‘Dazed and Confused‘ is a beloved cult classic. Actually, “cult” might not be the correct terminology. Its popularity has probably surpassed cult status.
And of course, the creator of the film, Richard Linklater, has went on to have an incredibly successful career in Hollywood, directing films like School of Rock, Boyhood, Before Sunrise, and Bernie. He’s a legend in the industry now.
But back when Dazed and Confused was released in the early ’90s, he was still trying to prove himself. He was a rookie in Hollywood, and sometimes, big studios take advantage of rookies.
During a recent interview with The Daily Beast, the now 61-year-old filmmaker revealed he never made any money off Dazed and Confused.
F**k no! How come a movie that cost less than $7 million has $12 million in interest against it? Ask Universal! Hollywood accounting. I remember really asking for a piece of the soundtrack, because I picked all the songs, and they were like, ‘Oh no…First film, you know?’ N.W.A is still pissed off about that first contract. Everybody has that first story of getting screwed with their first project. That film was an indie success. It made more than it cost theatrically, and over the years it’s been everywhere.
Linklater says the film made *at least* $30 million in revenue from the home video market, but he did not get a single piece of it.
And while he’s still a little annoyed by it, he’s also grateful the studio gave him a chance in the first place, considering a studio of that size would almost certainly not take the same risk today.
Here I complain, but they did greenlight the film, and they wouldn’t greenlight the film today. Cast of unknowns? Period film when not much happens, riding around? One film out of Sundance? I don’t think there’s a pitch for that movie today, so I sit here very, very blessed. I’m still grateful I got the film made, and got it made the way I wanted it to.
We’re grateful as well.
You can catch Linklater’s latest film, Apollo 10 1/2: A Space Age Childhood, on Netflix streaming right now.
