The made-in-Michigan "LOL" was supposed to represent a big step forward for Miley Cyrus' movie career as she attempts to mature beyond her saccharine image as Disney's Hannah Montana. Instead, it has turned into a tough lesson about how quickly a Hollywood studio can fall out of love with a movie.
An English-language adaptation of the hit 2008 French film of the same name, "LOL" is about teen romance in the age of texting and social media. The picture's sophisticated tone is set in an early scene that finds Cyrus taking a shower while her mother, played by Demi Moore, takes a bath in the same room. The two have a frank talk about sexuality after Moore's character notices that her naked daughter has had a Brazilian wax.
"I really thought this movie could be universal," said filmmaker Lisa Azuelos, who wrote and directed the American and French versions of the films. "Usually teen movies are tender or scary or have vampires in them, but they're never realistic. This story isn't too dirty and not too stupid," she said in a telephone interview from Morocco.
The Cyrus movie was made in 2010 and produced by Mandate Pictures for about $11 million, with money raised primarily from sales to foreign distributors. Most of the shooting was done at various southeast Michigan locations, including Detroit, Dearborn and Grosse Pointe Farms.
Lionsgate, Mandate's parent company, acquired domestic distribution rights for several million dollars, but executives at the studio soon lost their enthusiasm for "LOL," according to people with knowledge of the situation who were not authorized to speak about it publicly. With Lionsgate focused on several higher-profile projects, including last year's flops "Abduction" and "Conan the Barbarian" and March's mega-hit "The Hunger Games," "LOL" never got a spot on the release calendar.
Lionsgate executives were not confident that they could successfully sell the film, which centers on Cyrus' character but also features interwoven tales involving other teens. It lacks the obvious marketing hook of high-profile films like "Hunger Games" and the upcoming adaptation of best-selling pregnancy book "What to Expect When You're Expecting."
Insiders say "LOL" likely would have gone direct to DVD if it weren't for Mandate's foreign-distribution contracts, which contain a provision saying the movie must be shown domestically in at least 100 theaters. As a result, the studio quietly decided to release "LOL" in seven cities today, the same day as sure-to-be blockbuster "The Avengers," which is expected to earn more than $100 million on its opening. (No "LOL" screenings are scheduled in metro Detroit.) Lionsgate set the date without making any formal announcement and apparently planned no publicity.
In a sign of how low a priority "LOL" is at Lionsgate, the marketing is being handled by the studio's home entertainment division -- not the theatrical marketing team, which typically oversees any release going to theaters.
Despite the lack of attention Lionsgate is giving the movie, the team behind "LOL" reserved hope that it will overcome the odds.
"Your country is so big, so I'm very flattered the movie is being released," said director Azuelos, who is making her U.S. debut with "LOL." "I wish it would be a national release. And I'm still hopeful that in those seven cities it's going to be big and grow and grow."
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