Zyzzyx Road
| Zyzzyx Road | |
|---|---|
| File:ZyzzyxRoad.jpg | |
| Directed by | John Penney |
| Written by | John Penney |
| Produced by | Leo Grillo Valerie McCaffrey John Penney Dorian Vernacchio |
| Starring | Katherine Heigl Leo Grillo Tom Sizemore |
| Music by | Ryan Beveridge |
| Distributed by | Regent Releasing |
Release dates | February 25, 2006 |
Running time | 88 minutes |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $1,200,000[1] |
Zyzzyx Road is a 2006 United States independent thriller film. It stars Katherine Heigl, Leo Grillo, and Tom Sizemore. The screenplay was written by John Penney, who also directed the film.
The film has gained a degree of infamy due to its extremely low box office gross, making it an extreme example of a box office bomb.
Plot synopsis
Grant 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. They have a week-long affair which culminates in the arrival of Marissa's ex-boyfriend, Joey. 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. But in the morning the body is missing and something is trying to kill Grant and Marissa.
Production
Filming took place in the summer of 2005 and lasted 18 days, plus an additional two days for pickup scenes. The film was shot entirely on location in the Mojave Desert, in and around local mines.[2]
Release and box office gross
Zyzzyx Road lasted only six days in United States release, from February 25, 2006 through March 2, 2006. The film was released in only one theater, in Dallas[3].
One of the most widely recognized aspects of Zyzzyx Road is its notably low box office draw.[4] The film is the lowest grossing film of all time, earning just 30 USD 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 release was purposefully shown for a short amount of time in the single theater, which the producers had rented for $1,000, to fulfill Screen Actors Guild rules that allow a low-budget film to pay actors a lower rate as long as that film is released in the United States. This showing in Texas was to fulfill that obligation without compromising the chances for future nationwide distribution through a distribution company.[1]
The film garnered no attention until a story about it appeared on CHUD.com on December 31, 2006. It was then picked up by Variety, followed The New York Times, NPR, and several other media outlets.[1]
Internationally, the film was released in twenty-three countries and by the end of 2006, had earned about $368,000.[1]
See also
- Zzyzx, a 2005 film of a similar name
- Zzyzx, California, home to the similarly-named Zzyzx Road
- Blood Circus, a 1985 film with extremely poor ticket sales
- A song of the same name by Stone Sour, a alternative metal band, on their current release, Come What(ever) May
Notes and references
- ^ a b c d e Brunner, Rob (#921, February 16, 2007). "The Strange and Twisted Tale of...The Movie That Grossed $30.00". Entertainment Weekly. pp. 46–49.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "Leo Grillo Interview". Katherine Heigl Online. 2006-06-10. 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. Retrieved 2007-01-02.
- ^ Faraci, Devin (2006-12-31). "What if they released a movie and nobody came?". CHUD.com. Retrieved 2007-01-02.
- ^ "Zyzzyx Road (2006)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2007-01-02.
- ^ Faraci, Devin. (January 10, 2007) Chud.com Crisis on infinite Zyzzyx roads.