Why wasnt grindhouse successful at the boxoffice? It got so many positive review!
Question: Why did it perform so horribly, not even average performance but horrible?
Answers: Why did it perform so horribly, not even average performance but horrible?
For a number of reasons, none of which had to do with the quality of the films.
First off, it was a film that was meant to appeal only to those people familiar with what a Grindhouse was. If you didn't grow up watching low budget, B rated horror/action films, you weren't going to get the humor of Grindhouse. Also, Grindhouses don't exist anymore, and most people have never even heard of that term.
And don't forget the length. The film was a double feature, and the two films had very little to do with each other. So, many people stayed away because nothing about the film interested them. Even Tarantino/Rodriguez fans didn't all go, as neither films were complete movies.
So, the fact that the film made any money at all was amazing.
I saw it in theatres and loved it. But, I'm weird.
3 hours long....half of the people in the theater I was at left after the first movie ended...they didn't know it was a double feature...very little publicity, they relied on word of mouth but very few showed up for it's first weekend. The DVD is completely different than the theater release. A lot of extra footage was put back in Death Proof, it made the movie better as far as the plot and character development.
It tried to recreate the grindhouse moviegoing experience of the 70's, which many people weren't familiar with or didn't remember fondly.
I think grindhouse films were a niche thing, and expecting a tribute to them to appeal to mass audiences was probably a error.
That said, "Grindhouse" totally ruled and was one of the most enjoyable moviegoing experiences I've ever had.