Epic Movie Flops, Part 2
From the sheer hell of Heaven's Gate to an overdose of cult activity in Inchon and Battlefield Earth.
Heaven’s Gate (1980)
Who’s responsible Michael Cimino (Thunderbolt And Lightfoot, The Deer Hunter)
The talent Kris Kristofferson, John Hurt, Christopher Walken
The pitch A painstaking recreation of the Johnson County Wars, a footnote in the history of the American West during which the US government turned a blind eye to the mass execution of immigrant settlers by Montana’s cattle barons.
Expenses Cimino exposed 20,000 feet of film each day. By the time Heaven’s Gate wrapped, he had shot over 200 hours of footage.
Professional Opinion “All too much and not enough” The Sunday Times
Battle damage Producers United Artists went bust. Cimino didn’t shoot another frame of film until 1985. His subsequent productions have included Mario Puzo adaptation The Sicilian and a redundant remake of The Desperate Hours starring Mickey Rourke and Sir Anthony Hopkins.
Redeeming features Michael Winner was in the process of writing a film about the Johnson County Wars when he discovered that Heaven’s Gate was already in pre-production. So, you see, it could’ve been much worse.
Cost $44m
Take $1.5m
Loss $42.5m
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to As Luck Would Have It to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.