There was once a day where The Weinstein Company lived and died off the backs of directors like Quentin Tarantino and Kevin Smith. Those days look to be ending, at least as far as Kevin Smith is concerned. Kevin Smith told ScreenDaily that the Weinsteins passed on financing Clerks 3.
“[The Weinsteins] passed,” Smith said. “I went in with a $6 million budget and they were like, ‘Oh no, Kevin. This is too high.’ Bob offered us distribution, but they weren’t going to finance it.”
That comes as quite a surprise. The fact that the Weinstein Brothers feels that $6 million is too much for the sequel must be a sign to whether they even find Smith a profitable filmmaker anymore. The first Clerks movie only cost Smith $30,000, which he financed with credit cards, and made $3 million in a limited release. Clerks 2 cost $5 million and went on to make $26 million worldwide.
Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back made $33 million with a $22 million budget, so even with Smith’s hardcore fan base, he has never been a box office success. The Weinsteins obviously want to put their money into something that is guaranteed to make them money. Smith’s last movie, Red State, made $1.1 million but Smith four-walled it, meaning there was barely a limited distribution at all.
Kevin Smith has said that he loves the script he wrote for Clerks 3, but with the Weinsteins refusing to pay for the movie, there might not be anyone else out there interested in helping Smith make it. Maybe if his next movie, Tusk, can pick up some critical or box office acclaim, he can make it happen. He also has the horror movie Comes the Krampus in the works as well.
Are you disappointed that the Weinsteins passed on Clerks 3? Will we ever see Dante and Randal’s ultimate conclusion? Chime in below with your thoughts.