Phantoms

by

Ben Affleck openly admitted that the 1998 horror film he made with Peter O’Toole, which earned $5.8 million, was “complete trash,” yet he found a silver lining in getting paid $100,000 for his role. The critically acclaimed movie “Good Will Hunting” served as the launchpad for Affleck’s acting career, but his subsequent years in the spotlight were marked by ups and downs, both in terms of critical reception and box office success.

After winning an Oscar for co-writing Good Will Hunting with Matt Damon, Affleck went on to appear in some well-regarded films. He played a supporting part in the Academy Award-winning Shakespeare In Love, collaborated again with Damon for Kevin Smith’s comedy Dogma, and featured in the financial thriller Boiler Room. Unfortunately, he also took roles in films like Reindeer Games, which received negative criticism, Pearl Harbor, a widely criticized epic film, and most notably, the critically flopped Gigli.

Affleck Thinks The Horror Movie Phantoms Was Garbage, Despite Starring Film Legend O’Toole

It Grossed Only $5.8 Million

1998’s “Phantoms” served as an initial horror project for a rising Ben Affleck, offering him the chance to collaborate with multiple Academy Award-nominee Peter O’Toole. Regrettably, this collaboration failed to resonate with audiences, resulting in a box office flop. Based on a novel by renowned horror author Dean Koontz, the film sees Affleck portraying a sheriff probing eerie events in a peaceful Colorado town, alongside stars like O’Toole, Rose McGowan, Liev Schreiber, and Joanna Going.

In a recent GQ video interview, Affleck spoke about every movie he’s been in, casually mentioning Phantoms and humorously claiming he was “awesome” in it. He also shared that despite his initial reservations, he ended up appreciating some of the people he worked with on the project, including the esteemed Peter O’Toole.

In a simpler and more conversational style, the sentence could be rephrased as follows: “I was really good in Phantoms, a fact well-known to many. Incidentally, Peter O’Toole signed my Lawrence of Arabia poster – it’s displayed on the set of Phantoms. I worked with Nicky Katt and Liev Schreiber on that movie, and while I didn’t particularly enjoy making the film, I appreciate them as people.

Afterward, Affleck labeled the film as “complete trash,” yet he also acknowledged some favorable aspects of the production process, such as sharing a fun moment of smoking marijuana with his well-known co-star.

The film in question was a creature-from-the-sewers type, let’s be honest, and I was a sheriff in Colorado at the age of 20. It was just plain silly, but hey, it paid off! The movie was a complete waste, but I did get to enjoy some fantastic skiing. I earned around $100,000 from it, so I thought, ‘I’ve made it, I’m retiring!’ And guess what? I had the chance to hang out with Peter O’Toole and even share a few puffs with him. I remember thinking, ‘What more could life possibly offer me?’ Nothing, as it turned out.

Our Take On Affleck Calling Phantoms Garbage

Critics Agree With The Star’s Assessment

It seems Affleck enjoyed the process of creating “Phantoms,” but the film didn’t receive warm praise from many critics, as indicated by its 9% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The audience response was similar, as the movie struggled to earn $5.9 million overall, debuting in 9th place with a $3 million opening weekend. Interestingly, during that same weekend, Affleck’s own film “Good Will Hunting” raked in $8.5 million on its way to a total box office run of $138 million.

It’s not surprising that Affleck was frank about his feelings towards Phantoms, considering his past criticism of his own movies. For instance, he once said about Gigli, “It’s best not to say much about it.” He also wasn’t fond of his superhero role in Daredevil, stating, “I didn’t like Daredevil at all.” Affleck’s scathing DVD commentary on Michael Bay’s Armageddon is still well-known today.

A Ben Affleck commentary on the DVD of “Phantoms” might be equally amusing, although it’s plausible he doesn’t have much more to share about the 1998 horror film, as suggested by his brief remarks in an interview with GQ. These comments seemed to indicate that he wasn’t particularly fond of the movie, despite the positive experiences he had during its production. However, Affleck went on to achieve great success in his career following “Phantoms”, reaching both commercial and critical acclaim in the years after it failed. Today, Affleck continues to enjoy success and can humorously reflect on his past failures.

Read More

2025-04-18 23:41