements was released. But the film’s failure ensured that he almost permanently moved to directing TV shows after that, directing episodes of Warehouse 13, American Horror Story: Coven, CSI, Empire, and others. Deutch did direct two more films – The Whole Ten Yards and My Best Friend’s Girl – but after that quit making films altogether.
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 "Brooke Langton in The Replacements")
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