Happy Indie-Pendence Day!
The Visitor (4/11/08)
Box Office (or Lack Thereof): $7.1M
Big Star(s), Little Movie? Pretty much no stars, unless you count critics’ reviews. Veteran character actor Richard Jenkins (Six Feet Under, et al.) played the lead, with the only other slightly recognizable thespian being another Richard: Richard Kind.
Big-Studio Deal Breaker: Even though The Visitor stands as one of 2008’s very best so far, it had two strikes against it as far as studios are concerned: no big names to put on the marquee and it’s a dramedy. If the movie had remedied one of those issues, it probably would’ve been snatched up for millions at one of the indie festivals; luckily the producers chose quality over quantity (of potential dollars).
