John Wayne Blamed His Final Movie’s Box Office Disappointment on ‘King Kong’
Actor John Wayne was a reliable box office name earlier in his career. However, the decline of the Western genre resulted in the actor going through some difficult hardships. Nevertheless, Wayne continued to star in a variety of adult Western and war features. His final movie, The Shootist, earned a positive reception, but the same couldn’t be said for the box office total, which he blamed on the poor marketing and King Kong.
John Wayne was tired after filming his final movie, ‘The Shootist’
Wayne had a series of changes that he wanted to make to The Shootist after he finished filming. As a result, director Dong Siegel finally gave in, allowing the actor the opportunity to reshoot some of his scenes. However, they made sure not to push him too hard and allowed him to go home early for them to finish the film. According to Scott Eyman’s John Wayne: The Life and Legend, The Shootist‘s box office wasn’t the only issue with the movie.
“The director and the producers were wise enough not to push Duke for a full day’s work,” actor Hugh O’Brian said. “They let him home early because they wanted to finish the film.”
The picture finally came to a close on April 5, 1976, but both Wayne and Siegel were absolutely exhausted. However, the actor was pleased with the final product.
John Wayne blamed ‘The Shootist’s box office on ‘King Kong’ marketing
Eyman wrote that The Shootist was released in July of the same year, which was far too soon. As a result of mismanaged marketing, Wayne was upset about the disappointing box office. Additionally, he blamed the way that the studio amplified the voice of the latest King Kong movie over his latest adult Western.
“Those people are putting all their damn time into King Kong,” Wayne told his assistant, Pat Stacy, referring to the De Laurentiis remake. “They think the Wayne movie will make it on its own. Well, it won’t. People don’t go to see a movie just because my name is on the marquee.”
Wayne continued: “Those bastards don’t understand that. It used to be the case, but it’s not the case anymore.”
The Shootist earned $5.9 million in rentals in North America against its $8 million budget. The final Wayne movie would do a bit better overseas, but it remained underwhelming business.
“I wouldn’t say it lost money, but it didn’t make any money,” producer William Self said. “It would be fair to call it a disappointment. It’s a sad picture and not a typical Western; he dies at the end. [ Producer M.J.] Frankovich and I both had a percentage of the profits, and somewhere along the line, I sold him my share. A few years later, I asked Mike Wayne how the Wayne estate was doing with the picture, and he told me they sold their percentage to De Laurentiis.”
The entertainment trades highlighted the actor’s performance for awards season
Despite an underwhelming box office, Wayne enjoyed some of the best press of his career on The Shootist. Film critics and audiences praised his “very sober” performance that presented something radically different from his previous roles. Many awards season enthusiasts thought the actor would ultimately earn an Oscar nomination for his performance, but that wouldn’t come to pass.
Nevertheless, the entertainment trades headlined Wayne with the slogan “Consider Duke Before You Vote” to remind voters of The Shootist. Despite the fact that the movie didn’t make any money, the film that would ultimately be Wayne’s last one turned out to be one of his best.
