Sylvester Stallone has had his fair share of successes at the box office, becoming part of brilliant franchises like Rocky, its sequel franchise Creed and even blockbusters like the MCU. However, even Stallone has to be part of a dud sometimes, but that does not mean that he does not get a fat paycheck from it.
D-Tox was a 2002 thriller film that starred Stallone, along with Stephen Lang, Polly Walker and Kris Kristofferson among others. The film had limited release in the United States, under the name Eye See You. With a horrible critical response and an even worse commercial run, the film was indeed described by Stallone as ‘damaged goods’.
Sylvester Stallone made $20 million from D-Tox
Sylvester Stallone earned a whopping $20 million from this film, which was unable to gross over half that at the box office, according to The Numbers. The film had a very troubled reception, with focus groups testing negatively for the first cut of the film. The film was shelved, and reshoots were put for the film.
Universal also saw fit to change the story as needed, deciding to alter huge swathes of the narrative, including the ending, where the villain was slain differently. However, the film received overwhelmingly negative results even after the fact that the film had been significantly altered. The film was shelved for the next three years, only to release the film in the USA, under the name Eye See You.
The film was a ‘delicate creature’ according to Sylvester Stallone
Speaking with Ain’t It Cool News, Stallone opened up about the nature of the film and all the behind-the-scenes drama that went into it. The Rocky actor said:
“A film is a very delicate creature. Any adverse publicity or internal shake-up can upset the perception of – and studio confidence in – a feature. For some unknown reason the original producer pulled out and right away the film was considered damaged goods”
Universal Pictures was the studio responsible for the film, while the producers of the film could be speculated to have moved away from the project due to the negative focus group reactions. However, Stallone has one fun anecdote about when the actors of the film arrived at the airport. He said:
“…when we were met at the airport by the teamsters they’d have a sign in front of them saying DETOX, and all these actors like Kris Kristofferson, Tom Berenger and myself looked like we were going into rehab rather than a film shoot”
Stallone and the crew were subjected to this humorous incident on their way to the shoot, which could have been a sign of what the film will make itself out to be in the years to come. The film is still considered one of Stallone’s most forgettable films and has barely developed a following, if any, in its years of existence.