In 2016, I wrote concerning the novelist and screenwriter William Goldman, and his pleasant e book, “Adventures within the Display Commerce.” He’s the Academy award-winning scriptwriter who penned such classics as “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Child” (1969), “All of the President’s Males” (1976), “Marathon Man” (1974), and the cult-favorite “The Princess Bride (1973).
He additionally penned the immortal; phrase, “No person is aware of something.” Goldman references the numerous movies that studios handed on that will go on to be blockbusters. Each studio in Hollywood (however one) turned down “Raiders of the Misplaced Ark.” 1 All the most important Hollywood studios handed on “Star Wars.” 2
Which brings us to “John Wick.”
The primary of the Keanu Reeves motion film was made for $20 million {dollars}. It was made as an unbiased movie as a result of not one of the studios had been : No person wished to finance it; as soon as it was financed, nobody wished to distribute it; even after a distribution deal was inked, nobody wished to indicate it or evaluation it.
Nevertheless it nearly wasn’t made in any respect.
Watch Danny Boyd of CinemaStix’s video (above) concerning the challenges of constructing a flick a few retired hitman. Regardless of being hooked up to a bankable star, regardless of being related to the stuntmen and combat choreographers of the enormously profitable Matrix movies, and regardless of a virtually insatiable demand for motion motion pictures, everybody handed on the movie.
With the advantage of hindsight, all of this stuff are apparent to us: How may John Wick’s fashion of Hong Kong GunFu not be a smash hit? Not one of the studio heads had the imaginative and prescient to see its potential. As a result of nobody in Hollywood is aware of something.
Kinda like Wall Road.
From CinemaStix’s dialogue above:
“We had been actually turned down by each studio that we went to. It’s Keanu Reeves being an murderer kills dozens of individuals over a pet and it’s directed by not one however two loopy stuff guys so yeah it wasn’t an awesome pitch.”
-Chad Stahelski & David Leitch, Co-Administrators
“However even after the film bought made I imply that was removed from it. John Wick was nonetheless a few studio execs beguiled faces away from getting despatched straight to Blu-ray no one with any energy understood it no one with any cash wished to distribute it, and not one of the critics in early screenings for it may determine why they’ve by no means heard of it.”
-Danny Boyd, CinemaStix
No industrial potential?
Simply the field workplace for the primary movie, and its three sequels was billion {dollars}. John Wick 4, which got here out this summer time, did $432.2 million on the field workplace. Chapter 5 is confirmed, and heading to theaters in 2026, which I wouldn’t need to wager towards. To say nothing of video video games, comedian books, tv sequence, and a spin-off movie. By the point it’s all executed, the John Wick franchise might be value greater than about 2 billion {dollars}. And it nearly wasn’t made as a result of not one of the studio heads may see the industrial potential within the movie.
John Wick is yet one more reminder about simply how little any of us find out about what may occur sooner or later…
Beforehand:
No person Is aware of Nuthin’ (Could 5, 2016)
Can Anybody Catch Nokia? (October 26, 2022)
Why the Apple Retailer Will Fail (Could 20, 2021)
“Regardless of how you chop it, you’ve bought to personal Cisco” -2000 (Could 15, 2023)
No person Is aware of Something, 2023 First Half Version (June 30, 2023)
No person Is aware of Something (Assortment)
Supply:
If you rent stunt guys to direct the film
by Danny Boyd
CinemaStix, April 1, 2023
__________
1. One of many highest-grossing movies of all time, and nominated for 9 Academy Awards.
2. Star Wars grossed $1 billion, then spawned a franchise with 5 movies within the unique sequence, all within the all-time high 100 in gross field workplace gross sales. Plus 6 extra movies. Ultimately, Walt Disney Co. bought the Star Wars manufacturing firm Lucasfilm, for greater than $4 billion.
