Movies - TV
This Hidden Gem Box Office Flop Almost Ended Francis Ford Coppola’s Career
By JEREMY SMITH
Francis Ford Coppola’s 1982 musical “One from the Heart” was part of the legendary director’s attempt to push for an artist-controlled movie studio in the heart of Hollywood.
However, on opening day, everyone who bought a ticket to see the film knew that Coppola had risked everything to revolutionize an exclusionary industry.
“One from the Heart” was a fiasco, and critics derided the $26 million production as a cold-hearted technical exercise.
The movie was quickly pulled from theaters after posting a paltry $636,796 gross in the United States. Coppola's dream was dashed, and he was left in financial ruin.
This was a tragedy for cinema because “One from the Heart” was only ever a triumph, and the recent release of the director’s cut is proof of that.
However, its commercial failure forced Coppola to spend the next two decades taking for-hire gigs to scurry back into the black and eventually found solvency in the wine business.