The Story Of Us
Rate Movie[Total: 13 Average: 1.7]
- Directed By: Rob Reiner
- Written By: Alan Zweibel, Jessie Nelson
- Release Date: October 15, 1999
- Domestic Distributor: Universal
- Cast: Bruce Willis, Michelle Pfeiffer, Rita Wilson
Box Office Info:
| Budget: $50 million | Financed by: Castle Rock; Universal |
|---|---|
| Domestic Box Office: $27,100,031 | Overseas Box Office: $31,800,000 |
The Story Of Us was set as a directing effort for Rob Reiner at Castle Rock, which he was a co-founder. Castle Rock was acquired by Turner in 1993 and it became a Warner subsidiary in 1996 after Time Warner acquired Turner. In January 1998, WB and Polygram formed a three year co-financing arrangement to split the costs on Castle Rock projects. A few months later, Polygram was acquired by Universal and inherited that deal, which The Story Of Us was financed under. The budget for The Story Of Us was $50 million.
Universal handled the domestic release and Warner Bros put the picture out overseas. It was dated for October 15, 1999, which was shortly after Bruce Willis toplined The Sixth Sense in August and was still going strong in theaters. Michelle Pfeiffer was previously on screens in March in the flop The Deep End of the Ocean and her previous vehicle A Thousand Acres (1997) was a disaster. She also had a supporting role in the lower budget production A Midsummer Night’s Dream, which had opened in May.
The Story Of Us had decent buzz, but it was torn apart by critics. It bowed against Fight Club and disappointed with $9,673,080 — placing #3 for the slow weekend led by Fight Club. The movie faded quickly and declined 44.6% to $5,361,125 in its second frame and the domestic run ended with $27,100,031. Universal would see returned about $14.9M after theaters take their percentage of the gross — below P&A expenses and the theatrical receipts would not dent their exposure to the budget.
WB saw similar results overseas with 31.8M in receipts.