According to poor Richard Linklater, he made basically no money from Dazed and Confused and that’s not all right, all right, all right.
The 1993 coming-of-age comedy was only Linklater’s third film but arguably remains as his most beloved work almost three decades later.
But cult classic status for Dazed and Confused hasn’t resulted in a lot of money for its writer and director. In a new interview with The Daily Beast, Linklater was asked if he made any money off the film. “Fu*k no,” was his succinct response.
“It’s like… where’s my money?” he continued. “How come a movie that cost less than $7 million has $12 million in interest against it?”
When pressed about the reasons why Dazed and Confused could be such an enduring hit yet he’s still not profiting from it, Linklater said felt most aggrieved about the soundtrack. “Ask Universal! Hollywood accounting,” he said.
“I remember really asking for a piece of the soundtrack, because I picked all the songs, and they were like, ‘Oh no… First film, you know?’ N.W.A is still pissed off about that first contract. Everybody has that first story of getting screwed with their first project. That film was an indie success. It made more than it cost theatrically, and over the years it’s been everywhere.”
According to Linklater, Dazed and Confused was an even bigger success on home video, making at least $30 million of revenue in that market, but he didn’t see a dime of it.
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While I feel for him, perhaps the only silver lining would be if Linklater feels the need to make another entry in the Before Sunrise series to boost his coffers. That would be swell.
Elsewhere in the interview, Linklater insisted the Oscars should go “more hardcore” with the ceremony. “Don’t pander. Don’t cut categories and say, “Well, nobody cares who edits.” Bullshit,” he said.
Linklater is doing the promotional rounds for his new animated film Apollo 10+1/2: A Space Age Childhood: loosely based on his childhood, it follows the fictional tale of a schoolchild who becomes the first person to land on the Moon. The film is available to watch now on Netflix.
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Check out the trailer for Apollo 10+1/2: A Space Age Childhood:
