(Credits: Far Out / TCM)
Having spent over 30 years as one of the industry’s most popular stars, a Tom Hanks film going down in flames at the box office is such a rare occurrence that it’s basically an anomaly to this stage.
Of course, he wasn’t as bankable and bulletproof during the formative stages of his big screen career, although that’s not to say he didn’t find success early on. Ron Howard’s Splash was only his second feature film and wasted no time in highlighting his talent as both a romantic lead and a superstar in waiting.
Debauchery comedy Bachelor party recovered its budget more than five times through ticket sales, and The silver pit was another certifiable hit that marked his first collaboration with Steven Spielberg, long before the 1986 comedy’s executive producer became his most famous creative partner.
The recurring theme is that the majority of Hanks’ early vehicles were comedies, something he sought to rectify by attempting to push his dramatic boundaries. Co-writer and director Moshe Mizrahi’s Every time we say goodbye The budget may have been modest by Hollywood standards, but it was still the most expensive Israeli production in history at the time.
Hanks plays a World War II pilot shot down in North Africa who recovers from his wounds in Jerusalem, where he falls in love with a Jewish woman. Naturally, their budding relationship causes plenty of familial and cultural friction, with the arrival of an American soldier in their midst leading to tension that extends far beyond their romance.
In an interview with David Sheff several years after the film’s release, Hanks admitted that although Every time we say goodbye “disappeared without a trace”, he was happy to call it “probably the most visually beautiful film I have ever made”. It’s unclear if that’s still an opinion he holds nearly 40 years later, but it set a record for the actor, and not in a good way.
Earning a measly $279,000 at the box office, Every time we say goodbye remains the lowest-grossing Hanks film ever released in theaters. At least he knocked him out early, but it’s an unwanted distinction that has seen him remain firmly rooted at the bottom of the pile. On the plus side, this is a testament to Hanks’ enduring stardom, with none of his post-1986 features coming close to those disastrous numbers.
2008 The great Buck Howard is the only other Hanks film to fail to make a million during its theatrical release, and even at that it came close after passing $900,000. It may be a feast for the eyes, but Every time we say goodbye has been perpetually stuck at the bottom of the profit barrel since 1986.
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(Credits: Far Out / TCM)
Having spent over 30 years as one of the industry’s most popular stars, a Tom Hanks film going down in flames at the box office is such a rare occurrence that it’s basically an anomaly to this stage.
Of course, he wasn’t as bankable and bulletproof during the formative stages of his big screen career, although that’s not to say he didn’t find success early on. Ron Howard’s Splash was only his second feature film and wasted no time in highlighting his talent as both a romantic lead and a superstar in waiting.
Debauchery comedy Bachelor party recovered its budget more than five times through ticket sales, and The silver pit was another certifiable hit that marked his first collaboration with Steven Spielberg, long before the 1986 comedy’s executive producer became his most famous creative partner.
The recurring theme is that the majority of Hanks’ early vehicles were comedies, something he sought to rectify by attempting to push his dramatic boundaries. Co-writer and director Moshe Mizrahi’s Every time we say goodbye The budget may have been modest by Hollywood standards, but it was still the most expensive Israeli production in history at the time.
Hanks plays a World War II pilot shot down in North Africa who recovers from his wounds in Jerusalem, where he falls in love with a Jewish woman. Naturally, their budding relationship causes plenty of familial and cultural friction, with the arrival of an American soldier in their midst leading to tension that extends far beyond their romance.
In an interview with David Sheff several years after the film’s release, Hanks admitted that although Every time we say goodbye “disappeared without a trace”, he was happy to call it “probably the most visually beautiful film I have ever made”. It’s unclear if that’s still an opinion he holds nearly 40 years later, but it set a record for the actor, and not in a good way.
Earning a measly $279,000 at the box office, Every time we say goodbye remains the lowest-grossing Hanks film ever released in theaters. At least he knocked him out early, but it’s an unwanted distinction that has seen him remain firmly rooted at the bottom of the pile. On the plus side, this is a testament to Hanks’ enduring stardom, with none of his post-1986 features coming close to those disastrous numbers.
2008 The great Buck Howard is the only other Hanks film to fail to make a million during its theatrical release, and even at that it came close after passing $900,000. It may be a feast for the eyes, but Every time we say goodbye has been perpetually stuck at the bottom of the profit barrel since 1986.
