Lionsgate recently released a film adaptation of horror novelist Clive Barker's story "The Midnight Meat Train," but don't feel bad if you didn't catch it in theaters. In Los Angeles, the movie capital of the world, it showed on only one screen — and only one time. It didn't screen at all in New York.
So what's the deal? "The Midnight Meat Train" was originally set for a May 16 release date but was pushed to August 1, where it was only released in 102 second-run and dollar theaters. Though many of the screenings were viewed by sold-out audiences, the movie only made $83,361. Some fans can't help but wonder if this decision was driven by corporate politics. That’s Barker’s take on the situation to be sure. The filmmaker said he believed Lionsgate president Joe Drake was essentially shortchanging other people's films in order to focus more attention on movies like "The Strangers," where he received a producing credit.
Barker told MTV News this week that he is "very proud that the movie is surviving the nonsense. People are getting to see the movie. It's sort of starting to have a cult life." He's less positive in his feelings for Drake, calling him "small-minded” and a “nobody."
"There's room for everything," Barker insisted. "You don't have to sh-- on somebody else's work to advance your own material."
So what's next for this film? Barker is leaving it up to us, the horror fans. He said director Ryuhei Kitamura "made a f---ing great movie, and the politics that are being visited upon it have nothing to do with the movie at all. This is all about ego, and though I mourn the fact that 'Midnight Meat Train' was never given its chance in theaters, it's a beautifully stylish, scary movie, and it isn't going anywhere. People will find it, and whether they find it in midnight shows or they find it on DVD, they'll find it, and in the end the Joe Drakes of the world will disappear."
A spokesperson for Lionsgate declined to comment.
What do you think about the beef between Lionsgate and Clive Barker? Are fans getting shafted? Sound off below!
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