The Boys Star Bet Her House On A 93% Rotten Tomatoes Hit — And Lost It
The Boys star Jennifer Esposito says she’s being forced to give up the home she mortgaged to fund her 2023 film Fresh Kills, revealing the setback on Instagram despite the movie’s 93% Rotten Tomatoes score.
Oof. Jennifer Esposito says she is moving out of her house after mortgaging it to fund her indie feature 'Fresh Kills.' She shared the news in a tearful Instagram video, and it is a rough reminder of how unforgiving the money side of filmmaking can be, even when the reviews are glowing.
What happened
Esposito — who has been working steadily since the 1990s with credits like 'Crash,' 'Taxi,' 'Summer of Sam,' and Prime Video's 'The Boys' — says she put her home up as collateral to get 'Fresh Kills' made in 2023. The film went over well with critics (it is sitting at 93% on Rotten Tomatoes), but it did not connect broadly enough with audiences to earn back its costs. Now, she says mortgage problems mean she has to give up the home.
In her video, she explained she has been packing up and leaving the place she mortgaged to make the movie. She also admitted she was frustrated that high-profile folks did not help amplify the film when it needed visibility — then immediately wrestled with whether anyone actually owes anyone that kind of support.
'We owe each other decency as human beings.'
In the post caption, she widened that thought: beyond the systems that push people into nonstop survival mode and pit us against one another, she argued the baseline should be simple human decency. A lot of industry friends chimed in with support in the comments.
The tough part no one likes to talk about
This is the unglamorous part of indie filmmaking: critical acclaim does not guarantee the bank gets paid. Festival buzz, nice scores, glowing pull quotes — none of that automatically turns into ticket sales or streams, especially without a marketing machine. It is a tough, very personal outcome for a first-time feature writer-director who literally backed her movie with her own roof.
The situation in brief
- Esposito mortgaged her home to finance her 2023 directorial debut, 'Fresh Kills.'
- Despite strong reviews (93% on Rotten Tomatoes), the film did not reach a wide audience or recoup its budget.
- She says she is now giving up her home due to mortgage issues tied to that financing.
- She posted a tearful Instagram video, expressing disappointment that prominent figures did not help spread the word.
- Her takeaway: we do owe each other basic decency, even if no one is obligated to promote anyone's art.
- Colleagues from Hollywood responded with support in the comments.
- Esposito's past work includes 'Crash,' 'Taxi,' 'Summer of Sam,' and 'The Boys' on Prime Video.
It is a tough break, and a sobering one if you care about indie film. You can love a project, critics can love a project, and the math can still break your heart.