Its total take has been around $39 million in theaters and nearly half that in video rentals.īrooks plays President Skroob (an anagram of his own name), the evil leader of the planet Spaceballs, who along with his henchman Dark Helmut, plots to kidnap Princess Vespa of the planet Druidia ("the first Druish princess") and hold her ransom in exchange for her home planet's vastly cleaner air. Brooks' most expensive film up to that point ($22.7 million), it earned $20 million in its first two weeks of release. ![]() And although To Be or Not to Be (1983), in which he co-starred with wife Anne Bancroft, was only produced by him and directed by Alan Johnson, the picture bears so much of the Brooks stamp that he is often credited - or more accurately, slammed - for this remake of Ernst Lubitsch's immortal 1942 anti-Nazi comedy.Ĭritics generally conceded that Spaceballs, his 1987 parody of the space adventure genre (particularly Star Wars, 1977), arrived about a decade too late and the jokes were stale. In between he has tackled, with varying degrees of success, movie genres of all types, spoofing Westerns ( Blazing Saddles, 1974), the classic Universal horror films ( Young Frankenstein, 1974 Dracula: Dead and Loving It, 1995), pre-sound films ( Silent Movie, 1976), Hitchcock ( High Anxiety, 1978), and historical costume epics ( History of the World: Part I, 1981 Robin Hood: Men in Tights, 1993). His career up to this point has been bracketed by what many consider his best film, The Producers (1968), and the mega-hit Broadway show he adapted from that movie in 2001. "You get 'John Wick 5' but it's not clear number six or number seven is going to be filmed here.Born in Brooklyn, a former entertainer in the Catskills, and writer for Sid Caesar's landmark TV series Your Show of Shows in the 1950s, Mel Brooks always carried into his film work the influence of Jewish humor, television sketch comedy, and the kind of low vulgarity that makes critics groan but that audiences love. "It's a race to the bottom for these productions." Jensen said. Plus, Jensen said productions could just end up moving from state to state every time there's a boost in incentives. It found they did not.Īnd some states who use film incentive programs have reported mixed results when it comes to economic impact. A 2020 study out of Kennesaw State University in Georgia looked at whether film tax credits had a positive impact on the economy. "And in terms of jobs, it tends to be a relatively small number of jobs and not permanent." it's nowhere close," said Nate Jensen, a government professor at the University of Texas. "Any argument based on tax revenue, that these jobs will pay for themselves. One justification for using taxpayer dollars to attract productions to the state is the belief that it will be good for the economy - spurring spending and jobs.īut skeptics say this isn't the most effective way to generate economic development. In the program's history, the highest dollar amount the state has allocated to incentive funding is $95 million. It's a huge boost from the $45 million approved during the last legislative session. ![]() ![]() This year, state lawmakers allocated $200 million from the state's budget to go toward toe state's film incentive program. "I think particularly in the DFW area, there is such a great excitement that hasn't really been there before. People like Armer and Mindy Raymond, the communications director for the Texas Media Production Alliance, believe a change is coming. "There is a buzz and there is an excitement around the industry now." "Texas has frankly not been very competitive over the last however many years that it's been," said Tony Armer, commissioner for Dallas Film & Creative Industries. But thanks to a recent boost in incentives, show business could be increasing its presence in the Lone Star State. NORTH TEXAS () - When you think of the top industries in Texas that drive the economy, the film industry may not be top of mind. ![]() Will Texas' boost in film incentive funding lead to economic development? 03:37
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