WICKER PARK

Wicker Park

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  [Total: 4 Average: 3.3]
  Genre(s): Thriller | Romance

• Directed By: Paul McGuigan
• Written By: Brandon Boyce
• Release Date: September 3, 2004
• Domestic Distributor: MGM
• Cast: Josh Hartnett, Rose Byrne, Matthew Lillard, Diane Kruger
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Box Office Info:

Budget: $30 million	Financed by: Lakeshore Entertainment; MGM
Domestic Gross: $13,001,257	Overseas Gross: $8,567,561

Lakeshore Entertainment acquired the remake rights to the French film L’appartement (1996) for low seven-figures after it screened at the 1997 Sundance Film Festival.  The acclaimed picture was never released in the US until a decade later in 2006 on home video.  Lakeshore attached Joel Schumacher in February 1999 to direct the project, but he exited after ‘creative differences’ in August ’99.  In a odd choice of casting, Freddie Prinze Jr. and Kate Winslet were expected to star.  Brendan Fraser and Paul Walker were also in the running for roles.

Joan Chen was then tapped to replace Schumacher, but she was dropped from the project, presumably because of the disastrous reception of her picture Autumn in New York (2000), which was also co-financed by Lakeshore.  Danny Cannon was briefly attached to helm the movie, but Paul McGuigan eventually took the reins.

The budget for Wicker Park was $30 million and Lakeshore co-financed.  MGM signed on as US distributor in early development and contributed $9M toward the production.  Lakeshore handled foreign distribution sales, which mitigated much of their exposure to the budget.

MGM opened Wicker Park over the sluggish labor day weekend on September 3, 2004 and it bowed against Paparazzi, Vanity Fair and The Cookout.  Buzz was low, reviews were poor and Wicker Park tanked with $5,467,281 — placing #6 for the weekend led by the holdover Hero.  Auds gave the movie a low C+ cinemascore and it sank 54.1% to $2,508,355 in its second frame and it plunged 59.9% to $1,005,718 in its third session.  Wicker Park was pulled from release after only four weeks with $13,001,257.  MGM would see returned about $7.1M after theaters take their percentage of the gross, which would not even cover 1/3 of the P&A costs.

The overseas total was $8,567,561 across many distributors and Spain posted the highest offshore numbers with only $2.9M.  The film went straight to video in Italy.