Disgraced Hollywood film producer and convicted sex offender Harvey Weinstein cut short the theater run of Oscar sensation Good Will Hunting in 1997 to mess with Robin WIlliams’ career, according to the movie’s executive producer Kevin Smith.
Smith, 51, revealed in his new book ‘Kevin Smith’s Secret Stash’ that Weinstein pulled the indie film from theaters just as it was gaining Oscar buzz, because Williams had negotiated a deal whereby he would rake in more of the profits if the movie grossed over $100 million.
The actor and movie producer alleged that Weinstein’s production company Miramax would have had to split the profits of the 1997 hit with Williams, and so Weinstein prevented the movie from being shown in theaters to keep the lion’s share of the box office takings.
‘I remember when ‘Good Will Hunting’ was leaving theaters and it felt weird because it was like, ‘Wait? There’s all this Oscar buzz, so why would you pull it if it was just making money?’ said Smith.
‘[Miramax and Weinstein] did it because keeping it in theaters meant that more of the money would go to Robin, whereas the moment it went to video the split wasn’t Robin-heavy. It was hamstrung because of greed.’
Good Will Hunting nonetheless went on to gross $225 million in its original theater run, 25-times the paltry $10 million budget.
Robin Williams won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor while Ben Affleck and Matt Damon won an academy award for Best Original Screenplay.
Actor and producer Kevin Smith released a book last month titled ‘Kevin Smith’s Secret Stash’ in which he claimed disgraced producer and sex offender Harvey Weinstein tried to mess with Robin Williams’ career by cutting his profits from Good Will Hunting
Harvey Weinstein, founder of production company Miramax, allegedly cut short Good Will Hunting’s theater run in an attempt to stop it from grossing over $100 million. Smith claimed that Robin Williams had negotiated a deal by which he would receive more of the profits if the film passed the $100 million threshold. Weinstein has since been sentenced to 23 years in prison for several sex offences.
Pictured: Robin Williams (left) and Matt Damon (right) in character as Dr Sean Maguire and Will Hunting in the 1997 indie-hit Good Will Hunting which won them both an Oscar
The indie film, whose screenplay was written by starring actors Matt Damon and Ben Affleck (pictured holding their academy awards for Best Original Screenplay in 1998), earned over $225 million at the box office, was nominated for nine academy awards and won two Oscars
Good Will Hunting is a drama directed by Gus Van Saint in 1997 on a budget of just $10 million.
The indie film, whose screenplay was written by starring actors Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, earned over $225 million at the box office, was nominated for nine academy awards and won two Oscars.
Weinstein meanwhile was last year convicted of several sex offences and sentenced to 23 years in prison after dozens of women, including several high-profile actors such as Gwyneth Paltrow, Salma Hayek and Rose McGowen accused him of sexual abuse and harassment.
Robin Williams was one of the world’s best known and highly-acclaimed actors and comedians before his death in 2014.
He starred in films such as Dead Poet’s Society and Hook, and is widely regarded as one of the best comedians of all time, known for his incredible range of impressions, quick wit and capacity for improvisation.
Williams was found dead at his home in San Francisco in August 2014 aged 63, and it was later revealed that he had committed suicide.
The beloved comedian and actor was known to have struggled with depression, and was also contending with the effects of Lewy body dementia, a disease which causes problems with movement and body control as well as behavior and mood.
Robin Williams holds up his Oscar after winning in the Best Actor in a Supporting Role category during the 70th Academy Awards (23 March 1998 at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles). Williams won for his role in Good Will Hunting as psychotherapist Dr Sean Maguire helping a troubled math genius played by Damon
Smith released his book ‘Kevin Smith’s Secret Stash’ on September 14, 2021.
Styled as an autobiography-meets-trivia book, Smith tells the story of his journey from ‘convenience store worker to international film icon’, while revealing previously unknown stories, anecdotes and bits of trivia from the TV shows and films he has been involved with.
Several of Smith’s cult films such as ‘Clerks,’ ‘Chasing Amy,’ ‘Jersey Girl’ and ‘Dogma’ were produced by Weinstein and Miramax.
Weinstein meanwhile co-founded the Miramax production company with his brother Bob in 1979, which went on to produce a litany of films including seven which grossed over $100 million at the box office such as Good Will Hunting and Chicago.
Weinstein was booted from the company in October 2017 when several women accused him of sexual abuse and harassment dating back to the 1970s.
By October 31, 2017, more than 80 women had come forward with allegations of sexual abuse against Weinstein, which triggered a three-year legal process and also gave rise to the #MeToo movement in which a great number of women, including several high-profile celebrities, shared their own experiences of sexual assault, harassment, or rape on social media.
Weinstein was convicted last year of several sex offences and sentenced to 23 years in prison, and has an earliest possible release date of is earliest possible release date is November 9, 2039 according to Reuters.