Why Ben Stiller felt relieved when his long-awaited comedy sequel flopped at the box office.
In short: After years of development, the 2016 sequel to the cult classic Zoolander arrived to harsh critical reviews and disappointing ticket sales. Yet, director Ben Stiller later revealed that the film's commercial failure was a blessing in disguise, ultimately liberating him to pursue more serious, non-comedic projects in his career.
The journey to produce Zoolander 2 was notably protracted. Ben Stiller first expressed interest in a sequel as early as December 2008, navigating through various script drafts and development hurdles for years. By 2010, Justin Theroux was hired to write and direct, though Stiller eventually took over directing duties himself. Principal photography finally occurred between April and July 2015 at Cinecittà studios in Rome. Despite a high-profile marketing campaign that included appearances at Paris Fashion Week, the film struggled upon its February 2016 release.
The film earned $56.7 million worldwide against a budget of $50–55 million, a performance that fell short of expectations. Critics were largely unimpressed, with the film holding a 21% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a score of 34 out of 100 on Metacritic. Reviewers often cited an over-reliance on celebrity cameos and a lack of fresh comedic ideas. Furthermore, the production faced controversy regarding the portrayal of a non-binary character, which drew calls for a boycott from members of the LGBT community.
Reflecting on the experience years later, Stiller admitted the negative reception was blindsiding and affected him for a long time. However, in a 2022 interview, he expressed gratitude for the film's failure. He noted that if the sequel had been a financial success, he likely would not have been able to pivot toward the more serious, non-comedic work that defined his later career, such as the projects Escape at Dannemora and Severance. For Stiller, the box-office flop served as an unexpected catalyst for professional evolution.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Zoolander 2
- Also: Wikidata — Zoolander 2 · CC0
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