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Rock the Kasbah (film)

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Rock the Kasbah
Theatrical release poster
Directed byBarry Levinson
Written byMitch Glazer
Produced by
Starring
CinematographySean Bobbitt
Edited byAaron Yanes
Music byMarcelo Zarvos
Distributed byOpen Road Films[1]
Release dates
  • October 22, 2015 (2015-10-22) (Belgium premiere)
  • October 23, 2015 (2015-10-23) (United States)
Running time
106 minutes[2]
CountryUnited States[1]
LanguageEnglish
Budget$15 million[3]
Box office$3.4 million[4]

Rock the Kasbah is a 2015 American comedy film directed by Barry Levinson and written by Mitch Glazer.[5] The film stars Bill Murray as a talent manager sent to Afghanistan for a USO tour, Kate Hudson as his partner in country, Bruce Willis as his armed protection and book client, and Leem Lubany as his musical discovery. Open Road Films released the film on October 23, 2015. The film was a critical failure and box office flop.

Plot

Richie Lanz (Bill Murray), a has-been rock manager takes his last remaining client on a USO tour of Afghanistan. When Richie finds himself in Kabul, abandoned, penniless and without his U.S. passport, he discovers a young Afghan girl named Salima with an extraordinary voice and manages her through Afghanistan's version of American Idol.

The story is very freely adapted from the 2009 documentary Afghan Star, and was dedicated to one of the stars of that film, Setara Hussainzada.

Cast

Production

Bill Murray promoting the film at the 2015 San Diego Comic-Con International as his character.

The film was announced in September 2013.[5] In February 2014, Open Road Films acquired the US distribution rights to the film.[6] In March 2014, Shia LaBeouf, who had been cast in the film,[7] dropped out.[8] A few days later, Scott Caan replaced LaBeouf.[9] Principal photography and production began on June 2, 2014,[10] and ended on July 30, 2014.[11]

Release

On August 20, 2014, Open Road Films announced the film would be released on April 24, 2015.[12] On May 13, 2015, the film's release date was pushed up from November 13, 2015, to October 23, 2015.[13]

Box office

This film opened on October 23, 2015, alongside The Last Witch Hunter, Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension, Jem and the Holograms, and the expanded release of Steve Jobs. In its opening weekend, the film was originally projected to gross $6 million from 2,012 theaters; however, after grossing $75,000 during its Thursday preview screenings ($60 per theater), projections were lowered to $4 million.[14] The film grossed $529,000 on its first day, and opening weekend projections were again lowered to $1.6 million. In its opening weekend, the film grossed $1.5 million, finishing 13th at the box office.[15] According to Box Office Mojo, the film had the fifth-worst opening of all-time for a film playing in 2,000+ theaters, grossing an average $731 per venue (fellow opener Jem and the Holograms had an even worse $570 average).[16]

Reception

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 8% based on 119 reviews and an average rating of 3.4/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "The Shareef don't like Rock the Kasbah, and neither will viewers hoping for a film that manages to make effective use of Bill Murray's knack for playing lovably anarchic losers."[17] On Metacritic, the film has a score of 29 out of 100 based on 35 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".[18] On CinemaScore, audiences gave the film an average grade of "B–" on an A+ to F scale.[15]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e "Rock the Kasbah (2015)". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. Retrieved January 27, 2018.
  2. ^ "ROCK THE KASBAH (15)". British Board of Film Classification. February 22, 2016. Retrieved February 22, 2016.
  3. ^ Paul Chi (August 29, 2015). "Bill Clinton, McCartney and Springsteen Attend Billy Murray Screening". Variety. Retrieved November 10, 2015.
  4. ^ "Rock the Kasbah (2015)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved April 24, 2016.
  5. ^ a b Fleming Jr, Mike (September 3, 2013). "QED Sets Bill Murray For Barry Levinson-Directed 'Rock The Kasbah'". deadline.com. Retrieved February 6, 2014.
  6. ^ Cunningham, Todd (February 6, 2014). "Bill Murray-Shia LeBeouf Comedy 'Rock the Kasbah' Goes to Open Road". thewrap.com. Retrieved February 7, 2014.
  7. ^ McClintock, Pamela (January 30, 2014). "Kate Hudson, Bruce Willis, Shia LaBeouf Join "Rock the Kasbah"". hollywoodreporter.com. Retrieved February 6, 2014.
  8. ^ "Shia LaBeouf Exits 'Rock the Kasbah'". Hollywood Reporter. March 27, 2014. Retrieved June 9, 2014.
  9. ^ "Scott Caan Replaces Shia LaBeouf in 'Rock the Kasbah'". Variety. March 31, 2014. Retrieved June 9, 2014.
  10. ^ "On The Set For 6/2/14: Bill Murray-Starrer 'Rock the Kasbah' Starts, 'American Sniper' Wraps". Studiosystemnews.com. Retrieved June 9, 2014.
  11. ^ "Zooey Deschanel Tweets Photo from Rock the Kasbah Set". ComingSoon.net. Retrieved August 2, 2014.
  12. ^ "Open Road Sets 2015 Date For 'Rock The Kasbah'". deadline.com. August 20, 2014. Retrieved August 20, 2014.
  13. ^ Busch, Anita (April 24, 2015). "'Rock the Kasbah,' 'Michelle Darnell,' 'Star Wars,' 'Custody' – Film Briefs". Deadline. Retrieved May 16, 2015.
  14. ^ "Only 'Goosebumps' Will Prevail In Five-Pic Logjam – Box Office Preview". deadspin.com.
  15. ^ a b "'The Martian' Returning To No. 1 Above Five-Pic Logjam; 'Jem' & 'Kasbah' Crashing". Deadline.com.
  16. ^ "WORST WIDE OPENINGS 1982–Present". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved August 31, 2015.
  17. ^ "Rock the Kasbah (2015)". Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster. Retrieved March 23, 2016.
  18. ^ "Rock the Kasbah Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved September 18, 2016.
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