The Deep End Of The Ocean

  • the deep end of the ocean 1999 box office
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    [Total: 6 Average: 2.8]
  • Directed By: Ulu Grosbard
  • Written By: Stephen Schiff
  • Release Date: March 12, 1999
  • Domestic Distributor: Sony
  • Cast: Michelle Pfeiffer, Treat Williams, Whoopi Goldberg

Box Office Info:
Budget: $38 million Financed by: Mandalay Pictures
Domestic Gross: $13,898,649 Overseas Gross: $14,222,451

the deep end of the ocean 1999
Michelle Pfeiffer’s production company Via Rosa and the newly formed Mandalay Entertainment announced in November 1995 that they had purchased the book rights to Jacquelyn Mitchard’s The Deep End Of The Ocean in a deal worth $1 million.  The project was set up as a vehicle for Pfeiffer.   The budget for The Deep End Of The Ocean was $38 million and Mandalay financed and their sales partner Summit handled pre-sales to overseas distributors.   Mandalay had been based at Sony since its inception and the studio handled domestic (and select international markets) distribution for Mandalay’s pictures.

The Deep End Of The Ocean was originally planned for a fall 1998 release, but the movie tested poorly and extensive reshoots were ordered and the movie was bumped into 1999.  Pfeiffer than mandated another ending be shot after negative audience responses and the alternate ending tested even worse, so the original was kept.  Sony moved the movie all over the release calendar, before settling on March 12, 1999 — and at this point Mandalay and Sony had already divorced and the company had moved over to Paramount.

The Deep End Of The Ocean bowed against The Rage: Carrie 2Baby GeniusesThe Corruptor and Wing Commander.  Reviews were mixed to poor and Michelle Pfeiffer’s bankability had just taken a bruising from the critical failure and box office flop A Thousand Acres (1997).  The pic pulled in a terrible $5,558,400 — placing #6 for the weekend led by the holdover Analyze This.  Audiences gave the weepie a troubling C+ cinemascore and it sank 53.8% to $2,567,500 the following frame and it tumbled 56.4% to $1,120,485 in its third session and then promptly lost most of its theater count.  The domestic run closed with just $13,898,649.  Sony would see returned about $7.5M after theaters take their percentage of the gross, leaving much of the P&A costs in the red.

The movie fared no better overseas, where it stalled with $14.2M across numerous distributors.

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