50 Star Wars secrets that will blow your mind
By Josh Hill
42. Meet Joe Black Was A Box Office Smash Thanks To The Phantom Menace
Back in the infancy of the Internet, movie trailers were still a big deal at the theater. The Phantom Menace came about right at the edge of two eras, a time when trailers were absorbed in the cinemas and also digested online. Because not everyone had the Internet to stream the trailer for the newest Star Wars film in 1998, they flocked to the theaters to see it.
This boosted the ticket sales of Meet Joe Black, which was already looking to be a box office hit since it starred Brad Pitt.
However, the ticket sales went through the roof when fans heard that the trailer for the Phantom Menace was attached to the beginning of the film. Fans would buy tickets to the movie, see the trailer and then leave.
This distorted the box office numbers for Meet Joe Black, but you won’t hear anyone who helped make that movie complaining about that.
Next: 41. Han Solo In Episode III