As a seasoned film critic with over three decades of experience under my belt, I can confidently say that “Cutthroat Island” is one of the most infamous flops in Hollywood history. The tale of this cursed production reminds me of an old seafaring yarn, where a ship sets sail with high hopes and grand ambitions, only to be swallowed by a stormy sea of misfortune.
Remarkably famous flops from Hollywood are unfortunately just as recognizable as its greatest successes, a point delightfully highlighted in a fresh new book.
Tim Robey’s “Box Office Poison” unearths the gritty details about some of cinema’s biggest flops – ranging from extravagant failures to overlooked classics, disastrous sequels to disastrous book adaptations. It delves into their production to understand how they derailed careers, bankrupted production houses, and shaped film history in unexpected ways.
In my perspective as a movie reviewer, I’ve got my sights set on a handful of films that have left their mark, some for better reasons than others. These include David Lynch’s “Dune”, the sequel to “Speed” titled “Speed 2: Cruise Control”, the questionable duo of “Gigli” and “Catwoman”, the enigmatic “Pan”, and let’s not forget the unforgettable feline extravaganza that is “Cats”.
In an excerpt only available from the upcoming U.S. release of the book by Hanover Square Press on Nov 5, we delve into the disastrous voyage of the swashbuckling film “Cutthroat Island”, directed by Renny Harlin and starring Geena Davis. The production cost a staggering $115 million, but despite this investment, it failed to make waves in 1995, only managing to earn $18.5 million worldwide. This financial flop ultimately led the once successful production company towards bankruptcy.
Read the excerpt from “Box Office Poison” below.
In September 1993, Geena Davis and Renny Harlin tied the knot. Their special day was filled with a barn dance (hoedown), hot air balloon rides, and a picturesque sunset ceremony in the remains of an ancient Napa Valley vineyard. They had only known each other for six months prior to this, as Davis was looking for an action-packed project to propel her career forward, and her agents successfully connected her with the Finnish director, which evidently proved fruitful.
Harlin, although not quite in the same league as James Cameron, still managed to scale impressive heights with films like “Die Hard 2” (1990) and “Cliffhanger” (1993), which can be compared to “Die High.” In these movies, Sylvester Stallone thwarted thieves while hanging precariously from mountains.
The movie “Cliffhanger” was a cherished production for Carolco, the independent studio renowned for churning out hits. Its Lebanese leader, Mario Kassar, was a titan in the industry, and without his financial backing, the action-packed blockbusters of the early 1990s might have struggled significantly.
Following a string of blockbuster collaborations with Paul Verhoeven, such as “Total Recall” (1990) and “Basic Instinct” (1992), which catapulted Sharon Stone into stardom, Kassar faced numerous challenges to secure the production of “Terminator 2: Judgement Day” (1991). However, the investment proved fruitful. With a hefty budget of $102 million, it was destined to become one of the top-earning films at that time, trailing only “ET” and “Star Wars.
Carolco’s business model was characterized by investing heavily in large projects, needing just one successful venture per year to support multiple smaller initiatives. In 1990, Kassar expressed this approach as “I have to go for it,” to the Los Angeles Times. The company owned a number of extended limousines with Carolco license plates, frequently seen cruising around Bel-Air, and they hosted lavish parties at Hotel du Cap in Cannes that are still remembered today.
1989 saw the separation between Kassar and his initial partner, the more risk-averse Andrew G Vajna, who received $100m for his stake in the company. In 1991, Carolco reported a staggering loss of $265 million. The following year, they underwent restructuring, and by 1993, they sold off shares to stay afloat. Their production of “Cliffhanger” was marked by difficulties, leading TriStar and others to co-finance due to their existing financial burdens.
1995 summer demanded a blockbuster production. They desperately needed one ready. In early 1994, Paul Verhoeven proposed his next big Arnold Schwarzenegger project – a $100 million historical epic titled “Crusade,” marketed as a blend of “Spartacus” and “Conan.” Carolco sought assurances from Verhoeven that the total budget wouldn’t exceed, but he stormed out at a crucial meeting due to disagreements over this, leading to the film’s cancellation.
Carolco is putting all their resources into just one project, “Cutthroat Island,” a gritty screenplay that Michael Kassar had optioned as early as 1990.
In 1668 Jamaica, Davis found herself delighted to portray Morgan Adams, the daring daughter of a swashbuckling pirate, on a hunt for part of a treasure map. This role was agreeable only if Michael Douglas, seeking a more lighthearted role following his success post-“Basic Instinct”, played William Shaw – a roguish, Errol Flynn-esque trickster who wins her affections. Full of adventure and daring escapades, their journey to uncover immense riches would unfold. Harlin was taking a risk by reviving the pirate genre with thrilling stunts, while Douglas aimed for a repeat of the success he had in “Romancing the Stone” (1984).
The script failed to function for everyone involved. Initially set to commence filming in January 1994, the shooting dates were subsequently moved to June and then September. Despite being paid $13 million, Douglas demanded a stronger male character; however, it was Davis’s role that expanded, according to Harlin’s requirements. On July 11, expressing dissatisfaction with these changes, Douglas decided to withdraw from the project.
The list of names who were sought, in mounting desperation, to fill his shoes is a who’s who of (all-white) A-list talent from the mid-1990s. Tom Cruise, Mel Gibson, Keanu Reeves, Liam Neeson, Jeff Bridges, Ralph Fiennes, Charlie Sheen, Michael Keaton, Tim Robbins, Daniel Day-Lewis, Kurt Russell and Gabriel Byrne were all offered it. No one took the bait. The script was becoming notorious around town as Harlin’s wedding gift to his new wife, not a boon to any leading man who wanted to keep his edge or pulling power.
Finally, they managed to recruit Matthew Modine for their project. Despite being 15 years younger than Douglas, Modine was primarily recognized for his iconic role as the Joker in Stanley Kubrick’s “Full Metal Jacket” (1987). However, he hadn’t experienced much box office success in the time following that. It was clear this was a non-star casting decision, driven by the increasingly dire financial situation at Carolco Pictures.
Typically, Kassar had confidently sold foreign distribution rights for the movie ahead of time, allowing the extravagant shoots in Malta and Thailand to take place. This meant that Carolco had received $50-60 million from various distributors beforehand, but now required a film to present as return on investment. A former executive shared with The Independent in 1996 that if ‘Cutthroat Island’ was also lost, bankruptcy would be unavoidable. However, there was at least a glimmer of hope for survival if the movie was produced.
The situation this put Harlin and Davis in was unenviable.
In 2011, Harlin expressed, “We pleaded to be released.” He continued, “Geena was extremely anxious about starring in this film. We believed that a pirate movie with a female protagonist was risky, but we were bound by contract. Moreover, our apprehension regarding the script was so high that I personally invested $1 million of my own funds to hire Mark Norman.
As a cinephile engrossed in the intricacies of filmmaking, I found myself so preoccupied with script revisions and actor recastings that I neglected the on-set construction progress – a mistake I deeply regretted. The crew’s mantra became, “If we build it, will he come?” referring to my uncertainty about whether the set would entice the leading man. In the heart of Malta, 1,000 feet of quayside structures were undergoing transformation, meticulously designed to portray Port Royal in 1668. Upon seeing the initial results, I was far from satisfied and demanded numerous revisions, eventually leading to a significant portion being dismantled and reconstructed anew.
In the movie, there were two pirate vessels – the Morning Star and the Reaper – each boasting 20 functional cannons on both sides. These were life-size replicas of ships from the 17th century, with each one costing a million dollars. If director Harlin was compelled to undertake this project, he wasn’t going to do it halfway. He expressed this in a memo to his crew in July 1994, which eventually made headlines. “Our creativity and innovation should not be confined by everyday practicality,” he wrote. “I don’t want something big; I want gigantic. I don’t want speed; I want intensity. I don’t want minor issues; I want catastrophes.
Even though they used giant tanks in Malta to avoid the perils of the open sea, the shoot was a perfect storm. The cinematographer, Oliver Wood, fell off a crane into one of the tanks in the first week, breaking his leg, and had to be replaced by Peter Levy. Harlin squabbled a lot, including with the producer David Nichols, who quit, as did the art director, Wolf Kroeger. He tussled with the chief camera operator, Nicola Pecorini, then fired him, causing more than two dozen other crew to walk out in sympathy.
Before the unfavorable critiques, Modine was already facing tough times, having sustained multiple head injuries that needed stitching.
Reading the script, it felt like someone had sliced open my belly and scattered my insides across the entire United States,” I said, expressing my dismay. The script I’d agreed to work on wasn’t the one Douglas approved; instead, it was about a girl’s journey. A year later, I shrugged, “It was the first film project where the director rarely engaged with me.” Renny seemed more focused on discovering various methods to destroy things. He had a fascination with explosions, constantly seeking ways to blow things up.
After wrapping up the shoot in Thailand on April Fool’s Day, Davis and Harlin hastily departed before the wrap party. Kassar managed to secure an additional $40 million from a European banking consortium, which enabled the film to complete production. However, the release date was pushed back from summer 1995 to a more challenging time slot in December. In those brief months, Carolco faced financial difficulties.
Faced with legal issues from the IRS, the company declared bankruptcy in November 1995, causing Kassar to step down, and Canal+ acquired their film archive. The build-up to “Cutthroat Island’s” release, following the reception of “Waterworld,” was highly negative. By Christmas, there was little excitement or financial support for its promotion. It debuted at the 11th spot in the U.S. box office, earning dismal screen averages compared to more popular films like “Toy Story,” “Jumanji,” and the newly released “Waiting to Exhale.” Within just two weeks, it had vanished from theaters.
For many years, it was incorrectly believed that “Cutthroat Island” led to Carolco’s downfall. However, it appears that the situation was actually reversed. The company’s financial difficulties were already in place before the production of the movie began. In reality, it was Carolco’s precarious state that ultimately impacted the film’s fate from its very conception.
Back in 2003 when Disney greenlit “Pirates of the Caribbean,” they were holding their breath, recalling the rocky past of similar ventures. Truth be told, there’s not a lot separating the two movies, save for Johnny Depp’s remarkable performance as a polysexual one-man show in the heart of the Disney film. It’s fascinating to see how blockbuster economics can sometimes work – Depp’s franchise expanded into four sequels and grossed an impressive $4.5 billion worldwide, while this cursed gem keeps resurfacing whenever Harold Harrelson even steps foot outside his door.
After “Cutthroat” failed, the pair had another opportunity to work together on a film, which was set to be filmed shortly thereafter. “The Long Kiss Goodnight” (1996), one of Shane Black’s stronger screenplays, was an action-packed thriller featuring an assassin with amnesia. Although it later became a minor cult favorite, it didn’t make much money initially – likely due to the less-than-successful results of their previous project.
The marriage didn’t survive for long as Davis discovered Harlin was having a child with his personal assistant. This led to their divorce in 1998. Afterwards, Harlin attempted to regain his footing in the film industry by enhancing sharks’ intelligence in the entertainingly foolish “Deep Blue Sea” (1999). However, his only significant success since then has been a comedy featuring Jackie Chan and Johnny Knoxville called “Skiptrace” (2016), which was popular solely in China. Meanwhile, Davis moved to a less prominent role on television, while Modine returned to the small, quirky independent films he seems to prefer, before making a return in “Stranger Things.
In the end, “Cutthroat” had them all cornered with a knife, a rather foolish and juvenile scene. Compared to other films, it’s quite mediocre, even those pirate movies featuring Johnny Depp that amassed vast fortunes. With a good scrubbing and a dash of imagination, one might find it somewhat reminiscent of buried treasure, albeit blurry and unrefined.
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2024-10-30 14:48