A Man Apart
Rate Movie[Total: 8 Average: 3]
- Directed By: F. Gary Gray
- Written By: Christian Gudegast, Paul Scheuring
- Release Date: April 4, 2003
- Domestic Distributor: New Line
- Cast: Vin Diesel, Larenz Tate, Timothy Olyphant
Box Office Info:
| Budget: $36 million | Financed by: New Line; Hannover Leasing |
|---|---|
| Domestic Gross: $26,736,098 | Overseas Gross: $17,614,828 |
“A Man Apart I just regret. I didn’t do my homework for that one. I definitely have to be careful about how I word this, but… I wish I was more… hmm… I just regret that… No, wait a minute… Okay, I just regret not going back to re-shoot certain things in A Man Apart.”
–Director F. Gary Gray
New Line financed A Man Apart for $36 million and partnered with Hannover Leasing to tap into the German tax shelter fund market to get capital for the film. Three New Line films would receive coin from the deal struck with Hannover — A Man Apart, Life As A House and I Am Sam. The Vin Diesel vehicle finished production in early 2001, but was delayed four times after poor test screenings and New Line ordering reshoots. Director F. Gary Gray was off helming The Italian Job, when after nearly two years of collecting dust (and interest costs) in the New Line vault, the reshoots were commissioned and another director was brought in to take over.
A Man Apart was the second New Line and Vin Diesel collaboration after Knockaround Guys to get a long delay — as both were productions that were greenlit before he was a bankable name. While it was in release limbo, reports surfaced that A Man Apart might bypass a theatrical release, but it was eventually dated for a wide release on April 4, 2003. The Italian Job was dated right around the corner on May 30.
A Man Apart bowed against Phone Booth, which would be competing for similar auds and What a Girl Wants. Reviews were terrible. A Man Apart placed #3 for the weekend with $11,019,224 when Phone Booth debuted at #1. It collapsed in its second weekend 59.5% to $4,457,668 and fizzled out of release with $26,736,098. New Line would see back about $14.6 million after theaters take their percentage of the gross, which would leave part of the P&A costs in the red and their exposure to the budget at a loss.
New Line did sell off overseas distribution rights to many distributors, which would help limit their exposure to the budget. A Man Apart was a dud overseas, with $2 million from the UK as the highest gross and the offshore cume was $17,614,828.