Why did Life (1999) bomb at the box office?

[Memorial Stadium Piru]

It had two of the biggest stars in Hollywood, was funny as hell & had a deep message. When you see the characters fade away as the years pass by I get teary eyed

However, it only did $73.4 million at the box office with a $80 million budget. What gives?

 

[Harry Sax]

U kno why

 

[AlbertPullhoez]

Cause white folks weren't about to watch a movie with 98% nikkas in it.

That was a movie for us. Besides Eddie and Martin, there really wasn't no one else in that movie that non black folks really knew then

 

[Still Benefited]

Oh so thats why we never got a sequel. Wonder how much of that budget went to pay Eddie. Im guessing somewhere around 30-40 mil?

 

[Imyremeshaw]

I have a love/hate relationship with this movie,

One of my old folks growing up told me he was from red banks Mississippi and literally described some of the same things in the movie and was afraid as 60-70s old black man to travel back south
(we was in the DMV)

 

[Ziggiy]

It was for BLACK audiences. The studio probably thought the presence of Murphy and Lawrence would give it some crossover appeal but maybe it wasn’t marketed well. I know at the time all black people loved it. I always thought Eddie did this for us and Bowfinger for the whites

 

[AJtheOne]

Yea it’s a Funny but sad movie in a way

I have a love/hate relationship with this movie,

One of my old folks growing up told me he was from red banks Mississippi and literally described some of the same things in the movie and was afraid as 60-70s old black man to travel back south
(we was in the DMV)

 

[Kaydigi]

That movie was well produced , loved it.

 

[FlyRy]

I saw this 3 times in theaters. Last time I ever saw a movie more than once in theaters

 

[Fanservice]

Name another comedy set in the 1930’s Deep South with Black main protagonists. Certain “audiences” didn’t find that too appealing, I guess

 

[Saysumthinfunnymike]

Universal marketed it poorly and a lot of critics shyt on it too. It's one of those movies that people got wrong, it stood the test of time and now pretty much everyone loves it.

 

[Piffiztheanswer]

Saw it twice with my pops

 

[Zero]

Oh so thats why we never got a sequel.

So you didn't actually watch the movie

 

[Ziggiy]

Universal marketed it poorly and a lot of critics shyt on it too. It's one of those movies that people got wrong, it stood the test of time and now pretty much everyone loves it.

Boomerang also got shytted on by critics and THAT movie in my opinion is a classic


Critics REALLY weren’t fukking with black excellence unless it was presented in the form of crime or gansta films. The LA Times said a company with all black CEO’s wasn’t realistic.

 

[Dave24]

It was marketed poorly