Quite a girl Reunion, Ben Affleck’s cool Feet and a $17 Million Payday: 20 Secrets About Runaway Bride Revealed

by Tierney Bricker | Tue., Jul. 30, 2019 3:00 AM

It had been the film 10 years when you look at the making—in more ways than one.

Nine years after Pretty girl made Julia Roberts a star and switched Richard Gere into certainly one of Hollywood’s many sought-after leading men, the iconic pair that is on-screen reunited in Runaway Bride.

Released on July 30, 1999, Roberts and Gere yet again teamed up due to their Pretty Woman manager Garry Marshall, whom passed away in 2016, for the romantic-comedy about a little city woman therefore afraid of dedication that she actually is dashed through the altar 3 x while the jaded divorced newsprint columnist determined to see her run for the time that is fourth. Obviously, they fall in love.

Fans sprinted into the theater to look at set’s chemistry, making Runaway Bride, which have been when you look at the works for over ten years with numerous other superstars connected to star sooner or later, a more impressive blockbuster hit than Pretty girl, that was released in 1990.

But just it was more successful, as Runaway Bride failed to captivate critics (earning just a 46 percent fresh on Rotten Tomatoes) and even had one of its stars later admitting it just didn’t capture the magic of their previous film because it made more money than Pretty Woman doesn’t mean. (Plus, one of Roberts’ other iconic rom-coms—Notting Hill—came out simply weeks before.)

Nevertheless, because of Roberts and Gere’s effortless charm and charisma—both separately and combined—and Marshall’s knack for the genre, Runaway Bride has guaranteed an area as you of Hollywood’s many suffering intimate comedies, regardless of if it absolutely was hardly ever made together with an ending that is different one point.

Through the A-listers that have been initially likely to star within the film in 1991 to Roberts’ very very own experience being a runaway bride, listed here are 20 enjoyable facts you will possibly not find out about Runaway Bride.

1. Although the concept seemed tailor-made for Gere and Roberts to own their Pretty Woman followup, Runaway Bride ended up being really within the works well with over ten years, with numerous other famous actors set to try out the fighting bride-to-be (times four) and journalist that is cynical.

First up? In 1992, Geena Davis and Harrison Ford had been set to lead the film, however it dropped apart once the very first manager brought in had problems with the script. On the next years that are few stars like Michael Douglas, Demi Moore, Ellen DeGeneres and Mel Gibson had been all into the mix.

2. However in 1996, Sandra Bullock had been thinking about playing Maggie and urged the task ahead. Until she then had some hesitations–much like Maggie along with her suitors–and had been out, with Ben Affleck and Tea Leoni in speaks to dominate, using the studio liking the basic notion of a more youthful few. However when Affleck passed, among the producers chose to approach Gere.

3. As he enjoyed the script, Gere had one condition the studio had to fulfill before he finalized on to relax and play Ike: “when you can get Julia, i am in.” Roberts, that has initially been uncertain of this film whenever she read a version that is previous of script years prior, chose to take another appearance. And after a telephone call together with her old Pretty Woman man that is leading the film movie stars had been prepared to reunite.

“People were hoping to get them right straight right back together for nine years,” studio producer Tom Rosenberg told The Los Angeles circumstances. “And abruptly it happened—it ended up being all settled in a week.”

4. The phone that is next was one Gere and Roberts would need to make together, while they needed to pursue their Pretty Woman manager to help make the reunion formally complete by directing their love tale yet again. There is one hitch however, as Marshall had guaranteed to just just simply take their spouse to Australia for the vacation that is much-needed.

“They said, ‘Get off the telephone, you want to speak to your spouse,” Marshall recalled to your book. “They informed her such things as, ‘ just just How usually do we get an opportunity to repeat this?’ and, ‘We’ll just just take care that is good of,’ therefore finally I stated, ‘OK, we’ll get it done.’”

5. The trio’s shared history made shooting Runaway Bride a fairly experience that is stress-free the trio, with Marshall noting a modification of his main character, now equipped with a decade of expertise on sets along with stardom.

“Richard was indeed really careful on Pretty girl, but this time around he had been far more ready to be funny,” the director stated. “Mostly we chatted inside our very own shorthand that is little. All I experienced doing had been yell ‘Action’ and ‘Shut up.’”

6. The movie’s budget soared to $70 million, an unusually high number for a romantic comedy after getting A-listers Roberts and Gere on board. As well as gross that is back-end the movie, Roberts obtained $17 million on her behalf dashes through the altar, while Gere pocketed $12 million. The movie movie movie stars shown worthy of the big paydays, as Runaway Bride launched at No. 1 during the package workplace, attracting a week-end total of around $35 million, undoubtedly the opening that is best ever for a Roberts movie during the time.

7. While Runaway Bride went on to gross over $150 million domestically (and $300 million internationally), being a blockbuster hit, it received not as much as stellar reviews, with Gere later on looking straight back foreign brides regarding the film in a job interview with Entertainment Weekly and admitting, “Whatever that miracle was at the very first film, you cannot make that take place. While there is some stuff that is wonderful the film, it surely did not have the miracle of this very first one. The expectation it was planning to have that exact same variety of delicious miracle ended up being reckless. It had been a new film, it had been an unusual time, she was at an alternate destination, I happened to be in an alternate spot.”

8. Manufacturing descended upon the tiny city of Berlin, Md., making it the fictional and quirky Hale, Md. for the film, and place near to $1 million in to the neighborhood economy, upped the actual property market and very nearly doubling tourism following the film’s release.

“we have actually been completely astonished,” Berlin’s then Chamber president told The Baltimore Sun regarding the effect the film had around town of simply 3,000 individuals. “the film ended up being the Midas touch that introduced our city to numerous individuals. It place us on the map.”

9. As soon as known as “America’s Coolest Small Town” by Budget Travel, hosting the Roberts-Gere car continues to be a place of pride for Berlin, using the city holding a Runaway Bride thirty days in August to commemorate the twentieth anniversary.

“People are available in addition they wish to hear, ‘Hey do you can get to satisfy Richard Gere? what is Julia Roberts like? Can the house is seen by us? Where had been the bridal shop?’” Ivy Wells, Economic and Community developing Director of Berlin, stated. “We thought guess what happens, we are going to supply the individuals what they need in addition they would you like to commemorate the film therefore we are planning to take action up because of its twentieth anniversary.”