Movies - TV
Clint Eastwood Thinks He Knows Why The Beguiled Failed At The Box Office
By JEREMY SMITH
When Clint Eastwood proved himself as a bankable star with hits like “Where Eagles Dare” and “Kelly's Heroes,” it compelled Universal to greenlight his moody, Civil War gothic “The Beguiled.” However, the movie was a disaster at the box office, and Clint Eastwood expressed what he thinks was to blame for the film’s lackluster returns.
In a 1971 interview with Patrick McGilligan, Eastwood lamented that Universal botched the film's marketing. He said, “It was [...] very poorly distributed and very poorly advertised. [...] They sold it to the Man with No Name audience — it would do good the first few days and then fade out terrifically. Because they never sold it to the audience who would like that kind of film.”
Eastwood fretted about acting in “The Beguiled,” but director Don Siegel wisely told him he might never have the opportunity to take on a role like this if he became a big-screen icon. While Eastwood didn't completely shy away from similarly difficult material in the years to come, “The Beguiled,” unfortunately, didn't go down well with his fans.