Zyzzyx Road
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Zyzzyx Road | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | John Penney |
| Produced by | John Penney Leo Grillo |
| Written by | John Penney |
| Starring | Leo Grillo Katherine Heigl Tom Sizemore |
| Music by | Ryan Beveridge |
| Cinematography | David Klein |
| Editing by | Joseph Gutowski |
| Distributed by | Zyzzyx LLC |
| Release date(s) | February 25, 2006 |
| Running time | 88 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $1,200,000[1] |
| Gross revenue | $30 |
Zyzzyx Road (IPA pronunciation: /zʊzɪzɪkʰs/; or phonics: /zuh-zih-zix/) is a 2006 independent thriller film. It stars Leo Grillo, Katherine Heigl, and Tom Sizemore. The screenplay was written by John Penney, who also directed the film. The film has gained a degree of notoriety due to its extremely low U.S. box office gross ($30 USD).
Contents |
[edit] Plot
Grant (Leo Grillo) is an accountant with a bad marriage and a daughter whom he loves. He takes to the road to service his accounts in Las Vegas. While there he meets seductive Marissa (Katherine Heigl). They have a week-long affair which culminates in the arrival of Marissa's ex-boyfriend, Joey (Tom Sizemore). Joey attempts to kill the lovers, but Grant gets the upper hand. Grant and Marissa then drive Joey's body to Zyzzyx Road and Grant buries Joey in the desert there. The next morning, the body is missing and something is trying to kill Grant and Marissa.
[edit] Cast
- Leo Grillo as Grant
- Katherine Heigl as Marissa
- Tom Sizemore as Joey
- Rickey Wedlock as Meth Maker
- Yorlin Madera as Truck Driver
- Di Koob as Roulette Dealer
- Meguire Grillo as Natalie
- Michael Lugenbuehl as The Shadow
[edit] Production
Filming took place in the summer of 2005 and lasted 18 days, plus an additional two days for pickup scenes. The film is 88 minutes long. The film was shot entirely on location in the Mojave Desert, in and around local mines.[2] Tom Sizemore was arrested during the film's production for repeatedly failing drug tests while on probation. He was not jailed, however, making it possible for him to film his scenes.[1]
[edit] Release and box office gross
Zyzzyx Road was shown once a day at noon for six days (February 25 through March 2, 2006) at Highland Park Village Theater in Dallas, Texas,[3] a movie theater rented by the producers for $1,000.[1] The limited release was deliberate: Grillo was uninterested in releasing the film domestically until it underwent foreign distribution, but needed to fulfill the U.S. release obligation required by the Screen Actors Guild for low-budget films[1] (films with budgets less than $2.5 million that are not for the direct-to-video market).[4]
The strategy had the side effect of making the film the lowest grossing film of all time, earning just $30 at the box office from exactly six patrons.[5] Unofficially, its opening weekend netted $20. The $10 difference is due to a personal refund by Grillo to makeup artist Sheila Moore, who had worked on the film, and her friend.[1]
Both Zyzzyx Road and the similarly-named Zzyzx have been cited as the lowest-grossing film of all time; Zyzzyx Road is in fact the lowest-grossing film.[6]
The film was released in twenty-three countries and by the end of 2006, had earned about $368,000.[1] As of 2009[update], the film has not yet received the legitimate domestic distribution that the producers had hoped would follow its foreign release.
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d e f Brunner, Rob (February 16, 2007). "The Strange and Twisted Tale of...The Movie That Grossed $30.00". Entertainment Weekly. pp. 46–49. http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20011268,00.html.
- ^ "Leo Grillo Interview". Katherine Heigl Online. 2006-06-10. http://www.kheigl.com/print/leogrillo100606/index.shtml. Retrieved 2007-01-02.
- ^ Strowbridge, C.S. (2006-02-24). "Little Films Hoping to be Big Fish in Limited Release Pond". The Numbers News (Nash Information Services, LLC.). http://www.the-numbers.com/interactive/newsStory.php?newsID=1764. Retrieved 2007-01-02.
- ^ The New Ishtar, a February 2007 article from Time magazine
- ^ "Zyzzyx Road (2006)". Box Office Mojo. http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=zyzzyxroad.htm. Retrieved 2007-01-02.
- ^ Faraci, Devin. (January 10, 2007) Chud.com Crisis on infinite Zyzzyx roads.
