A giant Eddie Murphy robot was the centerpiece of this 2008 box office disaster
In short: In the 2008 science fiction comedy Meet Dave, a spaceship piloted by 100 tiny aliens arrives on Earth disguised as a human played by Eddie Murphy. Despite a high-concept premise, the film became a notorious commercial failure, eventually setting a record for the most rapid theater count decline in history.
The film originated from a pitch by writer Bill Corbett, who envisioned a Star Trek-style crew operating a human-shaped vessel. Originally titled Starship Dave, the project underwent significant changes during production. Studio executives pushed for a title change to avoid any explicit science-fiction branding, fearing it would alienate potential viewers. Corbett later lamented that the film suffered from a lack of creative control and a 'too-many-cooks' production environment, where numerous writers contributed to the script and improvisation was frequent on set.
Upon its July 11, 2008 release, the film struggled to find an audience. Produced on a $60 million budget, it earned only $50.7 million worldwide. Its theatrical run was particularly volatile; by its third weekend, the film was removed from 2,523 screens, representing a 77% drop. This massive reduction in availability set a record for wide-release films that stood until 2017. Critics were largely unimpressed, with many reviewers citing a reliance on predictable gags and a lack of originality, leading to a 20% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
The film's failure became a cultural punchline. Eddie Murphy himself later identified it as one of his worst projects, and the movie was frequently mocked by comedians and in pop culture references, including a jab on Family Guy. While some, like Variety's Joe Leydon, found it to be a sweet family comedy, the general reception was hostile. Corbett, who had previously worked on Mystery Science Theater 3000, noted that he felt conflicted about the project, balancing pride in the original concept with a desire to distance himself from the final, studio-altered product.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Meet Dave
- Also: Wikidata — Meet Dave · CC0
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