Ready To Rumble
Rate Movie[Total: 10 Average: 2.2]
- Directed By: Brian Robbins
- Written By: Steven Brill
- Release Date: April 7, 2000
- Domestic Distributor: Warner Bros
- Cast: David Arquette, Oliver Platt, Scott Caan, Rose McGowan
Box Office Info:
| Budget: $24 million | Financed by: Bel-Air Entertainment |
|---|---|
| Domestic Gross: $12,394,327 | Overseas Gross: $58,035 |
The budget for Ready To Rumble was $24 million and it was financed by Bel-Air Entertainment.
Bel-Air was formed in March 1998 as a 5-year equity partnership between Warner Bros and the French conglomerate Canal Plus and WB retained worldwide rights for the films, except for France, Spain and Germany, which went to Canal. After a string of box office disappointments from Bel-Air: “Ready To Rumble” “Pay It Forward,” “Sweet November,” “Proof of Life” and Rock Star, Canal Plus pulled out of the arrangement in 2002 and Bel-Air shuttered. Remaining movies were the delayed Collateral Damage waiting for a release and the perpetually shelved Chain Of Fools, which was dumped straight to video in 2005.
Ready To Rumble was designed as a piece of corporate synergy between the studio and sibling World Championship Wrestling (WCW). A promotional storyline involving actor David Arquette as a fan who wins the championship belt, annoyed fans of WCW and did little to bolster interest in this stinker. WB first dated the pic for March 5 and then moved it to April 7 where it bowed against Rules of Engagement, Return To Me and Black And White.
Ready To Rumble was tracking poorly, received miserable reviews and opened with a weak $5,257,778 in 2,585 theaters. It placed #6 for the weekend led by Rules of Engagement. It declined 48.9% to $2,685,718 in its second frame and sank 63% to $994,671 in its third session. The domestic run closed with $12,394,327. WB would see returned about $6.7 million after theaters take their percentage of the gross, leaving most of the P&A expenses in the red and the budget untouched.
Ready To Rumble was dumped straight to video in almost every overseas market and the recorded offshore gross was a mere $58,035. Corporate sibling TNT/TBS purchased the TV rights for $1.75 million.