Trivia / Cecil B. Demented

• Box Office Bomb: Budget, $10 million. Box office, $1,961,544. Part of a 2000/2001 slate that put production company Artisan Entertainment on life support; they would rebound the next year before being absorbed by Lionsgate.
• Creator Killer: John Waters didn't write another screenplay for four years, and the failure of his next film, A Dirty Shame killed his career completely.
• Inspiration for the Work: John Waters' got the idea for the film came when Film Threat told its readers to attack the readers of Premier Magazine, and some did.
• Star-Derailing Role: Melanie Griffith started out as one of the most highly demanded actresses of the 80's, starring in hits like Body Double, Something Wild, and Working Girl. Preceding this film, however, she had starred in a number of critical and financial flops throughout the 90's, like The Bonfire of the Vanities, Shining Through, Milk Money, and Mulholland Falls. This film's failure served as the final nail in her film career's coffin, as her input ever since has comprised mostly of TV series that only lasted for one season and low-budget films that went direct-to-video or were made for television.
• What Could Have Been:
  • John Waters originally wanted Johnny Depp for the lead role.
  • Kevin Nealon's role was originally written for Michael J. Fox, who's named in the script.

---