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Wes Anderon rose to fame as a single filmmaker. Her style is flawless, returns to his breakout hit “Rushmore.” In the Oscar-winning film The Grand Budapest Hotel. There's no denying it when you watch a Wes Anderson movie. The filmmaker has been working consistently for 30 years, which is not an easy task. There have been some speed bumps along the way, that's for sure, but Anderson always manages to recover.
One such speed bump came in 2009 with the release of Anderson's stop-motion animated film Fantastic Mr. Fox. Although critically acclaimed, the film was not a box office success, to put it mildly. Against a budget of $40 million, the film reportedly grossed just over $46 million worldwide in its initial run. However, the relative failure of this film paved the way for one of his greatest successes. Namely, in 2012 “Moon Native Kingdom”.
In a 2012 interview DeadlineAnderson explained it later “Fantastic Mr. Fox” failed at the box office (something he took responsibility for)securing a bigger budget for his next project was more difficult. As a result, when he decided to pull the trigger on Moonrise Kingdom, he had to do it for a much more modest sum. For Anderson:
“I think we had to make Moonrise Kingdom for less money than I feel like we would have made otherwise after we did Fantastic Mr. Fox and that movie didn't do very well. A little more, not a lot, and we'd still be making the same movie.” , but it was a little more annoying than it could have been.”
Although “Fantastic Mr. Fox” was not a huge success in its time, it eventually found its audience. There's even a Criterion Blu-ray release in 2019. You can buy it from Amazon. Anderson's films have longevity, something not all directors pay for. Besides, the director learned a valuable lesson in making that film. “I'd rather make the movie I want to make than make the hit he thinks we can make,” Anderson said in the same interview.
Moonrise Kingdom benefited from its low budget
Finally, Anderson was able to secure a budget of $16 million to create a love story about two 12-year-olds who run away on the island of New Penzance, New England in the 60s. Making a period piece with an A-list cast on this budget is no easy feat, but Anderson pulled it off. Even with a smaller budget, he made Moonrise Kingdom the way he wanted it to be. As he says, it was certainly more difficult under the financial constraints, but it was also his film.
Newcomers Kara Hayward and Jared Gilman star as Susie and Sam, respectively, but Anderson also joins Bruce Willis, Edward Norton, Harvey Keitel, Bill Murray, Frances McDormand and Tilda Swinton, among others. However, the film's total budget is not much more than what an A-lister could earn for a blockbuster at the peak of his career. Fortunately, Anderson's reputation as a filmmaker means that actors want to work with him regardless of the payday.
“I think I made $4,200 from this movie,” Edward Norton said in a 2019 interview. Entertainment Week. “People ask me why were you in the Prada ad in London?” “Because I want to do movies like Moonrise Kingdom and Wes isn't paying… I've definitely lost money on every Wes Anderson movie I've ever done.” Norton also said he wanted to feature Anderson as a director.
Moonrise Kingdom was a huge hit, both critically and commercially. It grossed $68.8 million at the box office globally, or more than four times its production budget. It was also nominated for Best Original Screenplay at the Oscars that year. The only Anderson films to gross more were The Grand Budapest Hotel ($163 million) and The Royal Tenenbaums ($71.4 million).
Taking less money but retaining creative control is the template Anderson has largely followed ever since. It's a big part of what made Asteroid City such a huge hitHe's working for less money for the chance to be in another Wes Anderson movie with an A-list cast. If “Fantastic Mister Fox” was a big hit, who knows? Perhaps Anderson's filmography looks very different.
“Moonrise Kingdom” is available to rent or buy on Prime Video.
