The Worst Movie Ever!

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The Worst Movie Ever!
The Worst Movie Ever! poster.jpg
Original theatrical release poster
Directed by Glenn Berggoetz
Written byGlenn Berggoetz
Produced byGlenn Berggoetz
StarringGlenn Berggoetz
CinematographyErik Lassi
Edited byAlan Dague-Greene
Distributed byDriving With Our Eyes Shut
Release date
  • July 8, 2011 (2011-07-08)(Van Wert Independent Film Festival)
Running time
76 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$25,206 [1]

The Worst Movie Ever! (stylized as THE WORST MOVIE EVER!!!!) is a 2011 American action comedy [1] film. The film had its festival premiere at the Van Wert Independent Film Festival in Van Wert, Ohio on July 8, 2011. The film was written, produced, directed by, and starring Glenn Berggoetz. [2] [3] [4] IFC wrote that the film lives up to its title and that it holds the possibility of becoming a cult hit, by writing that it is "quickly becoming the stuff of Internet legend as the worst grossing film ever, a sales hook that plays nicely with that title. The film's director has stated that the low gross was not intended as a publicity stunt, [5] and resulted from both the film being scheduled to screen as part of the theater's monthly "midnight screenings", and through problems in stirring interest in the theatrical release. [3]

Contents

Plot

A suburban neighborhood is invaded by stereotypes of common horror film characters.

Cast

Release

The film had its festival premiere at the Van Wert Independent Film Festival in Van Wert, Ohio on July 8, 2011, where director Glenn Berggoetz spoke at a breakfast symposium and hosted a midnight screening of the film. [6] [7]

The film had its theatrical premiere on August 19, 2011 in a single cinema, [1] the Laemmle Sunset 5 in Los Angeles, which resulted in the worst box office performance ever recorded: just one paid admission and grossed just $11. [2] After its release, the film gained notoriety for its extremely low viewership. [8] This figure makes it the lowest opening film in history, beating the 2006 film Zyzzyx Road , which attracted six patrons and $30 in revenue during its opening week. [4] According to the websites Box Office Mojo and The Numbers, the film has now grossed over $25,000 in box office revenue. [1]

According to director Glenn Berggoetz, the film sold just one ticket over the weekend (for the sole Saturday screening) and nobody attended the Friday screening. [9] Attempts by the theater owner and filmmaker to locate the individual who paid to see the film over its opening weekend have so far failed. [5]

Critical response

IFC wrote that the film lives up to its title and that it holds the possibility of becoming a cult hit, by writing that it is "quickly becoming the stuff of Internet legend as the worst grossing movie ever, a sales hook that plays nicely with that title. In the week of August 26, 2011, almost 70,000 people watched the film's trailer on YouTube. If even a fraction of those folks become curious enough to seek the film out, we could have a new cult hit on our hands." [2] [4] Since reporting of the film's lackluster premiere, the film's trailer has become a "mini-hit on YouTube" and initiated "something of a cult following on Facebook." [3] The film's director has stated that the low gross was not intended as a publicity stunt, [5] and resulted from both the film being scheduled to screen as part of the theater's monthly "midnight screenings," and through problems in stirring interest in the theatrical release. [3]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "The Worst Movie Ever! (2011)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 25 August 2011.
  2. 1 2 3 Matt Singer (August 26, 2011). "The Worst Movie EVER!" lives up to its name with epically bad grosses". IFC. Archived from the original on July 1, 2015. Retrieved September 28, 2011.
  3. 1 2 3 4 S.T. VanAirsdale (August 26, 2011). "The $11 Question: How The Worst Movie EVER! Scored the Worst Opening Ever". Movieline. Archived from the original on January 29, 2013. Retrieved September 28, 2011.
  4. 1 2 3 S.T. VanAirsdale (August 23, 2011). "Something Called The Worst Movie Ever! Made $11 Last Weekend". Movieline. Archived from the original on September 26, 2011. Retrieved September 28, 2011.
  5. 1 2 3 Richard Horgan (August 26, 2011). "Denver Filmmaker Seeks to Identify 'Viewer Zero'". FishbowlLA. Archived from the original on September 13, 2011. Retrieved September 28, 2011.
  6. ↑ "Van Wert Independent Film Festival changes dates, adds more events". The Times Bulletin . May 10, 2011. Retrieved September 28, 2011.
  7. ↑ "Film festival brings movies from around the world to VW". The Times Bulletin . July 6, 2011. Retrieved September 28, 2011.
  8. ↑ "Weekend Box Office Results for August 19-21, 2011". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 25 August 2011.
  9. ↑ Proud Ryu. "Box Office Mojo > Discussion Forums". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 26 August 2011. From post #23: The director was nice enough to reply to me and state that no one attended the solo Friday screening, and one person attended the solo Saturday screening.
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