The Libertine
| Budget: $22 million | Financed by: Isle of Man Film; Odyssey Entertainment; First Choice |
|---|---|
| Domestic Gross: $4,835,065 | Domestic Distributor: The Weinstein Company |
| Overseas Gross: $6,016,999 | Directed by: Laurence Dunmore |
Starring: Johnny Depp |
Produced by: John Malkovich |
The Libertine almost collapsed when two weeks before production the UK government outlawed certain tax financing funds, which was the majority backing of the $22 million Johnny Depp vehicle. Isle of Man Film covered 25% of the budget and saved the financing from falling apart and the outlawed fund First Choice was able to keep its original, partial investment in the picture, before its equity line was banned. Odyssey Entertainment rounded out the rest of the production coin and handled worldwide sales. The Libertine was screened as a work in progress at the Toronto International Film Festival and the overall reaction from audiences and buyers was negative and the film was re-edited and re-scored and was screened at Cannes the following year. The Weinsteins picked up The Libertine for a US release when they were at Miramax and after their split with parent company Disney, they took the pic with them to their newly formed The Weinstein Company. TWC scheduled the film Nov 25, 2005 in 2 theaters for a week long Oscar qualifying run and played the film in its original NC-17 rating that the MPAA inexplicably slapped it with. The Libertine was then trimmed to a R rating and received mixed to poor reviews and was released moderately wide in 815 theaters in March 2006. It pulled in a weak $2,202,799 with a $2,702 per screen average. The Libertine sank 60% the following weekend to $881,076 and quietly left theaters with $4,835,065. Entertainment distributed the film in the UK and opened it in 203 theaters to only $1,109,945. Roadshow distributed and dumped the film in Australia in 41 theaters to a total of $177,137 and The Libertine tanked in France with $298,009. The overseas total was $6,016,999 across many distributors and it went straight to video in Germany in 2008.