Consequences


Some people experience them, some don’t. Among the deservedly punished is Kevin Spacey, a great actor, not a particularly good person. His latest movie just opened.

On a grand total of 10 screens nationwide.

It brought in precisely…$126.

Despite its all star cast — including Ansel Elgort, Taron Egerton, Emma Roberts, Jeremy Irvine, Cary Elwes, Judd Nelson, and Billie Lourd — it brought in an abysmal $126 in total.

All those other people were also punished, unfortunately, as well as the backers and swarms of people who made the movie. I guess the message will sink in that Spacey is box-office poison.

Comments

  1. albz says

    Money can be a very effective way to change bad behaviors. A lot of people doesn’t care about reputation or ethics, but pretty much everybody will think twice before endangering his incomes.
    Now let’s hope that the same happens to Asia Argento…

  2. weylguy says

    It’s tragic that a single flawed man will be pilloried for whatever alleged sexual improprieties he committed against adults, while there have been many thousands of Catholic priests who have committed far greater evils against uncountable children. Kevin Spacey’s acting days may indeed be over, but the Catholic Church will be forever forgiven by its deluded followers and allowed to commit its heinous crimes in perpetuity against the innocent. To paraphrase the infallible Pope Francis, “Oops, we did it again for the umteenth time. And once again, we’re really sorry!”

    “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.” — (Attributed to) Albert Einstein

  3. Saad says

    albz, #1

    Now let’s hope that the same happens to Asia Argento…

    Well, that comment is certainly in good faith.

  4. tbp1 says

    “When was the last decade an “all star cast” included Judd Nelson?”

    I don’t think I would call this “all star,” but “perfectly respectable” would be OK.

  5. Rich Woods says

    The following information comes from my own admittedly limited understanding of the industry, so please feel free to take it with a pinch (or an entire bucket) of salt.

    Usually when a studio releases a film to a very small number of cinemas (ten in this case), it’s to ensure that a film is eligible for consideration for awards (bizarrely) or to meet the terms of a financing or other contract (usually that of a high-profile actor or director). It happens with straight-to-DVD films usually, which can have their cinematic release at a single venue with no advertising and six months after the (profitable or not) DVD came out: $126 in the first (and only) weekend is a real triumph at this end of the market.

    Goodbye, Spacey. This is the footnote to your career. No-one can say you didn’t bring it down onto yourself.

  6. Usernames! 🦑 says

    Usually when a studio releases a film to a very small number of cinemas (ten in this case), it’s to ensure that a film is eligible for consideration for awards (bizarrely) or to meet the terms of a financing or other contract (usually that of a high-profile actor or director).
    — Rich Woods (#6)

    Having a relative in the industry who has explained why some of their films were shown in only a limited number of theaters before appearing online, the former is exactly correct. The criteria for certain awards is that said film must be shown in theaters.

    I guess the message will sink in that Spacey is box-office poison.
    — PZ

    No correlation. People go to see movies because they have good stories. BBC doesn’t, um, sound like a good story.

    The movie is based on the real Billionaire Boys Club, an infamous social club that convinced the sons of wealthy Southern Californian families to get rich quick with Ponzi schemes in the 1980s.

    Um, yeah. I don’t care who is in the movie, I’ll pass.

  7. Larry says

    When was the last decade an “all star cast” included Judd Nelson?

    I gotta admit, the only name I knew was Nelson. Maybe I need to get out more.

  8. says

    @2 Weylguy who said “It’s tragic that a single flawed man will be pilloried for whatever alleged sexual improprieties he committed against adults, while there have been many thousands of Catholic priests who have committed far greater evils against uncountable children.”

    Firstly, he did not commit crimes against only adults. Anthony Rapp was 14 when Kevin Spacey went after him. https://people.com/tv/why-anthony-rapp-revealed-kevin-spacey-allegedly-inappropriate-sexual-advances/
    Second, calling them sexual improprieties is minimizing sexual assault. It makes it sound like he was just being a bad boy. Also being a sexual predator is not something I would refer to as a flaw.
    Finally, I don’t recall him being in a pillory or even in jail at this point. Having his career end after assaulting 30+ people is more than justified. It is tragic that most of the catholic priests will not face consequences but that does not mean they were not in every way justified againt Spacey.
    Here is a nice summary of the crimes of this ‘flawed’ man: https://www.vox.com/culture/2017/11/3/16602628/kevin-spacey-sexual-assault-allegations-house-of-cards

  9. says

    I am not sure, but I think that most of the cast and crew will have already been paid before opening weekend and (depending on the contract) the box office receipts will have no impact on their compensation.

    The splash damage of simply being in a movie with Spacey should also be minimal. I.e. Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon

  10. HidariMak says

    I read in another website yesterday that this movie was finished 3 years ago, before any allegations against Kevin Spacey first surfaced. So if that’s the case, my guess is that an “all-star” cast couldn’t save a movie that was poorly produced, poorly directed, and/or poorly edited.

  11. weylguy says

    #9 Anna:

    Sorry, I did indeed minimize Spacey’s crimes. I never liked him much as an actor, but after going to the link you posted, I’d put him right in there with the criminal priests. But I can’t help but wonder — Bill Cosby’s crimes were just as bad, and he is paying for them now, but Spacey will likely skate. Is it a simply black guy/white guy thing?