DREAM HOUSE

Dream House

Fully financed by Morgan Creek for $50 million and reports that estimate an additional $5 million for reshoots, Dream House would be the troubled company’s first film in three years and end as a money hemorrhaging disaster. After much interference from Morgan Creek’s co-founder James G. Robinson, director Jim Sheridan disowned the picture and unsuccessfully tried to get his name removed from the credits. Actors Daniel Craig, Rachel Weisz and Naomi Watts refused to promote the film and Dream House predictably flopped at the box office. Morgan Creek finances their marketing spend and distributes through Universal and their distribution arm was in the process of bankruptcy protection and Dream House did it no favors with an $8,129,355 opening in the US after a sizable ad spend. The pic, which wasn’t screened for critics, placed #6 for the weekend led by Dolphin Tale and came in slightly ahead of the comedy flop What’s Your Number?. Dream House fell 44.9% in both its second and third weekends and closed its run with a poor $21,302,340. Morgan Creek would see back about $11.7 million after theaters take their percentage of the gross, not even covering half of the ad spend, plus a fee to Universal. Morgan Creek slightly padded its large loss on the picture by pre-selling foreign rights, but the film only mustered $18,630,000 overseas, even going straight to video in major territory Germany, so little or no cash overages would flow back to them. Morgan Creek has not put another film back into production after this misfire and their co-production on fellow 2011 flop The Thing, which was released three weeks later. Recorded domestic video sales were just $5.9 million (less after resellers take their cut and manufacturing costs).