
Hollywood’s Biggest Flop Was Filmed Right Here in Michigan
Michiganders aren't strangers to rooting for an underdog. We have had some rough seasons between the Detroit Lions and Pistons, and we'll still love them until the end of time in spite of it.
And while Many movies have been filmed in the mitten state, not all of them have been treasures. In fact, one of the worst performing movies of all time features an iconic West Michigan city.
BELOW: 13 Movies that were made right here in Michigan ⬇️
If you didn't know- Holland, Michigan is the home to the film with the lowest grossing percentage at the box office in Hollywood history.
You may have not heard of Oogieloves in the Big Balloon Adventure, but it's from the people behind the Teletubbies and Thomas the Tank Engine, so in theory, it should have been a smash hit.
This film was originally released in 2012, and was filmed over nine days in Michigan in the cities of Canton, Farmington Hills, Shelby Township, Waterford, as well as Windmill Island in Holland.
While you can't tell where the movie was shot most of the time, some of the backgrounds feature some pretty familiar spots if you've ever visited Holland during Tulip Time.
The film wasn't solely made in Michigan, but the marketing for this movie was financed in part by a Michigan real estate investor named Michael Chirco, who purchased billboards in hopes people would see the movie and want to visit our state.
However, the marketing didn't stick. When the film was released in August 2012, it was shown in 2,000 and only made a little over a million dollars.
While that seems great, the movie's budget was over $20 million, which is a MASSIVE loss. Not to mention the additional $20 million that was spent on marketing.
They also pulled in a star-studded cast that included Toni Braxton, Cloris Leachman, Christopher Lloyd, Chazz Palminteri, Cary Elwes and Jaime Pressly. Not even some of America's favorite household names brought in the crowds.
After slow ticket sales to start, producers tried to salvage the lack of people in seats by having earlier showings of the movie in hopes parents would take their children in the morning. Not even that worked- for some reason, people just didn't feel the Oogielove.
If you want to learn more about this insane turn of events, there's a podcast called How Did This Get Made? that covers the story that I highly recommend.
13 Movies That Filmed in Michigan
Gallery Credit: Kristen Matthews
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