The King of Comedy
Summary
Legendary film producer Martin Scorsese recalls the mixed reception that his satiric filmThe King Of Comedyreceived when it was ab initio released . Featuring a stellar cast of Jerry Lewis , Sandra Bernhard , Diahnne Abbot , and Scorsese ’s frequent confederate Robert De Niro , this movie play along Rupert Pupkin , a passionate yet unsuccessful comic who becomes preoccupied with achieve fame and fortune . In hopes of becoming successful , Pupkin goes to extreme lengths , finally stalking and abduct his idol Jerry Langford , a famous tardy - nighttime lecture show legion . The King Of Comedywas met with some negatively charged reviews upon its departure in 1982 , and it ended up a collapse at the box office .
Entertainment Weeklyculls a television from Scorcese ’s daughter ’s TikTok account where the acclaimed director recalls the precise moment thatThe King Of Comedywas eviscerated on live television ahead of the release of hisforthcomingKillers of the Flower Moon . “ People hated it when it come out ” , Scorsese said , explaining that Entertainment Tonight labeled the movie the flop of the year . record his full input below :
“ People hated it when it came out , No , it was the flop of the year . That ’s what it was call on Entertainment Tonight , New Year ’s Eve ' 83-‘84 . It ’s okay , it ’s alright . ’
Why The King Of Comedy Received Mixed Reviews
Upon the release ofThe King Of Comedyin theaters back in 1982 , the flick was a monumental boxwood office failure , grossing only $ 2.5 million against its $ 19 million budget . There were a identification number of reasons whyThe King of Comedywasn’t initially well receive by viewers . For one , its drastic work shift in visual style compare to Scorsese ’s elderly works likeTaxi DriverandRaging Bullmight have been a small jarring for some . The famous theater director shied away from his more common tawdry visual dash in favor of something more cutting and grounded .
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Another constituent that might have conduce to the movie ’s flopping was its relentless dedication to portraying a excruciating bleakness . WithThe King Of Comedy , Scorsese had no design of comforting his audience in any way , as the story is filled with deep - seated cynicism and distorted fatal comedy . De Niro once commented on the film bombing at the box billet , claiming that the movie“wasn’t so well received because it gave off an glory of something that people did n’t want to look at or know . ”
Over the decades , The King Of Comedy ’s reputation has grown massively , becoming one of Scorsese ’s most extremely - stag work . Before his death , the legendary Nipponese filmmaker Akira Kurosawa cited the movie as one of his preferred film while several other illustrious form in the film industry have also lauded the picture show for its aspiration and danger - pickings . The moving picture has also served as a source of inhalation for many other movies and characters , most notably thescreenplay for the 2019 filmJoker .
seed : EW
