The Worst Movie Ever!

For films with notably poor reception, see List of films considered the worst.
The Worst Movie EVER!
Directed by Glenn Berggoetz
Produced by Glenn Berggoetz
Written by Glenn Berggoetz
Starring Glenn Berggoetz
Cinematography Erik Lassi
Edited by Alan Dague-Greene
Distributed by Driving With Our Eyes Shut
Release dates
  • July 8, 2011 (Van Wert Independent Film Festival)
Running time
 76 minutes
Country United States
Language English
Budget $1,000
Box office $21,010

The Worst Movie Ever! is a 2011 American sci-fi/action/drama/horror/comedy/musical film written, produced, and directed by Glenn Berggoetz.[1][2][3]

Filmmaker background

Berggoetz has previously written and directed several low budget films, including Guernica Still Burning (2008), Bad Movies, Good Showers, and Civil Engineers (2009), To Die Is Hard (2010), Therapissed (2010), and Evil Intent (2010).[4]

Synopsis

According to its movie summary the film includes, among other things: robot aliens, angst-ridden teens, cleavage-wielding soul takers, dark overlords, cross-dressers, pregnant 14-year-old cougars, macho scientists, and Santa Claus.

Cast

Critical response

IFC offers that the film lives up to its title and that it holds the possibility of becoming a cult hit, by writing that it is "quickly becoming the stuff of Internet legend as the worst grossing movie ever, a sales hook that plays nicely with that title. This week, almost 70,000 people watched the film's trailer on YouTube. If even a fraction of those folks become curious enough to seek the film out, we could have a new cult hit on our hands."[1][3] Since reporting of the film's lackluster premiere, the film's trailer has become a "mini-hit on YouTube" and initiated "something of a cult following on Facebook."[2] The film's director has stated that the low gross was not intended as a publicity stunt,[5] and resulted from both the film being scheduled to screen as part of the theater's monthly "midnight screenings", and through problems in stirring interest in the theatrical release.[2]

Release

The film had its festival premiere at the Van Wert Independent Film Festival in Van Wert, Ohio on July 8, 2011, where director Glenn Berggoetz spoke at a breakfast symposium and hosted a midnight screening of the film.[6][7]

The film had its theatrical premiere on August 19, 2011, in a single cinema,[8] the Laemmle Sunset 5 in Los Angeles, resulting in the theater's worst box office results ever: just one paid admission and grossing just $11.[1] After its release, the film gained notoriety for its extremely low viewership.[9] This figure makes it the lowest opening film in history, 'beating' the 2006 film Zyzzyx Road which attracted 6 patrons and $20 in revenue during its opening week.[3] According to the websites Boxofficemojo and The-numbers, the film has developed a bit of a following as it has now gone over $15,000 in box office revenues.

According to director Glenn Berggoetz, the film sold just one ticket over the weekend (for the sole Saturday screening), with nobody attending the Friday screening.[10]

Attempts by the theater owner and filmmaker to locate the one individual who paid to see the film over its opening weekend have so far failed.[5]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Matt Singer (August 26, 2011). "The Worst Movie EVER!" lives up to its name with epically bad grosses". IFC. Retrieved September 28, 2011.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 S.T. VanAirsdale (August 26, 2011). "The $11 Question: How The Worst Movie EVER! Scored the Worst Opening Ever". Movieline. Retrieved September 28, 2011.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 S.T. VanAirsdale (August 23, 2011). "Something Called The Worst Movie Ever! Made $11 Last Weekend". Movieline. Retrieved September 28, 2011.
  4. ↑ Kevin Kilbane (June 30, 2011). "Indie filmmaker Glenn Berggoetz comes ‘home'". News-Sentinel. Retrieved October 21, 2011.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Richard Horgan (August 26, 2011). "Denver Filmmaker Seeks to Identify ‘Viewer Zero’". FishbowlLA. Retrieved September 28, 2011.
  6. ↑ "Van Wert Independent Film Festival changes dates, adds more events". The Times Bulletin. May 10, 2011. Retrieved September 28, 2011.
  7. ↑ "Film festival brings movies from around the world to VW". The Times Bulletin. July 6, 2011. Retrieved September 28, 2011.
  8. ↑ "The Worst Movie Ever! (2011)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 25 August 2011.
  9. ↑ "Weekend Box Office Results for August 19-21, 2011". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 25 August 2011.
  10. ↑ Proud Ryu. "Box Office Mojo > Discussion Forums". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 26 August 2011. From post #23: The director was nice enough to reply to me and state that no one attended the solo Friday screening, and one person attended the solo Saturday screening.

External links