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George Lucas Almost Ruined
8. Is is true that Star Wars The Empire Strikes Back had a nightmare movie production whereby the film went way, way over the production budget?
The film production budget of Star Wars Episode 4 A New Hope was very, very extremely tiny at about $ 11 million U.S. dollars. When this monetary amount is adjusted for inflation for today, this equals roughly $ 45 million U.S. dollars. Obviously, you can't make an epic and grand science fiction movie on such a paltry film budget. However, George Lucas is always accomplishing the impossible, which is exactly why he is an unparalleled film making mastermind.
However, as a fact of reality, Lucas thought filming A New Hope was a complete horror, but it was only to get much worse when Lucas began work on Star Wars Episode 5 The Empire Strikes Back, which was the most important and most anticipated movie sequel in the history of cinema. Most fans forget that Lucas has not always been an infinitely wealthy multi billionaire with unlimited funds. Back in the ancient days of Star Wars, it took literally every wooden nickel Lucas had to complete the Star Wars classic trilogy.
Initially, Lucas established a movie budget of around $ 15 million U.S. dollars for The Empire Strikes Back. Highly unrealistic, but no one questions Lucas. This lack of money explains why The Empire Strikes Back is largely devoid of complex action sequences like the spell binding and miraculous computer animated battle sequences from the stunning Star Wars prequel trilogy, which exist almost beyond the imagination in greatness.
Yet Lucas had no way to envision just how bad it was going to get for him personally and especially for the unfortunate fans of A New Hope. Against the advise of film producer Gary Kurtz (a visionary movie genius by any standard), Lucas hired the inexperienced Irvin Kershner (Kersh) to direct the most significant movie continuation ever known. It was a total disaster from the very first day. Kersh immediately fell behind the film schedule and the monetary budget began to escalate out of control. Kersh had absolutely no idea how to create a major Hollywood blockbuster movie. This is the reason Kersh had no financially successful motion pictures before or after The Empire Strikes Back. Not a single person can name a second movie directed by Kersh.
Eventually, the production budget for The Empire Strikes Back topped out at $ 25 million U.S. dollars, which was nearly double what Lucas could afford to spend if Lucas wanted to be able to produce Star Wars Episode 6 Return of the Jedi without immense monetary difficulties. Anyway to make the longest story of all time a little bit longer, the nightmare wouldn't end for Lucas while making The Empire Strikes Back. These years haunt Lucas even now. The inexplicable naivety of Lucas to hire the inexpensive Kersh instead of paying an expensive rate of top dollars for a seasoned and competent director cost Lucas BIG TIME. Impossible to describe in words really.
The Empire Strikes Back was a massive huge monstrous box office mega flop when compared to the cinematic box office gross of A New Hope. All and all, The Empire Strikes Back embarrassingly earned less than HALF the box office numbers of A New Hope in multiplexes cinemas theaters worldwide. For most fans, The Empire Strikes Back was an abysmal disappointment. There are a few delusionals, who remember The Empire Strikes Back with rose colored glasses, but if The Empire Strikes Back is so stellarly awesome, then why didn't the fans show up to watch The Empire Strikes Back as many times as the fans endlessly watched A New Hope in cineplexes theatres?
Where were you when Lucas really needed your support in May 1980? Without doubt or question, the true Star Wars fans reject Star Wars movies that aren't written and directed by George Lucas, who is the most financially successful writer, director and producer in the history of Hollywood. Nothing else needs to be said although this harshly deserved critique could and probably should continue for eternity. The nightmare never ends.
Irvin Kershner Out of Control
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