Weinsteins snubbed Sundance debut for Clerks 2
Filed under: Comedy, Independent, Sundance, Cannes, The Weinstein Co., Weinstein Brothers, Movie Marketing, Kevin Smith, Remakes and Sequels, Cinematical Indie
Entertainment Weekly has a Sundance Q&A with Kevin Smith up. In it,
Smith discusses how Sundance director Geoff Gilmore pretty much guaranteed Clerks 2 a slot at Sundance (how
many filmmakers would love to have that kind of in to Sundance?), but Harvey Weinstein turned the offer down
cold in favor of debuting the film at Cannes instead. Smith talks in the piece about how he would have preferred to
debut Clerks 2 at Sundance, since he got his start as a filmmaker after debuting Clerks there way back in
1994 (1994? Really? God, I feel old now).
I'm not sure how I feel about this move, actually. Smith says he trusts Weinstein knows what he's doing, but really -- wouldn't it seem to make a lot more sense to debut the follow-up to Clerks at Sundance? I'm not just saying that because I would have been able to see it there, either, although I wouldn't have complained about that. Smith fans, what do you think about Weinstein snubbing a Sundance offer for Clerks 2? Brilliant marketing move guaranteed to have the worlds' eye on the film at Cannes? Or major misstep by Weinstein?
[ via News Askew ]
_thumbnail.jpg)
Discuss: So, How Was 'Twilight'?
Quizzimatical: Vampire Movies
Insert Caption: Twilight
Fan Made: 'Twilight' Cookies
Cinematical Seven: Great Exports from Down Under
_thumbnail.jpg)
_thumbnail.jpg)
_thumbnail.jpg)
_thumbnail.jpg){kind=spacer}
_thumbnail.jpg "Watchmen Storyboards")
Reader Comments (Page 2 of 2)
2-08-2006 @ 9:36PM
Kevin Smith said...
While I regret not debuting at Sundance, Harvey's main point was "Why show the flick in January when it's not coming out 'til August?" He wanted time to come up with a marketing plan for the flick and felt that he wouldn't have had that time between December 1 and mid-January (the period of rushed post we would've had to rocket through in order to be ready for Sundance). As he's the guy who writes the checks, I had to respect his position.
However, debuting at Cannes (if they'll have us) makes sense for "Clerks II", as "Clerks" screened at Cannes '94, taking home two awards (the Prix de la Jeunesse and the International Critic's Week grand prize). We would have been rushing through post to screen in Park City, which would've cost an additional $500k to hit that mid-January date. By waiting, we saved a bunch of coin, and I was able to tinker with the flick further, and bring it down to 91 minutes. So all's well that ends well (as long as we get into Cannes).
As for the falsehood that the last flick I made which earned was "Chasing Amy"... um, patently untrue, and easily checked for veracity (or lack thereof) all over the web. But, in a nutshell...
"Dogma" - budget $10mil, box office $30mil
"Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back" - budget $20mil, box office $30mil
(DVD sales, $37mil)
"Jersey Girl" - budget $35mil, box office $25mil
(with DVD putting us into profit)
Can't wait 'til you all get to see the flick. I think it's our best work to date.
Reply