The Cutthroat Island Box Office Bomb Was Worse Than Anyone Admits

By the time it hit theaters in December 1995, Cutthroat Island had already become a cautionary tale. The film cost upwards of $115 million, yet earned a humiliating $18.5 million worldwide, effectively torpedoing its studio, Carolco Pictures. But the wreckage started long before the opening weekend.

Carolco, once an action blockbuster machine thanks to Total Recall, Basic Instinct, and Terminator 2, was already drowning in debt. After posting a $265 million loss in 1991, the studio's fate was tied to one last gamble: a pirate movie led by Renny Harlin and Geena Davis, then newly married. What could go wrong?

Plenty. The film's male lead was supposed to be Michael Douglas, who was paid $13 million before quitting over script concerns. His exit set off a desperate casting scramble — Tom Cruise, Mel Gibson, Keanu Reeves, and even Daniel Day-Lewis were all asked. Everyone passed. Carolco settled for Matthew Modine, best known from Full Metal Jacket, but hardly a box office draw.

Harlin and Davis saw the disaster coming.

"We begged to be let go," Harlin later admitted. "Geena was scared mindless about headlining this film. We felt that a pirate movie with a female lead was suicidal, but we were contractually obligated."

Harlin even spent $1 million of his own money hiring a writer for rewrites, but the problems snowballed. He feuded with crew, fired key staff, and demanded expensive reshoots. Two full-size replica pirate ships, at $1 million apiece, were built. Harlin's only directive?

"I don't want big, I want huge. I don't want fast, I want explosive. I don't want accidents, I want disasters."

The production spiraled:

• The cinematographer broke his leg falling off a crane — replaced within the first week.
• Multiple crew members quit in protest after Harlin fired his chief camera operator.
• Modine was injured several times, needing stitches repeatedly.
• The shoot wrapped on April 1, 1995 — yes, April Fool's Day.

Carolco scrambled for cash, securing an extra $40 million from European banks, just to finish the film. But by November 1995, the studio filed for bankruptcy — before the movie even hit theaters.

When it finally opened, Cutthroat Island landed in 11th place at the US box office, buried under competition like Toy Story, Jumanji, and Waiting to Exhale. Promotion was practically nonexistent — nobody wanted to throw good money after bad.

The couple's next film, The Long Kiss Goodnight (1996), fared better critically but barely broke even, still haunted by the pirate-sized shadow of Cutthroat Island. Davis and Harlin's marriage collapsed soon after; she discovered he was having a child with her assistant.

As for Carolco, their film library was snapped up by Canal+, and their stretch limo fleet became a footnote in bankruptcy filings.

For the record:

• Production budget: ~$115 million
• Extra financing to finish: $40 million
• Box office gross: $18.5 million
• Michael Douglas's initial fee: $13 million
• Replica pirate ships: $1 million each

Despite everything, the film itself is — bizarrely — not unwatchable. But it remains the movie that held an entire studio hostage, dragged its stars down with it, and forced Hollywood to steer clear of pirates for years. Until Pirates of the Caribbean showed up eight years later and did the same thing, with Johnny Depp and a better script.