One of Hollywood’s most controversial figures, Harvey Weinstein, reportedly manipulated Good Will Hunting’s theatrical run. He did the most Harvey Weinstein thing possible, to allegedly undercut Robin Williams’ contractual terms. This was driven by what appeared to be pure greed, or that is what Kevin Smith would like to believe.
Weinstein’s company, Miramax, responsible for distributing the Oscar-winning film, abruptly pulled it from theaters to expedite its release on video, seemingly to prevent Williams from receiving a more favorable end of the agreed-upon deal.
How Harvey Weinstein Sabotaged Robin Williams’ Hefty Paycheck in Good Will Hunting
Kevin Smith, an executive producer on the film that won the best friend duo, Matt Damon and Ben Affleck their first Oscar, Good Will Hunting, published his book Secret Stash in 2021. In it, Smith discussed in great detail his experience working on the movie and revealed another shocking fact that further tarnished the already tainted reputation of Harvey Weinstein.
Robin Williams, being the most recognized name in the movie, struck a deal with Miramax, Weinstein’s company, where he would receive a higher percentage of the film’s gross. To prevent this from occurring, Miramax swiftly pulled the movie from theaters. Smith in an interview with The Daily Beast explained,
“I remember they pulled that movie out of theaters while it was still earning at the time. It was doing incredibly well, and the deal that they’d made with Robin was a high-percentage first-dollar gross -a movie-star deal- and it was great, because instantly by putting Robin in the movie their pre-sales paid for the whole f–king film. So, the movie was paid for and then the movie was making money hand over fist and made over $100 million. From what I remember, Robin’s split would be even greater and he’d get a bigger percentage if it crossed $100 million, so every dollar the movie made at the theatrical box office would have to be split-I’m not sure if it was a 50/50 split-with Robin Williams.”
Thanks to Robin Williams’ name attached to the movie, the film managed to recoup its $10 million budget solely through ticket pre-sales. The remainder would have been pure profit, resulting in a substantial paycheck for Williams, rightfully so, Smith thus elaborated,
“I was on the movie as a co-executive producer, so we were privy to some details, and I remember the day when Good Will Hunting was leaving theatres and it felt weird because it was like, ‘Wait? There’s all this Oscar buzz, so why would you pull it if it was just making money?’ And they did it because keeping it in theatres meant that more of the money would go to Robin, whereas the moment it went to video the split wasn’t Robin-heavy. It was hamstrung because of greed.”
Although the movie was abruptly pulled, Williams reportedly made $5 million from it. Despite his usual demands for higher pay, the script moved him so much that he desperately wanted to be a part of it as the actor himself revealed in a Charlie Rose interview.
How Much Did Good Will Hunting Make?
The film’s global earnings amounted to a whopping $225,925,989, far surpassing its $10 million budget. This sum included $ 138,433,435 from domestic viewers and an additional $87,492,554 from international markets according to The Numbers.
During its opening weekend, it raked in approximately $272,912 indicating a very promising start. Despite its early removal from theaters, reports were indicating that it still had considerable momentum at the box office, suggesting that it could have achieved even greater success financially.
Despite setbacks, Good Will Hunting still stands as one of the best movies ever made in Hollywood. Robin Williams’ role earned him an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. The movie’s lasting impact and praise from critics as well as the audiences make it one of the best films to date. It’s not just a movie, it’s truly a timeless masterpiece that people will always treasure.
Good Will Hunting is available for streaming on Max.
