88 Minutes
Rate Movie[Total: 10 Average: 1.5]
- Directed By: Jon Avnet
- Written By: Gary Scott Thompson
- Release Date: April 18, 2008
- Domestic Distributor: Sony
- Cast: Al Pacino, Alicia Witt, Leelee Sobieski
Box Office Info:
| Budget: $30 million | Financed by: Millennium; Emmett/Furla; Equity Pictures |
|---|---|
| Domestic Gross: $17,213,467 | Overseas Gross: $15,379,918 |
In January 2000, Disney purchased Gary Scott Thompson 88 Minutes pitch for low-six figures against mid-six figures, but the project never moved forward at the mouse house. This junk thriller then moved over to Millennium, which announced the picture at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival and the company handled pre-sales to international distributors. Millennium was making the transition from direct to video action and genre schlock to bigger budget projects with an A-list cast. Their first slate of mid to large budget fare were all money losers and with the exception of 16 Blocks, were all serious critical failures — The Black Dahlia, 88 Minutes, The Wicker Man and both Edison (Edison Force in the US) & The Contract were dumped straight to video.
This trainwreck starring Al Pacino with a horrifying hair piece was financed for $30 million by Millennium, Emmett/Furla and the German tax shelter fund Equity Pictures. 88 Minutes was filmed in 2005 and while it secured distribution in most overseas markets, it did not land a domestic distributor. In early 2007, most distributors began to dump 88 Minutes straight to video. While it was already on the home market in dozens of countries, in May 2007 at Cannes, Millennium sold this turkey to Sony for $6 million for US distribution rights and a few remaining overseas territories.
After rotting on the shelf for three years, Sony dated 88 Minutes for April 18, 2008. Critics eviscerated the picture, with most calling it Pacino’s worst movie — and far worse than Revolution (1985). It bowed against The Forbidden Kingdom and Forgetting Sarah Marshall and was tracking to pull in a modest $10M opening.
88 Minutes was dead on arrival with $6,957,216 — placing #4 for the weekend led by The Forbidden Kingdom. The movie posted a 48.3% second frame fall to $3,593,890 and then a steep 57% plunge in session three to $1,545,084. The domestic run closed with just $17,213,467. Sony would see back about $9.5 million after theaters take their percentage of the gross, which would not cover the P&A spend or their acquisition cost.
88 Minutes pulled in a small $15.3 million across numerous offshore distributors, with Spain posting the highest gross at $3.9 million. Five months later director Jon Avnet, Al Pacino, Millennium & Emmett/Furla would see their next dreadful collaboration Righteous Kill flop.