The Body
Rate Movie[Total: 5 Average: 2.6]
- Directed By: Jonas McCord
- Written By: Richard Sapir, Jonas McCord
- Release Date: April 20, 2001
- Domestic Distributor: Lionsgate
- Cast: Antonio Banderas, Olivia Williams, John Shrapnel
Box Office Info:
| Budget: $30 million | Financed by: Behaviour Films Worldwide; Signature Films |
|---|---|
| Domestic Gross: $36,849 | Overseas Gross: $3,702,551 |
The Body was in development for 15 years, originally set to go at Universal with Liam Neeson, but the project was dropped after the studio became nervous about the pic’s religious themes. The financing finally came together from Behaviour Films Worldwide and Signature Films, with a $30 million budget and Antonio Banderas receiving a career high $12 million salary.
MDP Worldwide handled pre-sales at the 1999 Cannes Film Festival and it was expected that domestic distribution would be picked up by Sony — which saw success with Banderas’ turn as Zorro and they handled his directing debut bomb Crazy In Alabama (1999). Sony eventually picked up US home video rights and released it through their TriStar label.
The Body received atrocious reviews and its long road to the big screen ended with a token theatrical release courtesy of Lionsgate in 11 theaters, where it grossed $36,849. The recorded overseas gross was just $3.7 million, with $3.4 million from Spain posting the majority of its offshore cume.