Harvey tiptoes around ‘Tulip’
HARVEY Weinstein will survive a debilitating bout of “Tulip Fever.” The movie producer — whose companies have won 81 Academy Awards — opened the period drama starring Alicia Vikander (left) and Christoph Waltz on Friday. So far, it’s grossed less than $1.4 million, which barely covers the cost of the costumes. Movie lovers stayed away in droves even though Weinstein penned an essay last week for Deadline Hollywood touting the movie, which spent years in development hell. “I know this film’s not perfect, very few are, but it’s a perfectly good time in a movie theater,” Weinstein didn’t exactly gush. “Writing this article is probably akin to putting a target on my back.”
Richard Rushfield of the Ankler blog agreed and took aim, saying the promo was an act of desperation “after a miserable year for his company.”
But Weinstein had modest hits with “Wind River” and “Leap!” in what turned out to be the worst summer at the box office in more than a decade.
Weinstein also has two films screening at the Toronto International Film Festival — “The Upside” with Kevin Hart and
Bryan Cranston, and “The Current War” with Benedict Cumberbatch.
“We are very much in the movie business, but we are making fewer films and are superselective,” Weinstein told me.
With the success of Netflix streaming, the Weinstein Co. focused more on television. “Our TV business is spectacular,” Weinstein said. “Thank God we diversified.”