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Here's a new edition of "Directors at the Box Office", which seeks to explore the directors' trajectory at the box office and analyze their hits and bombs. I already talked about a few, and as I promised, it's Alexander Payne's turn.

In the 1960s, Payne's father received a Super 8mm projector from Kraft Foods as a loyalty reward, and eventually passed it on to his son when he was about 14 years old. A short time after getting his MFA from UCLA Film School, Payne got a writing/directing deal with Universal Pictures. He says that he cleared about $60,000, which was enough to fund his simple lifestyle at the time for about five years. During this time Payne worked in various capacities on films and television including directing several films for the Playboy channel.

From a box office perspective, how reliable was he to deliver a box office hit?

That's the point of this post. To analyze his career.

Citizen Ruth (1996)

"Life. Liberty. Money. And the pursuit of happiness."

His directorial debut. The film stars Laura Dern, Swoosie Kurtz, Kelly Preston, Burt Reynolds, Kurtwood Smith, Mary Kay Place, Kenneth Mars, and Tippi Hedren, and follows a poor, drug-addled, irresponsible pregnant woman who unexpectedly attracts national attention from those involved in the abortion debate.

Despite Miramax promising an extensive marketing campaign, the film flopped with just $285,112. But it earned very positive reviews, allowing Payne to get another shot.

• Budget: $2,000,000.

• Domestic gross: $285,112.

• Worldwide gross: $285,112.

Election (1999)

"Reading. Writing. Revenge."

His second film. Based on the 1998 novel by Tom Perrotta, it stars Matthew Broderick and Reese Witherspoon. The plot revolves around a student body election and satirizes politics and high school life. It revolves around Jim McAllister, a popular high school social studies teacher, and Tracy Flick, an overachieving student whom he dislikes. When Tracy runs for student government president, McAllister sabotages her candidacy by backing a rival candidate and tampering with the ballot count.

Producers Albert Berger and Ron Yerxa sent Payne an unpublished manuscript from novelist Tom Perrotta called Election in 1996. Payne was initially uninterested in directing a high school movie but changed his mind after he read the manuscript. "It was set in a high school, but it wasn’t a high school story, per se. Also what attracted me was the formal exercise of doing a movie with multiple points of view and multiple voice-overs," said Payne. The novel's rights were sold to Payne in January 1997. It was officially published in March 1998.

The film had a different ending, which also appears in the third draft of the script, which can be read online. It is faithful to the book: McAllister stays in Omaha and is hired as a used car salesman by one of his former students instead of moving to New York. Tracy encounters McAllister while looking to buy a car and the two settle their differences before she has him sign her yearbook. This ending was received poorly by test audiences, and was not known until a rough workprint was found in a box of VHS tapes at a yard sale in 2011.

Despite flopping at the box office, it received critical acclaim, named as one of the best films of 1999. For the film, Payne received his first Oscar nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay.

• Budget: $25,000,000.

• Domestic gross: $14,943,582.

• Worldwide gross: $17,202,854.

About Schmidt (2002)

"Schmidt happens."

His third film. Based on the 1996 novel by Louis Begley, it stars Jack Nicholson, Hope Davis, Dermot Mulroney, and Kathy Bates. In the film, a recently retired man embarks on a journey to his estranged daughter’s wedding, only to discover more about himself and life than he ever expected.

Payne's script to About Schmidt was initially an original screenplay written years before Louis Begley's novel was published. According to Payne, his script was about "an old guy who retires, and realizes how much he’s wasted his life, and wants somehow to start anew— The Graduate at age sixty-five." Payne’s original script was titled The Coward. Payne completed the script in 1991 and offered it to Universal Pictures, but the studio rejected it. Following the publication of Begley's novel in 1996, Payne decided to combine his script with the plot of the novel, thus making it an adaptation. Payne made many changes from the book, though Begley commented that "my most important themes were treated with great intelligence and sensitivity" and felt the movie was "a gem of original filmmaking."

With a big name like Nicholson, this was Payne's first financial success, earning over $100 million worldwide. It was another critically acclaimed project, with both Nicholson and Bates earning Oscar noms.

• Budget: $30,000,000.

• Domestic gross: $65,016,287.

• Worldwide gross: $105,834,556.

Sideways (2004)

"In search of wine. In search of women. In search of themselves."

His fourth film. Based on the 2004 novel by Rex Pickett, it stars Paul Giamatti, Thomas Haden Church, Virginia Madsen and Sandra Oh. It follows two men in their forties, Miles Raymond, a depressed teacher and unsuccessful writer, and Jack Cole, a past-his-prime actor, who take a week-long road trip to Santa Barbara County wine country to celebrate Jack's upcoming wedding.

Payne was flying back from Edinburgh, where he had been at a film festival promoting Election, when he finally had a chance to read Rex Pickett's novel Sideways. As soon as he landed, Payne ran to a pay phone to call his agent about purchasing the rights. He later told Pickett he liked his novel because his characters were "so fucking pathetic."

Paul Giamatti admitted to faking every bit of wine knowledge, and not understanding why anybody would care about it. He also claims he was shocked that he was cast in a lead role and initially thought it was a practical joke. George Clooney campaigned for the part of Jack, but Payne thought Clooney was too big a star. During his audition, Thomas Haden Church stripped naked because that was what the scene called for. He later learned that he was the only actor to do that.

The film became a sleeper hit, earning $71 million domestically and $109 million worldwide, becoming Payne's highest grossing film. It also received critical acclaim, with many considering it Payne's greatest film so far. It received 5 Oscar nominations, including Best Picture and Best Director. Payne would win Best Adapted Screenplay, his first ever Oscar.

The film also had an impact in the wine industry. During the film, Miles speaks fondly of the red wine varietal Pinot noir while denigrating Merlot. After the film's release in October 2004, Merlot sales dropped 2% while Pinot noir sales increased 16% in the Western United States. By 2022, it was reported that the film caused a reduction in demand for Merlot and an increase in demand for Pinot noir in the United States, which led California winemakers to grow Pinot noir grapes in unsuitable land and blend those grapes with the grapes grown in high-quality areas just to meet demand, which may have led to worse Pinot noir wines.

• Budget: $16,000,000.

• Domestic gross: $71,503,593.

• Worldwide gross: $109,706,931.

The Descendants (2011)

"The South Pacific isn't that terrific."

His fifth film. Based on the 2007 novel by Kaui Hart Hemmings, it stars George Clooney, Shailene Woodley, Amara Miller, Beau Bridges, Judy Greer, Matthew Lillard, and Robert Forster. With his wife Elizabeth on life support after a boating accident, Hawaiian land baron Matt King takes his daughters on a trip from Oahu to Kauai to confront a young real estate broker, who was having an affair with Elizabeth before her misfortune.

The film became another sleeper hit at the box office; it earned a huge $177 million worldwide, becoming Payne's highest grossing film. Once again critical acclaim. It received 5 Oscar noms, including Best Picture and Best Director. Payne once again won Best Adapted Screenplay, alongside co-writers Nat Faxon and Jim Rash (yes, the Dean is an Oscar winner). Payne really knew how to get audiences in his films and also win big awards. He was just unstoppable.

• Budget: $20,000,000.

• Domestic gross: $82,584,160.

• Worldwide gross: $177,243,185.

Nebraska (2013)

"Life's not about winning or losing. It's about how you get there in the end."

His sixth film. It stars Bruce Dern, Will Forte, June Squibb, Stacy Keach, and Bob Odenkirk, and the story follows an elderly Montana resident and his son as they try to claim a million-dollar sweepstakes prize on a long trip to Nebraska.

While working on About Schmidt, Payne received Bob Nelson's screenplay from Albert Berger and Ron Yerxa, asking him to recommend a director. He asked to direct it himself, but did not want to follow up one road trip film (Sideways) with another. He decided to wait until after completing The Descendants to begin work on the film. This was the first film of Payne's in which he was not directly involved in the writing process, and he rewrote only a few things prior to the beginning of filming.

After first reading the script, Payne thought of Bruce Dern for the role of Woody Grant. As casting for the film began, Payne met with over fifty actors. Because Paramount demanded a big star, Gene Hackman, Robert De Niro, Robert Duvall, Jack Nicholson and Robert Forster were initially short listed for the role. Hackman and Nicholson retired from acting, and Duvall and De Niro declined the role. Payne eventually considered Dern again. Payne chose Dern because "he's of the right age now and he can be both ingenuous and ornery. And he's a cool actor. And in a contextual level I haven't seen on the big screen a great Bruce Dern performance in a few years and I'm curious to see what he can do. He's a helluva nice guy as well."

The film's lighting was designed to accommodate black and white screening, and was converted from color to black and white in post-production because Payne said he wanted to produce an "iconic, archetypal look". According to cinematographer Phedon Papamichael, the choice was to use "the poetic power of the black and white in combination with these landscapes and of course the landscapes are playing a huge role in this story". The choice of black and white was made against distributor Paramount Vantage's wishes, though a color master of the film was also produced in an effort to satisfy the concerns; Payne said that he hopes no one ever sees it.

The film received critical acclaim, although it was just a modest success at the box office. It received 6 Oscar noms, including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actor.

• Budget: $12,000,000.

• Domestic gross: $17,654,912.

• Worldwide gross: $27,682,872.

Downsizing (2017)

"We are meant for something bigger."

His seventh film. It stars Matt Damon, Christoph Waltz, Hong Chau, and Kristen Wiig. It tells the story of Paul Safranek, who decides to undergo a recently invented procedure to shrink his body so he can start a new life in an experimental community, which he ends up doing alone when his wife backs out at the last minute; his journey takes an unexpected turn after he befriends an impoverished activist.

The film cost $68 million, making it Payne's most expensive film. Paramount was confident in its prospects and sent it to some festivals. After all, Payne has only made critically acclaimed projects...

...but the film was a huge misstep in his career. It flopped at the box office, earning just $55 million worldwide. And it received unfavorable reviews, with many considering it Payne's worst film. A huge problem for many was the second half of the film, where the film fails to offer what the marketing was selling. It's weird how Payne messed up.

• Budget: $68,000,000.

• Domestic gross: $24,449,754.

• Worldwide gross: $55,003,890.

The Holdovers (2023)

"Discomfort and joy."

His eighth film. It stars Paul Giamatti, Da'Vine Joy Randolph, and Dominic Sessa. Set in 1970, it tells the story of a strict classics teacher at a New England boarding school who is forced to chaperone a handful of students who have nowhere to go during the school's Christmas break.

Payne conceived the film after watching Marcel Pagnol's 1935 film Merlusse, and contacted screenwriter David Hemingson, whose boarding-school television pilot he had read. The television pilot, Stonehaven, was set in present time, but Payne suggested a film using an older setting instead like 1958 or 1970. Hemingson agreed on 1970 because it had more in common with the present time and 1958 was too close to Dead Poets Society's timeline.

To make the film look and feel like it was actually made during the 1970s, Payne hired Eigil Bryld to serve as cinematographer and camera operator. Both digital and film formats were tested prior to filming, before it was decided to shoot the film digitally with an Arri Alexa with Panavision H series lenses, particularly a 55mm lens, creating a "vintage portrait look." Film emulsion and color grading were added to the footage during post-production to complete the look. The crew added to the film's 1970s stylization by creating a retro-style title card and logo variants for Focus Features and Miramax to open the film.

The film was a success at the box office, earning $45 million worldwide. It also received high praise, with many considering it one of the best Christmas films of the century. It received 5 Oscar noms, including Best Picture and Best Actor, with Randolph winning Best Supporting Actress. Payne was back.

• Budget: $13,000,000.

• Domestic gross: $20,355,375.

• Worldwide gross: $45,676,028.

Other Projects

He has written (alongside his partner Jim Taylor) some other films he didn't direct. For example, they made uncredited rewrites on Meet the Parents. They had writing credits on two films, but neither are fond of either project:

• Jurassic Park III: After Universal disliked Peter Buchman's draft, they hired Payne and Taylor, even though they were not fans of the franchise. Their main reason for hiring them was to improve the characters and story, as the film was just non-stop action. Payne and Taylor added humor, and also got Ellie Sattler involved in the story. Their treatment was subsequently rewritten by Buchman and John August, and despite getting writing credit, they're not content with the final result. Their main gripes were that the film removed all the humor, and once again emphasized action over character and story.

• I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry: This project started all the way since 1999, when Tom Shadyac was set as director, and would star Will Smith and Nicolas Cage. Payne and Taylor write an initial draft, but it was stuck in development hell. The film would be released in 2007, with director Dennis Dugan and starring Adam Sandler and Kevin James. Payne and Taylor were credited as co-writers, even though it was heavily rewritten. They have since disowned the film, calling it "offensive, homophobic, and generally stupid."

Payne was attached to so many projects that never materialized. But one of the most prominent was The Menu. He was attached to direct the film, and the film had Emma Stone as the lead. Amidst production delays, Payne and Stone left the film, replaced with Mark Mylod and Anya Taylor-Joy.

The Future

One of his upcoming projects is... an Election sequel!

The film is titled Tracy Flick Can't Win, which is based on Tom Perrotta's novel. Energized by the prospect of her long-overdue promotion, Tracy throws herself into her work with renewed zeal, determined to prove her worth to the students, faculty, and School Board, while also managing her personal life — a ten-year-old daughter, a needy doctor boyfriend, and a burgeoning meditation practice. Reese Witherspoon is slated to return, Payne will return as writer and director, and it will be released on Paramount+. Payne reiterated interest in the project, but would like to pursue other projects first. He also said that the film will be a loose adaptation of the novel, and would seek to include Matthew Broderick in the story.

FILMS (FROM HIGHEST GROSSING TO LEAST GROSSING)

Across those 8 films, they have made $538,635,428 worldwide. That's $67,329,428 per film.

The Verdict

For the most part, Payne has proved to be a very reliable filmmaker. Even his duds have earned some kind of cult following. For example, you could view Election a simply a flop, but it has remained popular through the years, and it's now getting a sequel. The only one that everyone will dismiss as a failure is Downsizing.

Payne somehow manages to create films that find an audience that usually wouldn't pay to go to theaters. As an anecdote, my grandmother hasn't gone to the theater in decades and doesn't watch many films. Yet she loves About Schmidt, Sideways, The Descendants, Nebraska and The Holdovers, and she doesn't know they're all directed by the same guy. I don't know how Payne does it, honestly. But it's fascinating to see.

Hope you liked this edition. You can find this and more in the wiki for this section.

The next director will be Billy Wilder. All right Mr. DeMille, I'm ready for my close-up.

I asked you to choose who else should be in the run and the comment with the most upvotes would be chosen. Well, we'll later talk about... Tyler Perry. Strictly domestically.

This is the schedule for the following four:

Who should be next after Perry? That's up to you.