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Box Office Poison

Hollywood's Story in a Century of Flops

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Box Office Poison

By: Tim Robey
Narrated by: Tim Robey
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About this listen

'Hugely entertaining.' Prospect
'An instant classic.' Andrew O'Hagan, author of Caledonian Road
'Expertly researched.' Sight & Sound
'A rollicking, gossipy triumph.'
Daily Telegraph *****

'Failure fascinates, for all the reasons that success is a drag . . .'

From grand follies to misunderstood masterpieces, disastrous sequels to catastrophic literary adaptations, Tim Robey's hugely entertaining Box Office Poison tells an alternative history of Hollywood, through a century of its most notable flops.

Freaks, Land of the Pharaohs, Dune, Speed 2, Catwoman, Cats: what can these films tell us about the Hollywood system, the public's appetite - or lack of it - and the circumstances that saw such box office disasters actually made? Away from the canon, here is the definitive take on these ill-fated, but essential celluloid failures.

©2024 Tim Robey (P)2024 Faber & Faber
History & Criticism
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Well read and engaging history

Really enjoyed this history of Hollywood. A well detailed history of forgotten films and tragedies, engaging anecdotes and interesting insights to the careers of film makers and actors following terrible movie decisions.

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Informative and Entertaining

A fascinating look at how changes in the way movies have been made in the last 100 years gave filmakers new and exiting ways to burn enormous sums of money. With a couple of exceptions such as Cutthroat Island and Cats, Tim Robey avoids exploring the most infamous examples of critical and financial failure, making this book feel far more than a tired and lazy rehash. This is especially the case for films such as Synecdoche,New York that failed but Robey takes the opportunity to champion. This book is well read by the author.

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