Mr. Spitz

Distributors Metrodome were hugely reluctant to give the film a cinema release in the UK as the film only did average business at the North American box office and, as a small company, they wanted to keep their overheads to a minimum by selling the film to the foreign home rental market and make deals for television broadcast rights. However English director Vadim Jean , whilst understanding the business logic, felt a little short-changed as he made the film for cinema release and wanted to see it given some kind of theatrical release in his home country, not only for the sake of his own conscience but to show off to family and friends. Therefore he struck a deal with Metrodome where if they gave him a period of grace, he would finance a small UK cinema release out of his own pocket. He argued that a small summer release in the UK would be a good time as there was nothing else showing other than big Hollywood blockbusters so there would be some screen availability for a family PG comedy and most of the other small scale independent films deliberately avoided that time of the year to avoid big Hollywood releases. Although they knew the film was never going to set the box office ablaze, Metrodome were struck by his honesty and passion so graciously agreed to his request. Jean paid for four film prints to be struck (at a cost of £1500 each) and the film was indeed given a tiny release in London in the late summer of 1998 and then toured around the country for a couple of months after.

References Cheers (1982)