A Good Year
- Rate Movie[Total: 6 Average: 2.7]
- Directed By: Ridley Scott
- Written By: Marc Klein
- Release Date: November 10, 2006
- Domestic Distributor: FOX
- Cast: Russell Crowe, Marion Cotillard, Freddie Highmore, Albert Finney
Box Office Info:
Budget: $35 million | Financed by: FOX; Ingenious Film Partners |
---|---|
Domestic Box Office: $7,459,300 | Overseas Box Office: $34,604,805 |
After Ridley Scott mounted the huge production of Kingdom of Heaven for FOX, he set out to make a small picture and re-team with Russell Crowe who first worked together on Gladiator (2000). A Good Year was designed as a low key shoot for Scott who had a house eight minutes from the production in France. Scott was “looking for an excuse to come back to France to shoot a film” and he found that excuse with this flatline of a rom-com which was ridiculed as being nothing more than gastro-porn and practically a paid vacation for the above the line talent. A Good Year was labeled a ‘flop’ by none other than the head of FOX, Rupert Murdoch, who estimated that the film would lose the company over $20 million at a shareholders conference.
A Good Year was financed by FOX through their Fox 2000 division for $35 million and received additional capital from Ingenious Film Partners. The picture was dated for November 10, 2006 and was tracking very soft up to its release. It bowed against Stranger Than Fiction, The Return, Harsh Times and the wide expansion of Babel. A Good Year was panned by critics and opened into a market saturated with better reviewed adult fare — including the two openers Stranger Than Fiction and Babel. It was expected to open near $10 million but was stillborn with $3,721,526 — placing #10 for the weekend led by FOX’s surprise smash Borat. The film sank 56.9% in its second frame to $1,602,385 and promptly lost most of its theater count. The domestic run closed with only $7,459,300.
FOX distributed overseas to awful numbers in most markets, with the exception of a strong $7,205,533 gross from Italy. The overseas cume was $34.6M. The worldwide total was $42M and FOX would see returned about $23.1M after theaters take their percentage of the gross — which would not cover the worldwide prints and advertising costs or any of the budget.