How a superhero almost derailed Clint Eastwood’s biggest-ever hit: “What about promoting this film?”
Superheroes have become the bane of existence for many veteran filmmakers, including Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola, and Ridley Scott. However, their issues all stem from the 21st-century boom, whereas Clint Eastwood was battling against costumed crimefighters almost 50 years ago.
Until the turn of the millennium, a blockbuster comic book adaptation was something of a novelty. They were almost the opposite of the ubiquitous presence on the silver screen they are now, with Batman and Superman about the only two characters successful enough to spawn a lucrative franchise. Even then, those initial runs ended with equally disastrous results.
Ironically, Eastwood was one of the countless names considered to play the title role in Richard Donner’s Superman, and he wasn’t interested. It would have been a sight to see the stoic superstar in tights with his underpants on the outside, but in a curious twist of fate, he ended up being pitted against the ‘Man of Steel’ instead of squeezing into his spandex suit.
As one of the most expensive and ambitious productions ever mounted, Superman was Warner Bros’ golden child. The studio went all-out with a massive marketing and promotional push, which rubbed Eastwood the wrong way when his first foray into comedy, Every Which Way but Loose, was scheduled to be released five days before Christopher Reeve made audiences believe a man could fly.
There was only going to be one winner at the box office, and he knew it. “It was one of those deals where the squeaky wheel was getting the grease,” he told Paul Nelson. “Warners had so much money invested in Superman; they were going to promote the hell out of that film. We kept saying, ‘But what about promoting this film?'”
Donner’s picture was the most expensive movie ever made and focused on one of pop culture’s most iconic figures, while Eastwood was starring alongside an orangutan in a bizarre buddy caper his representatives had specifically warned him to steer clear of, so he was right to be concerned.
“Frank Wells felt that Loose was a good little commercial vehicle that might get hot and do $20 million,” he elaborated. “They were thinking maybe if they got lucky, they were going to have a nice Christmas with it.” As far as Warner Bros was concerned, Superman was the priority, and the might of the publicity machine was placed squarely behind the superhero at the expense of Eastwood and his simian friend.
And then, something strange happened. In comparison, Superman soared in theatres and became the second highest-grossing title of the year behind only Grease, but Every Which Way but Loose was more profitable. Donner’s film recouped its budget less than six times over in ticket sales, whereas Eastwood’s picture pocketed its production costs 20 times over and then some.
Despite the studio refusing to push the promotional boat out, the offbeat comedic caper ended its theatrical run as Eastwood’s top-earning movie ever, a record that wouldn’t be surpassed for almost 25 years until Unforgiven arrived. Adjusted for inflation, it’s the single biggest hit of his acting career, and second only to American Sniper in his entire filmography, which was a hell of a return.
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