Last Action Hero: Production Notes - When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth

Chris, Joe, & Aaron hold on to their butts while taking on Arnold Braunschweiger's 1993 action comedy, Last Action Hero!
The boys are joined by guest Erika Shasky as they learn a little bit about the film's dino sized box office competition, Jurassic Park, and find out the silly reason why the head of Columbia Pictures completely underestimated Steven Spielberg! 

Don't forget to Subscribe, Rate & Review us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify and we may just read your review during an episode!
And follow us on TikTok, Instagram, & Facebook to see any pics or videos we check out during the episode!

Check out the teaser trailers they watched during the episode:

Last Action Hero teaser trailer
Terminator 2: Judgement Day teaser trailer
Jurassic Park teaser trailer

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:02):
Tape deck Media, see the.

Speaker 2 (00:15):
Hello, and welcome back to see you what the potty richter.
My name is Chris Chapman, and joining me as always
our Aaron Frescas, Hello, Joseph bet Castro, Hello, QT Pies,
and once again joining us for our continued coverage of
Arnold's nineteen ninety three cartoon cat vehicle. Last Action Hero

(00:38):
is Eric Shasky. Hello, welcome back. So today we're just
gonna be doing more production information and I'm gonna throw
it over to Aaron because he's got all sorts of
super interesting things to tell us. Okay, yeah, okay, sorry. Yeah.

Speaker 1 (00:54):
So when we left off in the last episode, we
did it with a couple of release dates, first Columbia
announcing Last Action Heroes, followed by Universal announcing Jurassic Park.
And I just want to give a little heads up
before we get started that we're gonna do things a
little differently than usual by including some like an extremely
condensed coverage of a second movie that's gonna run parallel

(01:17):
to our coverage of Last Action Hero. Yeah, and as
you all, I'm assuming figured the second movie is Sisteract
too back in the habit hell yea, yeah, God have
so much to say, yeah, no, really, Jurassic Park. Oh yes,
And the reason we're going to be doing that is
because one is Jurassic Park, by the way, one is

(01:40):
inextrictly tied to the other, like pretty much ninety five
percent of any info I found for Last Action Hero
mentions Jurassic Park. M Yeah, and even to this day,
you're gonna have a hard time finding an article about
Last Action Hero that does not mention Jurassic Park. And
that definitely only goes one way.

Speaker 2 (02:01):
That kind of sucks for every everyone involved in Last
Section Hero.

Speaker 1 (02:05):
Yeah, Like it's even at the time it was still
it was doing it because they were both like the
big blockbusters, but definitely now it's like tied to it
now damn. Yeah. But basically I was trying to figure
out how to include dress like the Dassic Park stuff,
and eventually I realized that the easiest way would just
be to run like a super basic timeline parallel to
Last Extion Hero. Anyway, Okay, so before continuing from where

(02:29):
we left off, I want to take just like a
couple of minutes to catch up with Jurassic Parks timeline
like up to Last Section Hero. By the way, for
the most part. This is pretty much like bare bones
basic timeline a Jurassic Park. We're gonna be covering stuff
that's only pertinent to last section.

Speaker 3 (02:42):
Hero.

Speaker 4 (02:43):
Oh so we're not going all the way back to
the dinosaurs and.

Speaker 1 (02:47):
Well yeah, but like like as far as like Schwarzenegger's
only was born in like the forties, so you got
to skip all the rest of it and then jump
to that. Okay, yeah, but so there's gonna be a
lot of info left out, Like go listen to a
Jurassic Park podcast if you want to conference in history
of Jurassic Park. By the way, my recommendations. There's a
pornography theme one called That's One Big pile of slit

(03:10):
and then yeah, and then there's a another one called
hold on to Your Mutts, which is hosted by Samuel L.
Jackson's dog, which is cool.

Speaker 3 (03:22):
Yeah, why why slit instead of click?

Speaker 1 (03:25):
I feel like that's a loss because it's funny, dirtier,
it's certainly grosser.

Speaker 5 (03:33):
That sounds like something that a that a uh DNA.

Speaker 1 (03:39):
Hold on to your hold on to your uh sluts
was another one for the party. That just sounds like
a something that Shaft would say, though like from from
when he did Shaft Hold on to You anyway.

Speaker 2 (03:52):
Okay, that's like a slow jam ballad from the nineties, right.

Speaker 1 (03:59):
Uh so real quick and catch up on the timeline. Okay.
So early nineteen ninety, Micael Crichton meets with Steven Spielberg
to discuss Crichton's screenplay that would eventually become Er. They
began talking about Crichton's next book, Jurassic Park, and Spielberg
gast to read it after admitting he's loved dinosaurs since
he was a kid. Crichton lets him. Spielberg loves it.
Crichton basically promises him the film rights as long as

(04:20):
he's the one that directs it. Yeah.

Speaker 3 (04:22):
So.

Speaker 1 (04:23):
Unsurprisingly, Crichton's literary agent didn't give a single shit about
this verbal promise, and instead of a bidding war between
the four major studios for the film rights, which were
Warner Brothers, Columbia, TriStar, Oh sorry, Columbia TriStar to one
one Studio, Fox, and then Universal. Yeah, So, Crichton endorsed, Spielberg,
endorsed Spielberg, and Universal secured the rights in May nineteen ninety,

(04:47):
six months before the book was published. Yeah, which which
was is crazy, like does that has that happened? I really,
I really don't mean to do this, but because now
I just thought of it, because does that happen with
with what's his name?

Speaker 2 (05:01):
Stuff?

Speaker 1 (05:01):
Or I'm assuming it right? Yeah, I don't know, like
I would assume.

Speaker 2 (05:06):
I think it was a pretty regular thing in the
publishing industry. Yeah, like if even at the time, Yeah,
like if the public oh at the time, I don't know,
but I know that now every studio just wants ips
from movies, and so if the publisher thinks they have anything,
they'll go and try and sell it to Okay, that
makes sense because like I'm assuming, so if it's happening

(05:27):
with Krichton, it's got to be happening with like John
Grisham at the time, Stephen King, and then like anybody
else that's I don't know, Tom Clancy obviously.

Speaker 4 (05:36):
HM.

Speaker 1 (05:36):
Anyway, So Crichton is commissioned to write an initial preliminary
version of the script, which he immediately begins working on.
At the same time, Spielberg hires a production designer and
begins discussing which scenes to pull from the book. This
all begins taking place two years before the filming begins
and three years before the movie's released in the theaters,

(05:59):
So in early ninete twenty one Spielberg's which is his
attention to Hook, which was right around the time that
Zach Penn and Adam Left begin writing the original draft
of Last Action Hero. During this time, Crichton finishes up
his preliminary draft of the script, and screenwriting duties are
handed off to Malia Scotch Marmo, who was one of
the writers on Hook. And the two films Last Section

(06:20):
ye Know in Jurassic Park definitely share some interesting development
in parallels because Crichton's experience was pretty much the exact
opposite of Zach Pen and Adam lefts like Crichton didn't
really want to do the screenplay but agreed to do
it anyway because he was so familiar with the story,
even admitting in an interview that he told Spielberg quote,
I'll do a draft for you and cut it down
to budgetbal size, but then you're gonna want somebody else

(06:42):
to polish the characters. I think that sort of surprised
him because writers never say get somebody else. Yeah, like unquote,
But that's pretty much exact opposite of what happened with
Penn and Left. Yeah, Like that's like a bizarro world
version of like Penn and left towards like which I
makes sense because Crichton is obviously like super established the
time in pennal Left just starting out. But I just
found like the contrasting experience interesting.

Speaker 2 (07:05):
I also find it interesting that he specifically pointed out, like, yeah,
I'm gonna do a shitty job with the characters, so
you probably want to have somebody to take care of.

Speaker 1 (07:10):
That said something about the fact that he's already like
he was sick of the characters. He didn't want to
He basically said, he's like, I'm sick of the characters.
I'm sick of the dinosaurs. I didn't want to do it.

Speaker 2 (07:23):
I hate this story now, I don't want to do this.

Speaker 1 (07:25):
And like he said something about like figuring out, He's like,
I already knew the problems that they would end up with,
like story wise, so I just kind of helped it along.

Speaker 4 (07:34):
Yeah. Sure.

Speaker 1 (07:36):
Anyway, So Spielberg finished his production on Hook in late
August and almost immediately begins working on Jurassic Park, with
pre production officially commencing August thirtieth, nineteen ninety one, which
was a full year before filming would begin and almost
two years before the film was released, So that was
during the time that Zach Pen and Adam Left finished
their script, find an agent, sell the script at Columbia,

(07:56):
and then Columbia begins courting Arnold to star in the
film Jurassic Punk.

Speaker 3 (08:05):
That sounds cooler.

Speaker 1 (08:09):
It's a dinosaur with shades and.

Speaker 2 (08:12):
It's like cyberpunk.

Speaker 1 (08:13):
But everybody Jurassic Park is six months into their pre
production phase when this is going on, with still six
months to go before filming begins. So during this time,
Spielberg decides he's not happy with the script, and February
nineteen eighty two, right around the time that Shane Black
begins his rewrite of last section Hero, Spielberg brings David
Coep Kep. David Kepp is brought in to replace Malia

(08:37):
Scotch Marmo as the screenwriter for Jurassic Park, and Kep
ends up completely rewriting the script from scratch or I
don't guess that's not rewriting it anyway, Yeah, I don't know,
and he ends up being only the final scrip. He's
credited on the film as besides Michael Crichton as the screenwriter,
so he just continues tinkering with a script, like with

(08:57):
Spielberg's input, pretty much right up until they began filming.
So that pretty much catches us up where we left off,
which was in early August nineteen ninety two, with Jurassic
Park just about to wrap up a year's worth of
pre production, right around the time that Columbia locks Arnold
into Last Section Hero with a fifteen million dollars deal

(09:18):
which also included a percentage of the profits for both
the film and the and silly ancillary rights. Yeah, there
we go, which is like stuff like a marketing or sorry, merchandising,
soundtrack sequel, stuff like that, which I'm assuming Columbia agree
to because in addition to starring, he would also act
as the film's executive producer, and that would be his

(09:39):
first time in that position and would end up giving
him a say in the marketing and the merchandising decisions,
which you'll come yeah, which you'll come into play later
of course. But in August of ninety two, Mark Kenton,
who is the I mentioned before, was the chairman or
is yeah, at the time, was the chairman of Columbia
Pictures hosts a quote unquote synergy meeting that included seventy

(10:03):
executives from various divisions of Sony, which was Columbia's parent company.
So the meeting was basically one big circle jerk where
they were talking about how much money they were going
to make from all the various merchandise and advertising from
the film and just like kind of discussing it, like
just including basically stuff like including the video games, the
Sony Music released soundtrack I said that weird, but and

(10:27):
a twenty five million dollar marketing campaign that included tians
with Burger King, reboch, MTV, and Mattel. Yeah. So, like,
of course, Schwartzniker's there because he's the film's executive producer. Sure,
and even gave a speech about his commitment to making
the film a success while holding a stogie and saying, quote,

(10:48):
I want to be involved with every facet of the
film from start to finish. I'm behind you. I'm accessible
to each and every person in this room anytime unquote.
But yeah, I think I mentioned in the last episode
that I was right around this that Columbia supposedly announced
a June eighteenth, nineteen ninety three release date. And I'm
not exactly sure when I say supposedly, because it's mentioned

(11:09):
like way later, like when the movie is released. That
La Times said that they announced as far back is July,
but the earliest that I could find about it was
like with the date was like I think like September anyway,
So I'm not exactly sure when Universal announced the Jurassic
Park release date, but the earliest mention of it I
can find was you Yeah, that September nineteen ninety two
Variety article that mentions both films release dates, but the

(11:32):
date mentioned in the article are different from what they
eventually end up being, so the date from Last Action
Hero is still the same. But apparently Universal originally set
Jurassic Parts release date for June twenty fifth, so it
opened a week after Last Action Hero. Yeah, And by
the way, Universal also held one of these merchandising and

(11:52):
advertising synergy type meetings in October of ninety two for
Jurassic Park, but with one very notable different So instead
of the executives from their own company like Circle, drinking
each other, Universal invites a bunch of prospective promotional partners
from various like fast food chains, and toy and video
game companies.

Speaker 2 (12:12):
Mmm.

Speaker 1 (12:12):
Yes, and those motherfuckers had to pitch for the honor
of Universal granting them the advertising rets. Yeah, like hopefully
like some like Thundernome like Winter take Call, like cage match,
that type of ship. But yeah, that which is this
minute bones some bone sye action right there. Basically Universal
knew that it had like a huge it's a fucking

(12:34):
spill work with the Dynasta. It's basically obviously it's it
ends up getting compared to Jaws, and Spielberg actually said,
like it's Jaws on Land, but like it's like Jaws et.
Anytime you get like that type of Spilberg movie, it'd
always like so far it's crushed. Yeah, which, like especially
like once they saw that like animatronic t Rex I'm
created by ILM, it was just probably like, oh man,

(12:55):
this moon is good. Anyway. So after a few days
after Columbia's Synergy meeting, they basically start the campaigning for
the like the movie to the media, with Arnold calling
last section hero quote the ticket for ninety three, which
I believe actually ends up being a tagline on one
of the movie's posters. Yeah, there's also a couple of

(13:16):
interesting quotes from Columbia's executives, with their chief of marketing,
whose name is Sid Gannis or Ginnis, doing just a
bang up job describing the movie genre saying, quote, there's
no genre for the movie. It only looks like an
action movie. It's about an action movie star. I think
it's more what is it? It's it's uh, it's fantasy.

(13:37):
That is how the way he's quoted.

Speaker 2 (13:41):
Awesome there, Yes it.

Speaker 1 (13:43):
Says, uh, it's a I think it's more, what is it,
it's it's, uh, it's fantasy.

Speaker 2 (13:51):
Like that, it's still a lot of confidence.

Speaker 1 (13:53):
I can't because like a media, the media is gonna
play a big part in the how this movie does,
and I can't tell it seems like from the beginning
they're already rooting against them.

Speaker 2 (14:04):
Tour you take that out usually yeah, yeah.

Speaker 1 (14:07):
And you clean up, you clean up the statement and
then you just put at the end like the editor
for clarity thing.

Speaker 2 (14:12):
Yeah yeah yeah.

Speaker 1 (14:13):
So.

Speaker 4 (14:13):
But also fantasy is the wrong term. When I heard fantasy,
I think orcs and do you think the time though,
like uh, like Princess Bride, but.

Speaker 2 (14:23):
Like yeah like conam conam.

Speaker 1 (14:27):
Yeah, especially if if Schwarzenegers. Yeah, I can't think of
anything early nineties and that kind of died out for
a little while, didn't.

Speaker 4 (14:34):
It kind of trying to elaborate story ever ending story,
Oh yeah, never story.

Speaker 3 (14:40):
Yeah, yeah, it's it's a story.

Speaker 4 (14:43):
I mean, it's still going on.

Speaker 2 (14:44):
She's like it fucking ended, So I'm not gonna fucking yeah.
They're full of shit.

Speaker 1 (14:49):
Right, I don't know just the way they did. Like,
I'm no marketing ways, but you probably should figure out
the genre of the film that you're the head of
marketing for before you speak to the media. Sid definitely
come on.

Speaker 2 (15:01):
But I'd say that's as much his fault as the
biggest fault, maybe a little bit.

Speaker 1 (15:08):
See it's well.

Speaker 2 (15:11):
Yeah, I just yeah, just.

Speaker 4 (15:16):
Uh.

Speaker 1 (15:16):
But so you also had Columbia chairman Mark Canton telling them, quote,
next summer is the season that will make me or
break me. This is the big one. This is the
best thing I've ever done, unquote, and yeah, man, that's
cool whatever.

Speaker 2 (15:30):
And I'm never getting fired, well, which it doesn't.

Speaker 1 (15:34):
For a while, but like that quote would be fine
except for the fact that they that pretty much every
article that quoted him as saying that also mentioned the
time when he was VP of of Warner Brothers, he
said that The Bonfire of the Vanities was the best
movie you ever saw, so, which I mentioned before. But yeah,
so like every single time, every single article that I read,

(15:54):
just it was like he said this, and but then
he like they threw that in there too. It's just
like damn like, you guys are hard. Which again, part
of the problem with this movie is like arrogance and whatever.
And it starts right from the beginning. Yeah, like of
arrogance of the marketing for sure, and we'll get back
to the marketing campaign later. But uh, it's good. En
off to a great start, you can tell you. Okay,

(16:16):
So late August, Jurassic Parks about two weeks into filming.
This is when last action here begins its pre production face.
And there wasn't much infu I can find as far
as pre production. I'm assuming because of the shortened length,
which I've been told isn't a big deal. It's how
you use it that matters. You know, that wasn't great
that Erica was the first person that laughed about that, But.

Speaker 2 (16:39):
I'm all right, yeah, I wouldn't know anything about that.

Speaker 1 (16:45):
Anyway. So just keeps laughing throughout the whole rest of
the episode.

Speaker 2 (16:52):
The just kidd muttering to herself every once in a while,
doesn't matter.

Speaker 1 (17:01):
How you use it anyway. Uh yeah. So, basically, in
order for the film to be ready in time for
its June eighteenth release, the Last Action Hero production team
was given a pre production period of only eight weeks.
Yeah wow, yeah compared.

Speaker 4 (17:22):
That's shorter than our segments on pre production.

Speaker 1 (17:28):
Exactly.

Speaker 5 (17:29):
We're the Durastic Park of pre productions.

Speaker 1 (17:34):
So that's compared to two years for Jurassic Park, which
I get like it, they need more time because you
got to create like the digital.

Speaker 2 (17:39):
Ian Jurassic Parks, but still it's still a huge, like
eight that's such a huge difference.

Speaker 1 (17:45):
Yes, And I looked up the average production time and
it's anywhere between three and six months. So eight weeks
is yeah, fucking ridiculous, Like that's setting your film up
for failure. Basically, I don't know, and I don't I
don't even know if a longer overall production would have
meant that the film would have performed better financially, because,
like as we'll find out, the quality of the film

(18:07):
didn't seem to like it wasn't like the sole factor
or even the biggest factor behind why it bombed the
box office. But yeah, anyway, so the pre production stuff
I wanted to mention was just pretty much the casting,
because this movie has like a when you look at
the actual cast, a pretty freaking awesome cast. Yeah it has.
There's four Oscar winners, which were f Murray Abraham and

(18:28):
he won for Amideus and identy five Best Actor, Anthony
Quinn who played Vivaldi Benedict's boss, one Supporting two supporting Actors,
and one nineteen fifty seven for Lust for Life, which
I think is about iggy pop. And then like nineteen
fifty three Paviva sapata, which is about a shoe. Is
that what zapata is? Yes? Okay?

Speaker 2 (18:49):
Is it pot?

Speaker 1 (18:50):
What is it an o or use? I know that
makes a difference.

Speaker 4 (18:54):
In Spanish, it's an okay, So what's zapata? Then the
girl's shoe, heel, it's a it's a name.

Speaker 2 (19:07):
Every pair has a male shoe and a female shoe
if a girl is wearing I think Joe's right. It
was probably about amelianoa Okay, did you look it up?
But I just looked up and that's the first thing
that shows up.

Speaker 1 (19:26):
Wait, a million, A million? Yeah, so amillion is a
part of the girls shoe or the shoe designer, a
girl with a.

Speaker 2 (19:37):
Male shoe, a female shoe.

Speaker 3 (19:41):
Okay, cool, just making sure why there's a pair right
in LS.

Speaker 1 (19:46):
You then had Art Carney, who I did not know
when an Oscar. Uh it was what do you say,
the honey Honeymooners.

Speaker 2 (19:52):
Yeah, yeah, yes, like that's the main thing.

Speaker 1 (19:55):
Yeah, the Honeymooners. He was, That's what he was in.
He was, uh, hey, he is his favorite cousin, Frank,
his favorite second cousin, Frank. Not yeah, but yeah. He
wanted an Oscar nineteen seventy five for Best Actor for
Harry and Tonto. I don't know what that is. It
sounds slightly like.

Speaker 5 (20:13):
It might be problematic, Yeah, but I didn't look it
up because I was running out of time at this morn.
So maybe it's about Harry and Henderson's and Tonto and
how they would be friends, because that I don't know.

Speaker 2 (20:26):
Like, the funny thing is you could put that in
a lineup with like BJ and the Bear and a
couple other things, and I'd be like, yeah, it all
sounds the same, well, one of them want an oscar.

Speaker 4 (20:38):
That's actually I don't know if you guys know the
band Minus the Bear, but that's how they got their
name was somebody was like, hey, how the day go?
Like remember the movie BJ and the Bear. It's just
like that minus the Bear. So that's how the name
got their name. Also, I only really I know I've
seen f Murray Raham and other stuff, but I can

(20:59):
only picture him in mythic quest, So I don't know if.

Speaker 2 (21:04):
That's what I that's what I mostly know him from.
I mean, I know i've seen him and other stuff
like Amadayas.

Speaker 1 (21:09):
I think I only know him from this and Amadayas.
Oh oh thirteen Ghosts mm hmm, yeah.

Speaker 4 (21:15):
Isn't that.

Speaker 2 (21:15):
Yeah, he's a he's post number eight.

Speaker 1 (21:18):
He plays, he plays like he plays the owner of
the house. I think, yeah, but it's you know what,
if I had had more time, I probably would have
looked at we'll get there, because I eventually we're gonna
look at their careers afterwards, because I'm like, man, it
wasn't going well if he's doing me whatever. Anyway, I
like thirteen Ghosts, but it also had like boobs, so

(21:38):
they were prosthetic, but it didn't take much at that,
like back in two thousand and one or two thousand.

Speaker 4 (21:44):
A squiggly exact line exactly anyway, ship, I can draw
a pair of boobs right now, whiteboard, pencil shop, you
know where you want.

Speaker 2 (21:59):
Just like sometimes I can't write w's. I don't know
what to tell you.

Speaker 3 (22:05):
W's.

Speaker 1 (22:09):
Oh if I turned the paper sideways, or it looks
like god dam just start getting mad when that said
happened to me. Anytime I see something, I'm like, God,
damn it, Now I gotta jerk off. Anyway, Sometimes it
kind of is I was gonna write, well, all right,

(22:35):
I guess I'm making my plans.

Speaker 2 (22:36):
You got gum on your shoes, Like, all right, I
guess I'll spend twenty minutes doing.

Speaker 3 (22:39):
This warm up my writing hand.

Speaker 1 (22:47):
Okay. Then the last person with the oscar is Mercedes
Rule and the ne can tell you say last name,
which is Denny's mom. And she won in nineteen ninety
two for Best Actress for The Fisher King, which I think.

Speaker 2 (22:59):
Is that Robin Williams.

Speaker 1 (23:00):
I think so, but I get that mixed up with
something else. I'm pretty is that the Jeff Bridges of
Robin Williams one.

Speaker 2 (23:05):
Uh yeah, the one where he's uh, I've never seen homeless.
I think, yeah, I Rob Williams is homeless. Maybe I'm
pretty sure that's it. Yeah, well, let's say it is
those movies. All. There's three movies that always stick together
in my mind because Robin Williams looks like a slob
in him. It's the Fisher King Moscow on the Hudson

(23:27):
and Jacob the Liar.

Speaker 1 (23:29):
Wait, isn't he clean shaven? And Jacob the Liar?

Speaker 3 (23:31):
Is he?

Speaker 2 (23:32):
Maybe I'm confusing that for another movie Chimanji. Yeah, that's
what I Yep, that's what I'm confusing for Jacob the Liar,
which isn't.

Speaker 1 (23:42):
Jacob a liar about the Holocaust? Yep? Okay, okay, And
then featured two Oscar nominees, which were the awesomely named
Joan plow Right. I read that name.

Speaker 4 (23:57):
I was like, fuck, yeah, hey, step stepping on my bit?

Speaker 1 (24:02):
Oh sorry, us like crossing names off?

Speaker 2 (24:06):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (24:10):
She played Danny's teacher. In nineteen ninety three, she won
Best Actress for Enchanted April, which I have no idea
what that's about.

Speaker 2 (24:16):
Oh? What was she?

Speaker 1 (24:17):
But she also she was in Dennis the Minta. She
played missus Weston right, Yeah, yeah, oh George. Anyway, there
was also Michael Vigazzo who plays Terrelli, which I don't
remember who Terrelli is. I'm assuming he's part of the
mob people. I don't know. Anyway, the rest of the
cast is pretty pretty good as well. Yeah, there's Charles
Dance who played Benedict and hasn't at the time had

(24:40):
like an ass load of credits, but I only really
knew him from The Golden Child, the like weird ass
nineteen these eighty six movie that Eddie Murphy did between
apparently between Beverly Hills Cop one and two, which is
strange because he was fucking huge at the time and
that's what she had. Like sorry, Like I looked at
her profess because I like, wait, when was this Neddie
Murphy's career. That's weird. It's in between the like his

(25:01):
like when he was at his pinnacle, but he was
also like like in his list of stuff he uh.
I think that's when he was trying to do music
at the same time. So yeah, anyway, Golden Child, I
I mean, the movie's fine.

Speaker 2 (25:16):
I don't know, I remember liking it, but I haven't
seen it. I don't know.

Speaker 1 (25:19):
Fifteen punch remember it being fucking weird. Yeah, this is
very weird. It's it's it's got a weird tone to it. Yeah,
for sure, like Eddie Murphy seems out of it's it's
it's like not yeah, kind of out of like the
I don't know anyway. Uh so, uh, Charles Dance had
just come off Alien three, so it's kind of like
a one two punch of quote unquote bad movies.

Speaker 2 (25:40):
Yeah, it wasn't for bombs.

Speaker 1 (25:42):
No, they weren't bombs because I looked up not bombs,
but like like critical bombs. Yeah, but yeah, I was like, yeah,
at first I put down bombs and then I looked
up Alien three and it hit him. It like had
a fifty million dollar dollar budget and made like one
hundred and fifty million, one hundred and sixty million or
something like that. So yeah, I mean, unless like the
marketing was crazy for or I don't know. There was

(26:03):
also Austin O'Brien, who plays Danny. His only credit before
this was the nineteen eighty two movie lawnmower Man, which
I never watched, but like seemed kind of weird and
I'm pretty sure, it's like a Stephen King book, But
I like, did did Joe? Did you watch that? Because
I figured if anyway.

Speaker 4 (26:18):
I think maybe I did in the nineties and then
I've wanted to watch it recently but I just haven't
got around to it. But I know Stephen King absolutely
hated that movie.

Speaker 1 (26:32):
Is that the name of the story?

Speaker 4 (26:35):
It's a short story? Yeah, okay, but I always get that.
And uh, what was that one with Edward Furlong? Because
like a virtual reality world things get.

Speaker 1 (26:45):
All wait, are you talking about Hecker?

Speaker 4 (26:47):
That's what it is.

Speaker 1 (26:47):
Now are you talking about virtuosity?

Speaker 4 (26:51):
I think that's the song by Jamiroqua.

Speaker 2 (26:53):
Now that's virtual insanity.

Speaker 4 (26:55):
Brain scan, that's what it was.

Speaker 2 (26:58):
What year was that?

Speaker 4 (27:00):
Ty four? So a teenager is part of an interactive
video game where he kills innocent victims. Later the murder's
become real.

Speaker 3 (27:09):
Oh shit, Jamon three.

Speaker 1 (27:13):
Yeah. So moving on from there, there's a couple of
important production dates that bookend November nineteen ninety two, with
production on Last Section and Hero finally beginning on November two,
and then Jurassic Park wrapping production on November thirtieth, which
Spielberg finished almost two weeks ahead of schedule and several

(27:33):
million dollars under budget, which I could be wrong, but
I'm pretty sure that's like one of his like things
that he's known for, like as far as like stuff
like that, as being extremely efficient. I guess when it
comes to just filming like her. Now we're watching a
Riders of the Lost direct thing a long time ago,
where it's he's very good at like, yeah, we don't
need that scene, I guess as the story is going
along and I know it doesn't film like in uh.

Speaker 2 (27:53):
Yeah, not in secret.

Speaker 1 (27:54):
So yeah, yeah, yeah, but yeah, he's very good with
that stuff.

Speaker 2 (27:58):
He's got a good eye for that.

Speaker 1 (27:59):
Yeah, heads up. But some of the dates for the
last section of production stuff, I'm gonna mention a big
vague kind of try my best to sort of get
it into a timeline, but it might not be completely accurate.
That's I guess. O'kay. That's for anybody that might be listening.
That's like, what the fuck it, They're not even close, just.

Speaker 2 (28:15):
Like super that's for comment ors, so shut the fuck up.

Speaker 1 (28:17):
Yeah, exactly for the people that the two of the
people that listen, so anyway, So yeah, So, according to
Columbia Pictures, the film supposedly had a budget of forty
seven point five million, which is bullshit because like when
you consider that they paid twenty million to just Schwarzenegger
and John mccernan twenty point five because mctennon's was five
point five. So it's honestly strange, like the stuff that
Columbia ends up lying about, like as far as the film,

(28:39):
because we're definitely we're definitely gonna see more of it.
So yeah, according to pretty much everyone else, the actual
original budget was set for sixty million, so forty million
after Arnold and mccernan sure that they're gonna be able
to stay in within that budget and finish the film
on time, right, they have like eight weeks or whatever. Yeah, like,
if Spielberg can do it for a Jurassic Park, then
they can do it.

Speaker 2 (28:58):
Too, exactly considering how much preparation went into.

Speaker 1 (29:04):
This exactly eight weeks and part of the reason that
Spielberg like banged out production so quickly on Jurassic Park.
And I read this, but it sounds like it's pretty
much true. But he originally had his heart set on
doing Schindler's List after Hook because Hook was the woman
that he did before Jurassic Park, but Universal specifically shid
sid Sheinberg basically held Schindler's List hostage until after he

(29:28):
gave them Jurassic Park. So supposedly they would only green
light Shindler's List on the condition that Spielberg made Jurassic
Park first, just like, oh wait, you want to do
your passion project, like because they knew he was, like,
because he was like, I gotta make this movie. I
gotta make He's like, well, they're like, well, it's unfortunate
because my passion project is I want to own one
of every yacht that's available.

Speaker 2 (29:46):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (29:48):
Like, so we're gonna need Jurassic Park first, I don't know. Yeah,
And I'm pretty sure he went directly from wherever they
finished filming Durastic Park to Europe Eastern I don't know
where they filmed those lists. I was gonna look at them.
I'm like, we're not.

Speaker 2 (30:02):
But I know it was in it somewhere that he
was doing like editing on dress.

Speaker 1 (30:06):
Yes, so he was. He was supervising post production from
from wherever he was doing that, Yeah, which I'm sure
was super fun when you're just getting depressed as fuck,
like while doing that, like yeah, I don't know that.
That was just a little fact that I was like, man,
there's studios here whatever.

Speaker 2 (30:24):
Anyway, it's not Yeah, it's not like Spielberg is known
for like dropping out of project's right, Like I don't
know why you trust him anyway.

Speaker 6 (30:30):
There's always the first time they want maybe they just
wanted money now or yeah they always want the money. Well,
yeah he had maybe maybe Sid Sheinberg had, isn't I'm
pretty sure that's the one they always mentioned on thirty
Rock by the way too, because like Shinberg. Yeah, because
I think they Shinehart, Oh Shinehart. Okay, well but still
like yeah, yeah, I'm sure that's that's what they're.

Speaker 4 (30:49):
Uh e it is uh crack O Poland crack Owland
crack Ow.

Speaker 2 (30:56):
That's where he was for Shindler's List to.

Speaker 4 (30:59):
Start or that's yeah, main filming location.

Speaker 1 (31:02):
Okay, But I don't know, Like I'm curious if Jurassic
Park helped like the success, Like you Steven Spielberg, who
just did Jurassic Park is doing Schindler's List and that
helps this like the sales.

Speaker 2 (31:13):
Or whatever like the box office for that. But I
feel like it's probably the opposite. I mean maybe it
would help more than hook I guess, but like, I
feel like it's probably the opposite where people saw him
doing a serious drama about the Holocaust, and we're like,
you're gonna get the Jaws and Jurassic Park and fucking
et dude to do a serious movie about the Holocaust.

Speaker 1 (31:33):
See, I don't want to end up looking that up.
Yeah anyway, Okay, So, like I said, filming on Last
Action Hero began November two, nineteen ninety two, with Austin
O'Brien telling Empire in a twenty twelve interview quote, during
the first week on set, we kept screen testing cars.
Arnold and I would drive around in different vehicles trying

(31:54):
to find an iconic car for Slater. That was such
a strange process. I also remember Boots being a really
big deal unquote. But that totally sounds like something they
should be spending a week doing.

Speaker 2 (32:05):
Wait, why is he Why is Austin O'Brien getting fucking
input on like what car he drives and what?

Speaker 1 (32:11):
No. I think he was just with him as they
were just driving around, like you know that's did he
watch the movie? Well? Did you watch the movie again?

Speaker 2 (32:18):
Yeah, it's got to be Well they're driving.

Speaker 1 (32:20):
Around a lot like when they're Yeah, yeah for sure.
I don't know, Like he's like, what's what's do these
guys look the coolesting or something like, it's gotta be
something like that.

Speaker 2 (32:28):
Yeah, I guess maybe if they were doing actual like
screen testing.

Speaker 1 (32:30):
Yeah, but you think that that sounds like a pre
production thing though, So yeah, for sure, I don't know.

Speaker 3 (32:36):
Anyway, those boots then he ends up with to look
very similar to the ones yeah that he shows off
on uh.

Speaker 2 (32:44):
And Kelly, Yeah, you gotta taste for it.

Speaker 1 (32:50):
Right In case you guys are thinking like, well, maybe
you know, that's probably not the best use of their time,
a very limited production time, but maybe it means all
try extra hardest to the original estimated budget. Well, if
I got a quote for you, which comes from Austin
Bryan again in that same Empire article, saying, quote, every
day there was something amazing happening, a car flying over

(33:12):
a truck or a huge gunfight, and we had a
big enough budget that if we blew something up and
it didn't look great, we'd do it again. Unquote.

Speaker 5 (33:20):
I totally can send a budget bunder and stuff like that.

Speaker 2 (33:25):
That's great.

Speaker 1 (33:26):
Then, in addition, to potential ah shit, I blink that
many potential Like in addition to potential time and budget issues,
they began running into problems while filling pretty much brought
off the bat because about three weeks into production, while
shooting the opening scene in downtown Los Angeles, which was

(33:48):
like The Ripper and Jack Slader's kid scene. But yeah,
according to Variety, the special effects explosions reportedly blew out
the windows of several neighboring houses. Yeah so they had
to pay for that, but which whatever, But like, holy fuck,
how big is that explosion?

Speaker 2 (34:04):
Which that's just really it's just like real life. The
lapd blew out the windows with those fireworks a.

Speaker 1 (34:09):
Few years ago, did they what happened with fireworks?

Speaker 2 (34:12):
You don't remember that? They found a bunch of illegal
fireworks and yeah, so they put them in this like
bomb disposal thing, which was just like a dome on
a truck and then blew them up in the middle
of a crowded neighborhood, just exploded them all at once,
and it fucking it set off a bunch of car alarms.
It blew out everybody's windows. It was fucking yeah. Wow, Jesus,

(34:34):
dumb assholes.

Speaker 1 (34:36):
Okay, So yeah, a few weeks later, while filming at
night in the Moholland Hillside area, which I'm pretty sure
is like the rich area, Like that's where I think
where celebrities live.

Speaker 2 (34:48):
Mholland's yeah, like a nicer part of them.

Speaker 1 (34:50):
Yeah, they encountered quote blunt community resistance, according to the
Hollywood Reporter, and I'm assuming that was due to excessive noise,
but they didn't say, but they' eventually agreed to be
done by midnight for their remaining two weeks that they
were there. And this kerfuffle with the rich people living
in Holland the Holland area took place mid to late December,
which I mentioned because it was also around the time

(35:12):
they released their first trailer for the film, which was
actually the teaser trailer. And I have a bit of
interesting info for this, like for the teaser trailer, but
first I wanted to show it to you guys, so
here let me Yeah, hi, guys, just cutting in real
quick to say sorry and let you know that we're
not actually going to include any of the teaser trailers
that we watched because there's basically no dialogue in them.
But if you want to watch them. We did include
the YouTube links for all of them in the episode description,

(35:35):
so definitely make sure to check them out if you
haven't seen them before because they're pretty interesting. But yeah, anyway,
that's all. Let's get back to it.

Speaker 3 (35:42):
Okay, So, I like it looks like it should be
three D.

Speaker 1 (35:46):
Well, there isn't really much to it. For those listening,
it was like it's like there's not much happening. It's
sort of like the part of the opening scene, but
like not any the good stuff.

Speaker 3 (35:55):
It's a teaser.

Speaker 1 (35:55):
It's basically just Arnold's character arriving to the opening scene exactly.

Speaker 2 (36:00):
And that's and even that is only the last like
fifteen seconds.

Speaker 1 (36:03):
Yeah, and it's him talking to the camera fast.

Speaker 2 (36:05):
I think there was a couple of cool things, like
when the spotlight goes outside of the frame.

Speaker 1 (36:09):
I don't even notice that.

Speaker 2 (36:10):
You didn't even know.

Speaker 1 (36:11):
Okay, by the way, like it's a lot better in
headphones when you're actually like because yeah, anyway, well we're
gonna like the screen.

Speaker 2 (36:19):
Is slowly yeah, the the like picture is slowly growing
in frame, and some elements of the movie are actually
like leaving the frame. So it kind of gives you
a hint as to what the movie is going to be. See,
I didn't even catch it, Like everything about the teaser
except for the part where they call their shot and
they're like the big tickets.

Speaker 1 (36:35):
Yeah, that's gonna become a problem eventually.

Speaker 2 (36:38):
Why would you ever do that?

Speaker 1 (36:40):
So, according to a few different sources, this trailer allegedly
costs anywhere between five hundred thousand dollars and seven hundred
and fifty thousand dollars, with Variety reporting that the explosion
sequence allegedly costs three hundred thousand dollars, which is freaking
the same because there weren't really any I'm assuming, which
is what I was thinking of. I'm assuming those were
the explosion sequences that blew out the windows, because it

(37:00):
feels like they filmed this when they were filming that.
So there was fire shooting out of a building. But
that's it, right, Like there was nothing else.

Speaker 2 (37:08):
No, yeah, no, like real big explosions. Yeah.

Speaker 1 (37:11):
And like I'm not trying to sound like some kind
of towny here, Like I know that that's not a
crazy amount of money when it comes to a Hollywood movie,
like five hundred But the t two trailers supposedly cost
one hundred and fifty thousand dollars. And I'll say this
again because I know I said this during the Terminata
three episode, but that Terminator two trailer was much more
effective as far as hyping movies. Yeah, and here I'm

(37:33):
gonna Eric hasn't seen that, so plus I just want
to watch agin so I'm just gonna do that real fast.
That was she has shows what we're talking about.

Speaker 3 (37:41):
I don't know, it's pretty good.

Speaker 1 (37:43):
I know it's a I know it's a sequel trailer,
so it's a little different, but still like it's so good.
And by the way, I'm not one hundred percent sure
that cost one hundred three thousand dollars because most of
the stuff that I could find about its cost linked
to an article that doesn't provide any sort of legitimate source.
Because I did see one that's saying, like something seen
that it cost five hundre but wouldn't be surprised if
it did cost one hundred fifty thousand because there's not
a lot to it.

Speaker 2 (38:04):
Well, I was gonna say that at first, like before
I rewatched it, but now looking at it, it's like
they actually kind of had to build a lot of stuff,
you know, what I mean, like the last Section Hero trailer,
they didn't build anything. They just parked a bunch of cars,
had a little bit of fire and lights. I don't know.

Speaker 1 (38:20):
Yeah, it's also a lot of close ups too that
like with the turn.

Speaker 2 (38:22):
It's true, but yeah, I don't know.

Speaker 1 (38:25):
I'm sure I'll spend way too much time trying to
find the actual cost that when we covered two. Yes,
and once again I think it's important to compare what
Columbia did for Last Action Hero to Universal's Drastic Park
to the trailer, which was released around the same time.
And uh, I don't know. We'll watch it first before
I comment on eight.

Speaker 2 (38:47):
Hold on to you.

Speaker 1 (38:48):
But okay, so we're not gonna include a lot of
in the whatever. But like, just like out last Section Hero,
it's not a scene from the movie. It's sort of
like a basic version of the dig scene from the movie,
which with like someone finding a fossilized mosquito and then
extracting that sweet dinogism, which I think is that's what
it is, right, It's it's not sure that's what that's
what mosquitoes drink.

Speaker 2 (39:08):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, mosquito blows the dinosaur right, yeah, and
then it goes and takes the rest on the nearest tree.

Speaker 1 (39:15):
Exactly.

Speaker 4 (39:17):
Bug bites on my balls.

Speaker 1 (39:18):
So yeah, exactly when you see a mosquito. Like usually
when I see mosquito flying around, I pulled them my
pants down. I'm like, go to town fellas, you.

Speaker 4 (39:25):
Know, somebody got to put their mouth on it.

Speaker 2 (39:33):
I like it was. Once the voice thever came in,
I was like, this is like a cold open for
an unsolved mystery.

Speaker 3 (39:40):
Yeah, it really gives me mysteries. Or like, as a kid,
the only thing I was allowed to really watch was
like Bible stuff, Bible stuff. It really reminds me of
like Bible, the Bible stories like by Hannah Barbera. Was
it the voice, Yeah, it's the voice and the in
the in the Jurassic Park thing and everything really gave

(40:00):
me those vibes. I kind of want to find a
trailer just to send it to you guys, to be like, yeah,
that's it.

Speaker 1 (40:05):
I really now after saying the unsolved mysteressing, I really
really wish they would have got Robert Stack to do that,
because that would have been been awesome. The trailer's fine,
there's not much to it and absolutely no dinosaurs. But
I don't know, Like I watched both of them last night,
and I still I think it works better the fact
that they're hyping dinosaurs.

Speaker 2 (40:24):
Yeah, I mean I wasn't around, and maybe you guys
were too young. Was was the novel like a huge hit?
Like would it be enough to get like name recognition
just from the novel?

Speaker 1 (40:36):
No, I don't think so, because from what I read,
it was a moderate success and then it got big
after the movie came out.

Speaker 2 (40:44):
Got it.

Speaker 1 (40:44):
Yeah, And by the way, I spent way too long,
like unsuccessfully looking for the budget for that trailer, But
because of how basic it is, I'm assuming there's no
way it costs more than like sixty to seventy dollars.

Speaker 2 (40:53):
Like, there's no way it costs more than that, like
some day laborers hitting just like that was a five
hundred thousand dollars trailer rented a microscope, you know what.

Speaker 3 (41:03):
That's what reminded me of the Bible Adventures too, because
the specific specific one I watched was like three they
were like three archaeologists and they had like found like
some big well they like found I don't know, like
some sort of doorway and it opens and it's like, yeah,

(41:27):
I don't know. I just remember it's like archaeologists and
it's got this voice over and then it's all like
big production of like du and it just shows like
the drill really like I don't know.

Speaker 1 (41:41):
And then they found out that dinosaurs were testing your
faith and.

Speaker 3 (41:46):
Brow like that's top tier cartoons, you know, So if
I'm not allowed to watch regular ones, might as well
watch the top tier Bible ones. I can.

Speaker 1 (41:55):
You know what's great watching the old Simpsons with her
is anytime the Flanders stuff comes on and like Roden
Todd Flanders starts singing, start singing some songs, and Erica's
singing the songs with him. I'm like, holy shit, you
you had an interesting childhood. Like I came in just
before because I was plaining drums like before we started,
and it came out and it's that scene where Homer's

(42:17):
trying to run from them, because like it's the the
same episode that we were talking about before we started,
like with the Home of the Heretic where he's running
from them. They're singing the Joy and then I had
forty Daisy Daisy and I come around the corner and
Erica's singing the song with them, and there's one other
one where it was, which I think is the same
like the thirties about Jesus is it where there he's

(42:40):
trying to figure out how where they learned the language
from and they finally figure out Homer.

Speaker 3 (42:44):
But I was just.

Speaker 2 (42:45):
Watching that one.

Speaker 1 (42:46):
Yes, and there he's uh, they're playing a board game
and they start singing a song and she's in the
room and I walk in there. I'm like, I feel like,
I feel like this is ship that you would do
because she was already in bed. She's like, yeah, it was,
and do it. I totally do that song too. It's like,
oh my god. She's like, we definitely played those type
of games. But anyway, okay, so uh I And again,

(43:10):
like watching that last Action Hero trailer this time was like, Okay,
this isn't as bad as like the first couple of
times that I watched it, but like it was just
baffling to me that that cost half a million dollars. Yeah,
and it also seems that they were the only.

Speaker 2 (43:23):
One that had a cast member in it. Right, you
gotta pay Arnold for that trailer?

Speaker 1 (43:27):
No, because he's an executive producer, so I'm assuming it's
already included Yeah, they were just completely banking on the
fact that Arnold Schwartz sending your star power would sell
the film because they don't show anything, which whatever, But
like on top of that, what are you going to show,
because like you can't really explain what the movie. It's
hard to explain with the movies about that.

Speaker 2 (43:47):
Like, yeah, I kind of like that. There's like some
hints at its medonists that like stuff is leaving the
frame and that he's talking straight.

Speaker 1 (43:53):
To the audience. I did not notice any of that
at all, except for the obviously talking to the audience
any other stuff.

Speaker 4 (44:00):
Smoke, Yeah, the smoke came out first, so I didn't.

Speaker 1 (44:03):
Okay, I gotta watch that again. But anyway, they're like,
it's it's an Ramal Schwortznager film. It doesn't matter what's about.
Come on, you got like the biggestar in the world,
which at the time makes sense, Like I don't know,
I kind of that.

Speaker 3 (44:13):
Way more interesting than the Jurassic Park one.

Speaker 4 (44:16):
But yeah, me too.

Speaker 1 (44:19):
See that Jurassic Park one. Once the voice over comes in,
it gets me like, yeah, like the beginning of it
is not the best, but once a voice over comes
in and it's like kind of. I'm like the voiceker.

Speaker 3 (44:29):
Immediately I was like, this is a documentary, Like like
I was opposite the.

Speaker 1 (44:35):
First time I watched the Rafts Park one, I was like,
this is just as boring as the last section, heroe.
But when I watched the last night, I was like, Okay,
this is this isn't bad anyway.

Speaker 4 (44:41):
See I'm the opposite that one's like, they found the
dino DNA and for his first time humans dinosaurs are together.
It's like, yeah, I don't get a ship, but the
other one to ship blowing up and then Arnold rolls
up like here comes Slater. Yeah the gun.

Speaker 2 (44:58):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (44:58):
I'm like hell yeah.

Speaker 3 (45:00):
And he breaks the third like wall and talks to
you and you're like fuck yeah, Like I'm on board, dude,
fucking yeah.

Speaker 2 (45:07):
They should have had mister DNA do the narration. That's
what a DNA maam and DNA.

Speaker 4 (45:14):
So it's a nanasau fucking Sergeant Candy for Terninator three.

Speaker 2 (45:22):
I'm Sergeant Candyo DNA anyway.

Speaker 1 (45:31):
Okay, so uh moving back to the last section of production,
which was shooting in a different locations around southern California
and January ninety three, and I'll give some details on
the locations when we do the summary. But yeah, a
couple of important decisions happened around this time that possibly
had like a big effect on how both films performed
at the box office. The first one, which happened sometime

(45:53):
during the week of January, like between like January eighteenth
and January twenty sixth, was a Universal deciding to move
up Jurassic Park's release date by two weeks. So instead
of a June twenty fifth release, which would have been
a week after Last Action Hero, Universal announced that Jurassic
Park would now hit theaters June eleven, so one week before,
and that left Columbia with the decision to make specifically

(46:15):
chairman Mark Canton, who had decided Last Section Hero was
his baby, basically, you want to start a franchise with it,
So it's going to like make his mark as the
head of the studio his first but.

Speaker 4 (46:25):
It's it's already called the Last Action Hero. Yeah, where
do you go after that second? Before last?

Speaker 1 (46:32):
Back loop it around and so.

Speaker 4 (46:34):
First, negative one.

Speaker 1 (46:36):
Lastest, I don't know, okay, okay, So anyways, so does
Mark Canton still keep the Juni eighteenth release date even
though he knows how tight the schedule is, or does
he maybe swap dates with another film, for instance, Clint
Eastwood's In the Line of Fire, which was scheduled to
come out July ninth, about two weeks after Last Section Hero,
because in addition to basically like taking it like out

(46:58):
of direct competition pretty much with Jurassic Park, it would
also give Last Section Hero they're extremely roush schedule some
much needed time for additional post production fine tuning. Sounds
like a okay idea looking back now, which okay, whatever,
But at the time, Mark Ken aka Bonfire of the
Cannates was pretty much like, fuck that, We're going to

(47:19):
keep the release date because this is the best movie
I've ever seen and have seen like four movies like so,
which he kind of he definitely said anyway, And supposedly
his reason for this decision was due in part to
Canton putting too much stock and having a film starring
arm Schwarzenegger, which makes sense, and I totally agree with
him as far as that because Arnold was like the
biggest star in the world at the time, So I

(47:41):
don't think that uh, Canton put too much stock in
Arnold because a year later, True Lives would obviously prove
he still has massive box office appill. Yeah, but his
biggest mistake was that apparently Canton underestimated Steven Spielberg's box
office prowess. Yeah, whose last two films nineteen eighty nine
as Always and then nineteen ninety one's Hook didn't end
doing as well as expected. And by the way, this

(48:02):
in no way means they lost money. Yeah, Hook made
three hundred million on a seventy million dollar budget. Jesus,
although quote unquote underperformed by only making one hundred nineteen
million domestically. Like if that happened, I even know it.
Put on suicide Watch, Like, oh my god, seriously. But yeah,
and then that.

Speaker 2 (48:19):
Happened to anybody today, they'd be the biggest director of
the fucking world.

Speaker 1 (48:24):
But uh yeah. And then there was his nineteen eighty
nine film Always, which I haven't seen, but I think
it's about the blank twenty a two song, Like I
don't know what else it would be about. But yeah,
that made seventy four million on a forty three point
eight million dollar budget, which I think may I don't
know if it lost money because it's also a romantic drama,
so I don't know how much they spent on marketing, Like,
I didn't look too much into it, so it's possible

(48:47):
that it probably broke even or like made a little
bit of money. Anyway, the problem was was that this
was Spielberg, whose other movie released in nineteen eighty nine,
besides always was Indian Jones in the Last Crusade, which
made four hundred and seventy four million on a forty
eight million dollar budget.

Speaker 2 (49:03):
That's pretty good, yeah, Jesus.

Speaker 1 (49:05):
So if you think about it, it's not really that
his two followups failed. It's the fact that they were
Spielberg films and they didn't make a kajillion dollars at
the box office.

Speaker 2 (49:12):
Yeah, exactly.

Speaker 1 (49:15):
Yeah. So unfortunately that dufus Mark Kenton was supposedly only
considering those last two films, and while Spielberg's last two
films were considered box office disappointments, Arnold's last two films
or sorry, Arnold's last few films were fucking huge.

Speaker 2 (49:30):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (49:30):
So his last four films, which were Twins which made
two hundred and sixteen million, Kindergarten Cop two hundred and
two million total recalled two hundred and sixty one million,
and Terminator two five hundred and eighteen million grossed about
one point two billion worldwide. So the confidence mark Kenton
had an Arnold is, like I said, totally justifiable, like

(49:50):
basically underestimating how well Steven Spielberg's films performed. When Spielberg
is making like a summer blockbuster.

Speaker 2 (49:57):
Yeah, that's the thing. Yeah, So it's like always is
of course, always isn't going to make like fucking Jaws
money or right eighteen exactly, Jaws.

Speaker 3 (50:05):
Was like the ultimate summer blockbust. Yeah.

Speaker 4 (50:08):
So I mean, yeah, they literally invented.

Speaker 3 (50:11):
The summer bluster. Yeah.

Speaker 1 (50:14):
And I guess supposedly, Mark Cannon thought Spillberg was on
a downslide, like after his last two films underperformed, because
he was like, oh yea, his careers on a downslide.
But looking at his filmography at Spilbriggs, before Last Crusade,
he hadn't done a true summer blockbuster since Temple a Doom,
which was nineteen eighty four, So what is that, I
don't know, math five years. So the movies he directed

(50:36):
between those two Indiana Jones films were The Color Purple
and Identity five and Empire of the Sun. I think
Empire of the Sun might have lost money. And I
don't remember what Color Purple made, but I don't think
it lost money.

Speaker 3 (50:45):
Yeah, I wouldn't expect it to.

Speaker 1 (50:47):
But just the three Indiana Jones films earned one point
two billion worldwide. Yeah, and that's just his Indiana Jones films.
As far as movies in the eighties, you throw in
each he that made another six hundred and nineteen million,
So he made almost two billion dollars, Yes, almost two

(51:08):
billion from four movies. Yeah, Jesus, And that's just like
movies in the eighties, because he also had close encounters
the third kind fucking Jaws in the seventies, which, as
we already discussed, had like yeah, like had a huge
impact by crushing Bobby Effels in the dreams of continuing
to make pretentious movies. He's like, I'm gonna ride this
trend through through the eighties and the nineties or whatever.
He's like, that's a good thing. You killed my sex life, Spielberg,

(51:30):
Do you have many casting couch fucking opportunities are lost
because of you?

Speaker 3 (51:34):
Blockbuster? More like cock bluster, that's what that was his
nickname for Spielberg.

Speaker 1 (51:43):
Oh, anyway, the stupid thing is is that even Spielberg
himself described Jurassic Park as Jaws on land. So I
don't think anyone involved with Jurassic Park at any doubt
that it was going to be huge. Yeah, so underestimating
Spilberg just was extradremely short sighted on Markin's part, especially
when it's a movie about bringing dinosaurs to life.

Speaker 2 (52:04):
So yeah, he does.

Speaker 1 (52:06):
He always doesn't go to any half measures, like with
Jaws or anything like that. I'm trying to think. I
don't see they don't show any aliens in closing I've
never seen closing games the third kind. I don't think
they show any aliens. I think it's just like it's
just like a Jefferson's kind of starship. I think that
they show yeah.

Speaker 4 (52:21):
Yeah, they're like blinking the lights and then he puts
some mashed potatoes together and then.

Speaker 1 (52:26):
Oh wait, is that what the Yeah exactly.

Speaker 4 (52:29):
What the Simpsons thing is becoming a clown, Yeah to
Crown Clown College. Yeah no, like, uh yeah, Richard Dreyfuss
is like all obsessed with the aliens and he thinks
they're getting give him signals and he makes a fucking
spaceship at uh.

Speaker 2 (52:48):
He makes the Mountain or whatever.

Speaker 4 (52:50):
I don't know.

Speaker 2 (52:51):
They like the Mountain go to and I've seen parts
of it a long time.

Speaker 4 (52:55):
It's good.

Speaker 1 (52:56):
I'm assuming it's good.

Speaker 4 (52:57):
Yeah, yeah, I haven't seen that like fifteen years. But
but yeah, I think at the end he goes spoilers
on the Spaceship.

Speaker 1 (53:06):
So yeah, so I think I think that was a
crackt thing I read where it was like a panditing
your family or something like that. And again, like who
knows if switching dates would have even helped Last Section.

Speaker 4 (53:17):
Hero, but like, I mean, I think it would have
because they're they're kind of I guess going kind of
you know that PG. Thirteen area of attracting those.

Speaker 2 (53:30):
Viewers the same audience.

Speaker 4 (53:32):
Yes, so if they yeah, if they would have switched
out in the line of fire, which is probably like true.

Speaker 1 (53:38):
That's a very true because that's completely different audience too.
That's exactly There ain't no way Clint east Woo's going
for the Jurassic Park audience.

Speaker 2 (53:44):
Nope, that is racist.

Speaker 1 (53:47):
That's a very good point. Okay. Yeah, as far as
like switching dates, like helping Last Section Hero, you would
have had more time and post production. And then again,
like we're saying not going directly up against Draassic Parks,
So there's no way it wouldn't have heard it. Switching dates,
Yeah for sure, and he gives we'll get to a
reason one of his reasons later. But it's just one

(54:10):
of the many odd, like ridiculously overconfident decisions that Columbia
made about last section Hero. And it was definitely over
confidence because they continuously touted it like it as the
biggest movie you saw the ticket of ninety three, the
biggest movie of nineteen ninety three, and basically shrugged off
any mentions of Jurassic Park by saying they weren't worried
about the movie, like they weren't no no competition. There's

(54:30):
even a picture actually here, I can let me see
if I can add it to.

Speaker 3 (54:34):
Were they aware of how realistic these dinosaurs look?

Speaker 2 (54:37):
See?

Speaker 1 (54:38):
Okay, See that's another thing because like from what I
read when I was looking stuff up, they were originally
like thinking about doing a stop motion, but.

Speaker 2 (54:47):
I remember reading, man, yeah that would all look just
brings to mind that old the.

Speaker 1 (54:50):
Simbad Ones, Like you know, his his TV specials were
his house Guests. Yeah there you go, Yeah, first kid,
all his HBO special.

Speaker 3 (55:00):
It reminds me of Missus Delfire with the one guy
that's like going with the dinosaurs, just being like.

Speaker 2 (55:08):
Yeah, okay, uh yeah.

Speaker 1 (55:11):
They were definitely not worried about or made in themselves
seem like they were't worried about Jurassic Park. There's even
a picture from I think it was Premier Magazine of
Arnold on set after they filmed the tarpet scene with
him pointing and laughing at the t Rex behind him.
Here's the here's the picture of it. That's funny there.

Speaker 3 (55:28):
And context that's funny.

Speaker 1 (55:30):
And it's a funny picture too, like we'll end up
posting it, but yeah, it's in the group chat if
you want to look at it. Like the way that
Columbia dealt with Jurassic Park kind of reminded me of
that scene from Madmen where Don Draper's in the elevator
with one of the junior agents from his firm that
he could kind of screwed over, which actually have a
there's like a mean thing that I that there's for
that I'll send it to you, do you guys know? Well,

(55:51):
I know Jodah's but so stupid. And that took like
another twenty minutes to do what they should have been writing.
But you know, okay, so the scene is basically what happens.

Speaker 4 (56:05):
Joe, like, why am I blanking on his name? Gilroy?

Speaker 1 (56:09):
I was damn it. I looked it up too, and
I didn't write it down. I remember there was Ginsburg Ginsburg.

Speaker 4 (56:15):
Yeah, there is. Basically what happens is like Don is
going to pitch something to somewhere and he's got his
art in Ginsburg's art, who's like a like an up
and coming yeah, creative, but Don intentionally leaves his thing
in the cab and then he pitches his idea to

(56:37):
the people. And then really Don does it because he's
kind of scared of Ginsburg and like his creativity. And
then later on Ginsburg confronts of it an elevators, like
I feel bad for you, and Don's like, I don't
think about you at all, which, yeah, which became a
meme because you can use it and like this. Yeah,

(57:01):
but I mean in reality, he was the opposite. He
thought about him like he intimidated.

Speaker 1 (57:06):
Basically like torpedoed him because he was like threatened by him.

Speaker 2 (57:11):
It's funny that how that happens. Memes almost always entirely
stripped the context of like whatever come from and like
end up meaning the opposite thing.

Speaker 1 (57:20):
Yeah, but it works in this situation because, like, I'm
pretty sure that's how it was. And by the way,
I totally get that you have to hype the film
up while promoting it, but last section year it doesn't
really have that same like big summer movie feel to
it that movies like Terminator two or Jurassic Park or
some like Independence.

Speaker 2 (57:36):
State would have.

Speaker 1 (57:37):
Sure, Like even John McTiernan addressed that when he told
Empire magazine in twenty twelve, quote, I didn't have time
to get intimately involved in all the press disasters, but
the advertising campaign was terrible. It did seem that if
they hadn't overhyped the movie, it would have been a
lot easier to sell it, because it's actually sweet and

(57:57):
kind of small in its heart. It isn't Cleopatra, it's
the anti Cleopatra. If they had come on, that's all
it takes is just say come on something, and then
I start cracking up Jesus Christ like a fucking child.

Speaker 2 (58:13):
Whatever.

Speaker 1 (58:13):
Anyway, if they had come on, if they had just
come on, Elizabeth Taylor, if they'd come at it a
little more quietly. I'm just change in the world because
they probably would have worked out better for them unquote.
And he's not wrong about either of those things actually,
because they're advertising. Can't which is where the we're gonna
stop because it goes into advertising. But yeah, so we'll

(58:36):
get into the advertising later anyway, Okay, and that's gonna
do it for this episode, but join us next week
as we take a deep dive in the last Action
Heroes insane marketing campaign that was quite literally out of
this world hint hint. Until then, though, thank you so
much for listening, and if you could please help us
out by leaving either a rating or review on either
Apple podcast or Spotify, it would just be amazing. It

(58:58):
helps us reach more people, helps us. Thank you once again,
and we'll see y soon see the If.

Speaker 2 (59:05):
You enjoy our show, please consider giving us a positive
review on Apple Podcasts or your podcast.

Speaker 4 (59:11):
App of choice.

Speaker 2 (59:12):
You can follow us on Twitter and Instagram at the
Potty Richter to make sure you never miss an episode.
See you with the Potty Richter is a production of
tape Deck Media. Follow tape Deck on Instagram at tape deck,
Underscore Media, or look us up on Facebook for more
hilarious podcasts.

Speaker 3 (59:29):
This has been a tape Deck Media production.

Speaker 1 (59:32):
Thank you for listening.