In Dreams

  • in dreams 1998 box office
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    [Total: 15 Average: 3.4]

  • Directed By: Neil Jordan
  • Written By: Bruce Robinson, Neil Jordan
  • Release Date: January 15, 1999
  • Domestic Distributor: DreamWorks
  • Cast: Annette Bening, Robert Downey Jr., Aidan Quinn

Box Office Info:
Budget: $30 million Financed by: DreamWorks
Domestic Gross: $12,017,369 Overseas Gross: N/A

“It was a complete and utter mess from top to bottom. I thought Jennifer Eight was a low point, but Christ almighty, this hit the floor and dug.”
–Screenwriter Bruce Robinson


During the formation of DreamWorks, Steven Spielberg had commissioned Bruce Robinson (the classic Withnail & I and the butchered Jennifer 8) to write In Dreams.  Neil Jordan signed on as director, straight off of his underseen masterpiece The Butcher Boy and rewrote the script.  Even with strong talent behind the camera and a solid cast toplined by Annette Bening and Robert Downey Jr., some movies are just misguided failures.

In Dreams was financed by DreamWorks for $30 million and production was completed in late 1997.  It was penciled in for a fall 1998 release and eventually was pushed back to the January dumping ground on January 15, 1999.  It bowed against Varsity Blues and two other flops that also had their release dates delayed — At First Sight and the horror schlock pic Virus.

In Dreams received terrible reviews and had little buzz going into release and was dead on arrival with $4,593,872 — placing #11 for the weekend led by Varsity Blues.  Audiences gave In Dreams a hateful C- cinemascore, but it declined a modest 32.4% the following frame to $2,700,741 and then fell 47.8% to $1,409,213 in its third session.  The domestic run closed with just $12,017,369.  DreamWorks would see returned about $6.6M after theaters take their percentage of the gross, which leaves much of the P&A expenses in the red and the budget untouched.

Overseas numbers are not available.

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