Jan 12 2002
Movies & money
According to the XLibris newsletter this week, the authors of the two biggest movies now in theaters were breathtakingly ripped off. JRR Tolkien sold the movie rights for “Lord of the Rings” for a paltry $14,500 in 1968 in order to pay his taxes. While I can sympathize with his motives, I suspect that even way back in 1968, that wasn’t very much money. In the short time the movie has been in theaters, it has made more than $205.5 MILLION.
It really surprised me to learn in the same edition of the newsletter that JK Rowling, the author of the phenomenally successful Harry Potter books, sold the movie rights for a still-paltry $1.4 million, compared to the film’s record-breaking to-date take of $300.4 million. I can believe that Tolkien was na?ve, and movies in those days weren’t the huge money makers they are now, nor did they cost anywhere near as much (although 1963’s scandalous “Cleopatra”, made in 1963, went way over budget at $44 million and nearly bankrupted the studio), but Rowling’s books were and are some of the biggest best sellers ever, all over the world. I would have thought she would have asked for a percentage of the box office as well as the original fee. Hopefuly she’ll get a better deal on the next movie in the series.
I’m not a big Tolkien fan — I find it somewhat disturbing when adults create microscopically detailed fantasy worlds, with maps and languages and mythology — and I have no interest in seeing the movie, but I do think that the producers of the film should offer a little extra money to Tolkien’s family. After all, if it weren’t for his books, there would be no movie. And it really isn’t fair that they should make multi-millions, essentially from the author’s ideas, when the author himself could barely pay his taxes.
3 Responses to “Movies & money”
I’m not sure I’ll ever read this blog again *grin*
My boyfriend certainly wouldn’t! He’s seen it (LoTR) 4 times and we have a raincheck date with his siter and her husband to see it again (time 5 my BF)
It really was a great movie! You’re missing out on this one – I feel. 🙂
Really? I have to agree, I would thought that Rowling would have asked for a percentage of the earnings. I wonder when she sold the movie rights? Who knows when it comes to that sort of stuff, someone is always screwing someone else. Do you think the movie dudes ever feel any guilt when their rolling around in their millions. Like maybe, just maybe, they should give some back to the original masterminds?
I thought LOTR was a great movie too. But, I gotta say, I’ve been reading book 1 for over a year, and well, I think the book thus far is boring. Everyone keeps telling me it gets better at the end. But does getting to the end have to be this painful? I trust it must be a lot more eventful because most of the movie I hadn’t read yet in the book and I’m ~3/4 done the book!
I have to agree — I read the books once and it was a total chore. And I read 700 page Victorian novels all the time with great enjoyment. Definitely didn’t make me want to see the movie. I mean, why spend 3 hours watching the movie version of a book that bored the pants off you?
I think Rowling signed the movie deal 2 years ago, when the books were already a huge hit, which is why I find it so odd that she settled for so little.