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How Disney Forced Bruce Willis To Star in Armageddon and the Sixth Sense; Report
Just 20 days into the filming of Broadway Brawler, Willis was unhappy with the crew and fired several key people, including the cinematographer and director.
In the late 1990s, Bruce Willis was at the top of his game. Known for his tough-guy roles in movies like Die Hard, he was one of Hollywood’s biggest stars. But behind the scenes, Willis was dealing with a major crisis that would dramatically affect his career. Willis became a major movie star with two massive hits: Armageddon and The Sixth Sense.
Though these films boosted his career, they came with a hidden cost. It turns out Willis was contractually required to star in these films. Yes, he was bound to do these films due to a contract dispute with Disney. Here’s a closer look at how Willis ended up in these iconic roles.
The Broadway Brawler disaster
Bruce Willis, known for his role as John McClane in Die Hard, faced a setback in his career in the late 1990s. He was working on a film called Broadway Brawler, which was intended to be a romantic sports comedy. However, things went wrong very quickly. Ge was both starring and producing this movie.
Just 20 days into filming, Willis was unhappy with the crew and fired several key people, including the cinematographer and director. Disney, which was funding the film, decided to shut it down after spending more than half of the $20 million budget. This left both Willis and Disney in a difficult position. Disney sued Willis for $17.5 million, blaming him for the film’s failure.
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The Disney deal
To avoid the lawsuit, Willis and his team worked out a deal with Disney. Instead of paying the $17.5 million, Willis agreed to star in three films for Disney at a much lower salary. The deal was a big drop from Willis’ usual $20 million per film. The first movie he took on was Armageddon.
Michel Bay was the director of Armageddon, an intense film about a team sent to destroy an asteroid threatening Earth. Even though Willis was paid just $3 million—far less than his usual rate—the film was a huge hit. It earned over $533 million worldwide and, in no time, it became a top-grossing film of 1998. Willis’ role in the film helped him recover from the financial trouble caused by the failed Broadway Brawler project.
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The success of The Sixth Sense
Following Armageddon, Willis starred in The Sixth Sense, a psychological thriller directed by M. Night Shyamalan. The Sixth Sense was released in 1999 and soon it became a huge hit. The film earned $673 million worldwide and became one of the most acclaimed films of the decade. In this movie, Willis plays the role of Malcolm Crowe, a child psychologist who keeps a young boy who claims to see dead people.
The final film in the Disney deal was The Kid, which also did well, although not as spectacularly as the previous two. The Kid earned around $110.3 million at the box office. But, no worries, as the success of these films helped solidify Willis’ career.
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Similar stories in Hollywood
Willis’ experience with Disney isn’t unique. Many actors have been in similar situations, where they took on roles due to contractual obligations.
Val Kilmer didn’t want to star in the 1986 film Top Gun. He thought the script was “silly” and wasn’t keen on action films. However, his contract forced him to audition, and despite not liking the movie, he ended up doing it. At that time, the film earned around 35.73 crores USD.
Marlon Brando also faced legal pressure to take on roles he didn’t like. He played Napolean Bonaparte in the 1954 film Desirée against his wish. He had legal problems with this project because of the delays. But then the studio took legal action against him and he ended up making the film.
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