I have this idea that Sharon Waxman's N.Y. Times story about 20th Century Fox execs pulling the plug on Used Guys, the Jim Carrey-Ben Stiller-Jay Roach comedy, isn't just well reported. It's also, I suspect, a sign of the times, a turn in the road...a shot heard round the Hollywood world. The $112 million budget meant that Used Guys would "be one of the most expensive original comedies ever made," Waxman writes. "And in an industry with crushing marketing costs and top-shelf stars taking a huge chunk of every ticket sale, the studio decided the math didn't add up." Bottom-line indicator: Carrey, Stiller, Roach (the director) and other top-dollar players are going to have to start adapting to a world in which they'll have to settle for being very well paid for their talent and name value, instead of being paid fantabulously-orgasmically. Get used to it, hombres.
Posted by Jeffrey Wells on May 25, 2006 at 12:38 AM
comment #1
Holy Geeze says ...
Good for Fox! Actors should grow the hell up and realize they're killing the industry with their demands.
Maybe Roach, Stiller, and Carrey should pool their money and finance the movie themselves? NAHHH! Why that would be insane! Actors taking the money risk? How silly!
These bitches do a great job, corral millions of people to see their product, and make billions. Yet they act CRAZY when investors want to make money using their names. It makes no sense to me.
Do your work, make a living (not the kind that forces a studio to cancel your movie), and be happy audiences like you. That's your reward.
Bravo to Fox for ditching the film (call it the "Fun with Dick and Jane" syndrome). Trust me, I've read the script, and there's no reason anyone needs to spend more than 40 mil on it.
Posted by Holy Geeze at May 25, 2006 5:53 PM