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<p><div type="image" title="Caroline Calloway Tommy Wiseau" height="855" width="1140" msid="75328556" hostid="261"></div></p><ul class="summary-list"><li><strong>Both <keyword id="3174920" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Tommy-Wiseau">Tommy Wiseau</keyword>, subject of "<keyword id="3165593" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="The-Disaster-Artist">The Disaster Artist</keyword>" and creator of cult film "The Room," and influencer <keyword id="9054922" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="caroline-calloway">Caroline Calloway</keyword>'s art has been ridiculed, but they've achieved cult-like status as performance artists.</strong></li><li><strong style="color: #222222;">They share similar modes of self-presentation, going against mainstream aesthetic norms in favor of a slightly off-kilter look that makes them instantly recognizable.</strong></li><li><strong style="color: #222222;">Have you tried "nature's PBJ" and said "oh hi doggie?" Caroline's and Tommy's most famous 'lines' seeped into everyday language. How many of us have written "oh HAI" (courtesy of Tommy) or "BB"(Caroline Calloway)?</strong></li><li><strong style="color: #222222;">Both had friends write long-form work about them: "</strong><strong style="color: #222222;">The Disaster Artist" </strong><strong style="color: #222222;">and "</strong><strong style="color: #222222;">I Was Caroline Calloway" </strong><strong style="color: #222222;">are excellent pieces of writing, and their strength lies in the description of characters like Caroline and Tommy Wiseau themselves.</strong></li><li><strong style="color: #222222;">Some might not like their art, but they are their own best artwork.</strong></li></ul><ul class="summary-list"><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/?hprecirc-bullet">Visit Insider's homepage for more stories</a>.</li></ul><p>In the span of two years, Caroline Calloway has gone through a lot of phases: former American transplant at Cambridge University and writer of flowery Instagram captions; standard NYC cool-girl hanging out with the "right" crowd;  "scammer" in the wake of her panned <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/caroline-calloway-instagram-influencer-workshop-first-person-account-2019-1">creativity-workshop</a> tour; the subject of a<a href="https://www.thecut.com/2019/09/the-story-of-caroline-calloway-and-her-ghostwriter-natalie.html"> viral tell-all</a> penned by her best friend from NYU Natalie Beach chronicling their toxic but intense friendship; painter and crafter of dubious talents, and, lastly, acclaimed twitter <a href="https://www.insider.com/caroline-calloway-knee-cap-removal-surgery-new-2020-4">personality</a> and <a href="https://www.insider.com/caroline-calloway-essay-part-two-natalie-beach-2020-4">writer</a>.  The audiences' reaction has changed too: while she started 2019 being mostly ridiculed, now she achieved a cult-like status on Twitter and "New York Media," and her rebuttal to the infamous essay has raised nearly $50,000 in donations. </p><p>While her chaotic disposition is mostly unparalleled among other Instagram personalities, she is very similar to another cult-like figure in American <keyword id="4578" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="entertainment">entertainment</keyword>, namely the writer, director, producer, and actor Tommy Wiseau, the creator of the cult movie "The Room" (2003) and the subject of the book <a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-disaster-artist-greg-sestero/1114818727">"The Disaster Artist</a>," written by his co-star and collaborator Greg Sestero, which became an<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMKX2tE5Luk"> award-winning movie</a> starring James Franco.</p><p>Similar to screenings of "The Room" which regularly sell out worldwide even though it's, objectively, not a good movie, Caroline Calloway commands the attention of online audiences, whether they genuinely like her or are there for the snark. Calloway and Wiseau have both crafted cult-followings around their seemingly unpredictable characters that are obsessed with their identities as artists, in the ultimate form of "so bad it's good" performance art. </p><h2><strong>Both of them have a very distinctive appearance, fueled by unique aesthetics, which is instrumental in the making of an icon.</strong></h2><p>Fashion-wise, Caroline Calloway is mostly known for wearing real flowers in her hair, ribbons, then either evening wear with chunky sneakers or the daytime-friendly combo of peasant top, sweatpants, and house slippers. </p><p>Tommy Wiseau flaunts his wavy mane of jet-black hair with outfits such as beige cargo pants,  a black tank-top, and an oversized blazer; or skinny jeans, shirt, tie, form-fitting waistcoat, and two belts, one in its loops; the other cupping his butt. Why? "It keeps my ass up. Plus it feels good," he is quoted saying in "The Disaster Artist."</p><p>Calloway, similarly, often rhapsodizes about her own butt on Instagram. "Can you believe I built my whole brand without unleashing THIS ASS on you until today? It's taken me 27 years to arrive at this confidence, but I f-cking love my body. And I just want to take a moment to celebrate that. There are lots of beautiful asses in this world (all of them) and I think mine is a juicy peachy DELIGHT," she wrote on<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BzyHvKxhXZj/"> July 11, 2019</a>. Wiseau flaunted his rear in an infamously long love scene in "The Room," justifying it by saying "I have to show my ass or this movie won't sell," per "The Disaster Artist." </p><p>Certainly, their appearance is pivotal in their own art: just like Bjork is closely associated with her Swan costume that was first panned as a "faux pas" but was then reimagined by Valentino a decade later, or how the legendary Drag Queen Divine is instantly recognizable for her elaborate eye makeup which made her look like a cartoon, so do Caroline and Tommy's distinctive looks cement their status as iconic performance artists. They do not necessarily don the most flattering outfits, but their fashion and beauty choices are an extension and manifestation of their artistic personas.</p><h2><strong>Calloway and Wiseau have dramatized their own lives and live aspirationally.</strong></h2><p>Self-confidence does not seem a problem for Calloway or Wiseau:  Caroline calls herself a "<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B3KKO6ahOKd/">Creative genius</a>" while Wiseau seriously thought that he could submit "The Room" for consideration at the Academy Awards. </p><p>They also sport an obsession with youth, a lack of pride in their origins, and the worship of what they each deem as elite.  </p><p>At age 28, Caroline Calloway continues to call herself a "young girl" and her love interests are always "boys."</p><p>"I call myself a young girl. The female life expectancy in the United States is 78. I see age as relative," she wrote on<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Bz_rDBqhBc7/"> July 16, 2019</a>.  In "The Disaster Artist<em>,</em>" Wiseau insists on being 28.  "No one on planet Earth would have believed this," quipped Sestero. They both distance their current selves from where they came from, and had their names changed. Caroline says that she had to "pull [herself] out of the<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B3uNMOCBzy8/"> middle class,</a>" while Tommy Wiseau, despite his thick Central/Eastern-European accent, claims he hails from Chalmette, Louisiana, and his origins are still debated.  </p><p>Despite what they call humble origins, Calloway and Wiseau have both created a self-mythology around what they perceive to be aspirational. For Calloway, it was the ivy leagues, Oxford, Cambridge, and aristocracy, while for Wiseau, it was legends James Dean, Cary Grant, and Tennessee Williams, as he earnestly thought "The Room" was celebrating the legacy of the greats of American theater — "You're Tearing me apart Lisa," an iconic quote from "The Room" is an ode to a James Dean scene in "Rebel Without A Cause."</p><p>Some would say this is a form of "fabrication" and drone on about a lack of self-acceptance, but, artistically speaking, for them, worshipping youth, elite institutions, and creating one's own backstory has been conducive to the creation of a persona that is a big focus of their own art.</p><h2>Both have branded themselves with one-liners.</h2><p>The script of "The Room" might be cheesy and Calloway's writing might be overly flowery and chaotic, but both somehow managed to have people adopt their turns of phrases, which failed to happen with more established writers and filmmakers.</p><p>Other than "You're tearing me apart," other famous phrases uttered by Wiseau entered common parlance: "Oh Hai Mark;" "You're a chicken, cheep cheep cheep cheep cheep;" "I did naht;" and "I am fed up with this world" have been widely used on Memes and viral parodies, most notably <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dXlao2KNYjQ">Star Wars.</a>  and several friends and I incorporated them into our everyday speech patterns. </p><p>The same happened with Caroline, who is fixated with idioms and turns of phrases: the "mannerist slope" of her neck, being "culturally f-ckable," and a "smol bean."  Other highlights include: "bb" "tittay" "smart as f-ck, hot as f-ck, hard to f-ck,"  "eat your greens, kiddos," and "nature's pb and j," referring to a sandwich made with peanut butter and whole raspberries. I am ashamed to admit that me and my friends started addressing one another as "bb" and that I ate plenty of "nature's pbj" in the past months, and I've seen many adult women earnestly calling themselves smol beans. Borrowing speech patterns from someone does cement their status as an icon: in everyday conversations, we barely quote lines from "Harry Potter," "Titanic," or any award-winning memoir, but greeting someone with "oh, hai bb" has become fairly common. </p><h2><strong>Calloway and Wiseau blur the line between artist and muse. </strong></h2><p>While both Caroline Calloway and Tommy Wiseau are both creators, fans think more about them as muses than as artists: hardly a day goes by without anyone posting fan art of Caroline Calloway, whether that be a<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B-kFQhGBH_d/"> painting</a>, a<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B81t6lKhs9I/"> digital illustration</a>, or a<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B-kW1AQhvDx/"> video-game rendering</a>. Tommy Wiseau has his bespoke videogame, <a href="https://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/547307">"The Room Tribute</a>."</p><p>The same consideration applies to the most famous works about them: both <a href="https://www.thecut.com/2019/09/the-story-of-caroline-calloway-and-her-ghostwriter-natalie.html">"I was Caroline Calloway</a>" by Natalie Beach and "The Disaster Artist" by Greg Sestero are excellent works of prose, and their strength lies in the fact that they both pit two types of creatives against each other: the narrators, Natalie and Greg, are both self-restrained and straitlaced, while Caroline Calloway and Tommy Wiseau come off as larger-than-life and histrionic characters. The humor, or cringe, derives from the uneven relationship between the two types. And, as much as it hurts to admit it, character-wise, you'll remember Tommy and Caroline much more than the narrators.</p><p>In fact, while Caroline Calloway's and Tommy Wiseau's artistic outputs might not meet the standards of either mainstream nor highbrow <keyword id="24504" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="culture">culture</keyword>, they are the protagonists of their own art. With their stage presence and personalities, not to mention unique getups, they're the two most recognizable performance artists of the 21st century, who breathe new life in the concept of camp. </p><p><strong>Read more</strong></p><p><a href="https://www.insider.com/caroline-calloway-knee-cap-removal-surgery-new-2020-4">Caroline Calloway claimed that she had both knee-caps removed and asked us to investigate. Here's what happened.</a></p><p><a href="https://www.insider.com/caroline-calloway-onlyfans-interview-patreon-stan-experience-2020-3">I tried to become the ultimate Caroline Calloway fan and it was the most chaotic experience of my life</a></p>Read the original article on <a href="https://www.insider.com/caroline-calloway-is-instagrams-performance-artist-2020-4">Insider</a>

How Caroline Calloway followed the 'The Disaster Artist's' playbook to become Instagram's ultimate performance artist

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="1017770" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Dave-Franco">Dave Franco</keyword> will play <keyword id="267345" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Vanilla-ice">Vanilla Ice</keyword> in a biopic on the rapper.</li><li>The actor talked publicly about the role for the first time to Insider.</li><li>He said that he's hoping the movie will be like "The Disaster Artist" — the movie about "The Room" that he made with his brother James — in that it will celebrate the artist.</li><li>Franco said he's spoken to Vanilla Ice and "can't help but think about the rabbit holes I'm going to go down to get ready for the role."</li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/dave-franco-profile-the-rental-playing-vanilla-ice-2020-7">Read our profile on Dave Franco.</a></li></ul><p>Dave Franco is currently preparing for the most high profile role yet of his career: 1990s rapper Vanilla Ice.</p><p>Franco spoke publicly about the role for the first time in <a href="https://www.insider.com/dave-franco-profile-the-rental-playing-vanilla-ice-2020-7">a profile story with Insider</a> for his upcoming directorial debut, "The Rental" (available On Demand and at select drive-in theaters on Friday).</p><p>"We have been in development for a while but we are inching closer and closer to preproduction," Franco said of the Vanilla Ice movie.</p><p>News of the role came out in early 2019 when a listing of a project titled "To the Extreme" (which is also the title of Vanilla Ice's hit 1990 album) showed up in the trade publication <a href="https://www.productionweekly.com">Production Weekly</a>.</p><p>The listing featured the following logline: "From a high school dropout selling cars in Dallas to having the first hip-hop single to top the Billboard charts with 'Ice Ice Baby,' a young Vanilla Ice struggles with stardom, extortion attempts, and selling out as he makes music history."</p><p>"To the Extreme" is written by screenwriters Chris Goodwin and Phillip Van. </p><p>Franco said that he envisions the project to be like "The Disaster Artist," which starred he and his brother James Franco and celebrated the making of Tommy Wiseau's "The Room," an ultra-low-budget drama regarded as one of the worst <keyword id="406" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="60" keywordseo="Movies">movies</keyword> ever made but has an incredibly loyal cult following because of that.</p><p>"With that movie, people expected us to make a broad comedy where we make fun of Tommy Wiseau, but the more real we played it, the funnier and heartfelt it was — that's the tone we want for this one as well," Franco said.</p><p><div type="image" title="vanilla ice" height="2062" width="2750" msid="77116106" hostid="261"></div></p><p>Vanilla Ice, whose real name is Rob Van Winkle, certainly had more success than Wiseau did. His "To the Extreme" album — which along with "Ice Ice Baby" also featured a cover of "Play that Funky Music" — spent 16 weeks atop the Billboard 200 and sold 15 million copies worldwide.</p><p>Ice became an overnight sensation and would go on to briefly date Madonna and star in his own movie, 1991's "Cool as Ice." But his stardom quickly faded and led to him being regarded as a one-hit-wonder. He's since become a fixture in the reality TV world and still performs to his small collection of loyal fans.</p><p>Franco said while he's been stuck at home due to the coronavirus pandemic that he's had phone calls with Vanilla Ice about the project.</p><p>"Rob is such a sweet and intelligent guy and he's been super helpful in the process of getting all the details correct and making us privy to information the public doesn't know," Franco said. "Just talking to him I can't help but think about the rabbit holes I'm going to go down to get ready for the role."</p><p>Franco said currently there's no start date on the project due to the pandemic.</p>

Dave Franco will play Vanilla Ice in an upcoming biopic on the 1990s rapper

<p><span></span></p><p class="source"><span>A24/YouTube</span></p><p class="caption"> James Franco as Tommy Wiseau struggles to remember his lines in the first teaser for "The Disaster Artist" </p>"The Room," which came out in 2003, is known as one of the worst movies ever made. But over the years, it has developed a cult following because people love how bad it is. <p><span>And one of those people is James Franco, who directed "The Disaster Artist," based on the best-selling non-fiction book about the disastrous making of the movie. The book (also called "The Disaster Artist") was written by one of its stars, Greg Sostaro. </span></p><p><span></span><span>In the movie, which comes out in theaters December 1, Franco plays director, writer, and star Tommy Wiseau. His brother, Dave Franco, plays Sostaro. The film's cast also includes Seth Rogen, Lizzy Caplan, Bryan Cranston, Zac Efron, Alison Brie, Kristen Bell, and many more. </span></p><p><span>The film's first teaser finally came out on Tuesday, and it looks hilarious. The teaser highlights Wiseau's inability to remember lines (even the simplest ones), and features the Franco brothers and Seth Rogen. </span></p><p><em><strong>You can watch the trailer below:</strong></em></p><p><em><strong>This poster, featuring one of the most memorable lines from "The Room," was released on Monday:</strong></em></p><p><em><strong></strong></em></p><em><strong><p class="source"><span>A24</span></p><p class="caption">With that hair, this is probably the role James Franco was born to play.</p></strong></em>            <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/what-its-like-keeping-secrets-on-the-set-of-game-of-thrones-2017-7">Here's what it's like keeping secrets on the set of 'Game of Thrones'</a></h3>                                    Please enable Javascript to watch this video

Here's the first teaser trailer for James Franco's 'The Disaster Artist,' the true story of the worst movie ever made

<p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div>When an actor gets Oscar consideration it means the person did a performance that was extraordinary, and challenged the audience as much as entertained them. It's hard to think of anything that can be more of a effort by an actor than intentionally acting poorly. But James Franco's transformation into Tommy Wiseau should not be ignored.<p>Who is Tommy Wiseau? He's only the star, producer, writer, and director behind the cult hit, "<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0368226/?ref_=" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Room.</a>" Released in 2003, the movie made for (legend has it) around $6 million of Wiseau's money, has since been regarded as one of the worst movies ever made. But in Hollywood, a group of stars championed the movie, showing their appreciation for the effort that went into making the indie and applauding Wiseau's unique filmmaking choices. That led to Franco having the idea to adapt the book recounting the making of "The Room," written by Wiseau's best friend and "The Room" costar Greg Sestero.</p><p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div>"The Disaster Artist" is an extremely entertaining look at two friends (Franco playing Wiseau and Dave Franco as Sestero) who decide to make their own movie after the constant rejection at acting auditions. With incredible detail by James Franco of not just playing Wiseau, but making the reenactments of "The Room" - from the crappy set design and costumes to how awful lines were delivered - is incredible. And you don't have to be a superfan of "The Room" to appreciate it.<p>I'm not even going to attempt to explain the plot of "The Room," or what the heck Wiseau was trying to accomplish with it. All I can tell you is that if you <em>are</em> a superfan, Franco gives you a movie that in no way makes fun of it, but cherishes what it has become: a piece of entertainment that people come together in groups so they can collectively enjoy.</p><p>And that's how "The Disaster Artist" should be experienced. There's no better example of a movie coming out this year that should be seen with a full theater audience. The energy of the room just heightens the experience. And it doesn't hurt that Franco brought along the talents of his brother and friends like Seth Rogen and Alison Brie to also star in the movie.</p><p>I'm not saying "The Disaster Artist" is the best movie you'll see this year, but it's certainly the most fun.</p><p><em>"The Disaster Artist" opens in theaters December 8.</em></p><div></div>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/why-people-afraid-clowns-phobia-coulrophobia-it-movie-2017-9">Here's why people are afraid of clowns - and what you can do to get over it</a></h3>        <div>                    </div>    </div>

'The Disaster Artist' is the most fun you'll have at the movies this year, and James Franco should get Oscar attention

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Evan Agostini/AP</span></p><p class="caption">Kevin Spacey.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><ul><li><strong>Google's list of the top-trending actors of the year contains several names that weren't particularly notable for their acting output.</strong></li><li><strong><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/category/meghan-markle">Meghan Markle</a> topped the list after her engagement to Prince Harry became a prominent search item.</strong></li><li><strong>The status of <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/category/kevin-spacey">Kevin Spacey</a> and <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/category/louis-ck">Louis C.K.</a> as trending topics largely stems from the bombshell sexual misconduct allegations made against them in recent months.</strong></li><li><strong>Find Google's 10 top-trending actors below.</strong></li></ul><p> </p><p>Google has shared a list of the top-trending actors in 2017, and it contains several names that were most notable this year for reasons other than acting - including a royal engagement, a revival of a cult film, and multiple instances of alleged sexual misconduct.</p><p>Google's annual lists of trending topics track the search items that "<span>had the highest spike in traffic over a sustained period in 2017 as compared to 2016," the company told Business Insider.</span></p><p><span>The search engine's resulting list of the most-searched actors finds a few expected, high-profile names, like Meryl Streep, alongside relative newcomers, like "Stranger Things" star Millie Bobby Brown.</span></p><p><span>Of the top ten names, however, five actors were not particularly prominent for their acting output in 2017.</span></p><p><span>Though she starred on the USA series "Suits," Meghan Markle topped the list after <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/meghan-markle-job-history-2017-12">her engagement to British royal Prince Harry</a> became an internet sensation. </span></p><p><span>The former "House of Cards" star Kevin Spacey and comedian Louis C.K. were the second and fourth most-searched actors, respectively. An outsized interest in Spacey and C.K. surely stemmed from the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/men-who-accused-kevin-spacey-of-sexual-harassment-list-2017-11">bombshell sexual</a> <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/list-of-women-who-have-accused-louis-ck-of-sexual-misconduct-2017-11">misconduct allegations</a> made against them in recent months, as well as their subsequent career fallouts. </span><span></span></p><p><span>Actress Maia Campbell, who is known for her role on the '90s sitcom "In the House," and hasn't had an acting credit since 2007, showed up at number nine on the list. Her trending is seemingly due to <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/actress-maia-campbell-says-she-doesnt-need-ll-cool-js-help/">a viral video</a> that appeared to show her asking a man for drugs at an Atlanta gas station in July, as well as her <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/actress-maia-campbell-says-she-doesnt-need-ll-cool-js-help/">refusing help</a> from LL Cool J, her former "In the House" costar, in response to the video.</span></p><p><span>Sneaking in at the tenth spot, Tommy Wiseau's fame grew after James Franco released "<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-disaster-artist-james-franco-review-2017-9">The Disaster Artist</a>," a film that depicted the making of Wiseau's cult 2003 classic, "The Room.</span><span>"</span></p><p><span>Here is Google's list of the top-trending actors in 2017:  </span></p><ol><li><span>Meghan Markle<br /></span></li><li><span>Kevin Spacey<br /></span></li><li><span>Gal Gadot ("Wonder Woman")<br /></span></li><li><span>Louis C.K.<br /></span></li><li><span>Meryl Streep<br /></span></li><li><span>Bill Skarsgård ("It")<br /></span></li><li><span>Millie Bobby Brown<br /></span></li><li><span>Tom Holland ("Spider-Man: Homecoming")<br /></span></li><li><span>Maia Campbell<br /></span></li><li><span>T</span><span>ommy Wiseau</span></li></ol><p class="tagline">Get the latest Google stock price<a href="http://markets.businessinsider.com/stock/GOOG-Quote"> here.</a></p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/10-details-missed-avengers-infinity-war-trailer-spiderman-thor-hulk-captain-america-black-panther-iron-man-2017-11">10 things you missed in the 'Avengers: Infinity War' trailer</a></h3>        <div>                    </div>    </div>

The 10 top-trending actors on Google in 2017 were largely notable for reasons other than acting

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Insider spoke to <keyword id="1017770" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Dave-Franco">Dave Franco</keyword> about making his feature directing debut, "<keyword id="9609802" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="the-rental">The Rental</keyword>."</li><li>Franco said taking Molly with his wife, actress <keyword id="1661014" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Alison-brie">Alison Brie</keyword>, was important research for making "The Rental."</li><li>He's written a rom-com script with Brie while in quarantine that she will star in and he will direct.</li><li>Franco also opened up about the struggle to make his own mark in Hollywood as his brother, <keyword id="132529" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="James-Franco">James Franco</keyword>, is already a huge star.</li><li>His next acting role will be playing <keyword id="267345" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Vanilla-ice">Vanilla Ice</keyword> in an upcoming biopic.</li></ul><p>Dave Franco will be the first to say he's doing pretty well in quarantine.</p><p>"We're mainly feeling lucky that we like our home and we like each other," Franco told Insider over the phone last week.</p><p>The "we" he's referring to is he and his wife, actress Alison Brie. The two have been together since meeting eight years ago in a night that ended with them both taking Molly (more on that later).</p><p>Along with marital bliss, Franco is happy to get his first feature directing effort out into the world, the horror movie "The Rental" (in select drive-ins and On Demand beginning Friday). He doesn't star in it, but Brie ("GLOW") does along with Dan Stevens ("Eurovision Song Contest," "Beauty and the Beast"), and a creepy masked man tormenting them with a hammer.</p><p>So the Franco/Brie household is a frenetic place at the moment with the buzz surrounding their new movie. There are lots of phone calls to get last-minute arrangements ironed out, press interviews, and even the occasional call for Franco from Vanilla Ice. </p><h2>Taking the director plunge</h2><p>Directing is not a new interest for the 35-year-old actor. Franco admits he's been making shorts, mainly for FunnyOrDie.com, for a decade. He had always been nervous to take the leap to directing a feature film but it suddenly became obvious after writing "The Rental" with fellow filmmaker Joe Swanberg ("LOL," "Drinking Buddies," "Win It All").</p><p>"Once I wrote this script with Joe, I realized that I knew these characters and this story more intimately than anyone and my nerves went away," Franco said.</p><p>The creepy movie follows two brothers (Dan Stevens and Jeremy Allen White) and their significant others (Alison Brie and Sheila Vand) who stay at an Airbnb for the weekend. As the story evolves, we begin to see flaws in many of the characters and signs of racism from the man who oversees the property (played perfectly by longtime character actor Toby Huss).</p><p>But when the houseguests realize that cameras are planted around the rental, it leads to a bloody ending as a mystery man takes out the main characters.</p><p><div type="image" title="THE+RENTAL+Still+1" height="1969" width="2625" msid="77109844" hostid="261"></div></p><p>As Insider's Libby Torres wrote <a href="https://www.insider.com/the-rental-review-dave-franco-alison-brie-2020-7">in her review of the movie</a>, "the film's power comes from how expertly it combines quotidian anxieties… with a tense game of cat and mouse."</p><p>Filmmaker Sean Durkin ("Martha Marcy May Marlene"), who Franco said he went after to direct the movie before finally taking it on himself (Durkin is an executive producer on "The Rental"), said it was the meshing of genres in the story that grabbed him.</p><p>"It sets up this character drama but is interrupted by a slasher film, so I loved that it was doing something different but still delivers what it promises," Durkin told Insider.</p><p>Franco said he felt like the right person to direct the story because this is a topic he thinks about all the time.</p><p>"I was inspired by my own paranoia about home sharing and thinking about how the country is divided as it's ever been, no one trusts each other, yet we trust staying at the home of a stranger simply because of some five-star review," Franco said, noting that he even stayed at an Airbnb while shooting the movie, and was completely filled with anxiety as the place was called "The Old Rustic Cabin."</p><p>"My paranoia has reached its peak since filming this," Franco said with a laugh. "Every time I stay in a rental home now I'm not thinking are there cameras here but <em>where</em> are they?"</p><h2>Taking drugs and writing a rom-com with wife Alison Brie</h2><p>One surprising way Franco and Brie prepared for "The Rental" was taking the drug MDMA (known as "Molly") together. It's a drug that has some history for the couple as Franco said the two took it together on the first night they met.</p><p>"Cut to eight-and-a-half years later and we've never been happier," Franco said.</p><p>In the movie, the characters take the drug their first night at the rental house, expect for Brie's character Michelle, who decides to take it the second night. She ends up tripping alone as everyone partied too hard the night before. Michelle ends up in her own world, dancing and smiling, as chaos and death erupt around her.</p><p><div type="image" title="Dave Franco Alison Brie Amy Sussman Getty" height="2829" width="3771" msid="77109847" hostid="261"></div></p><p>Franco said what Brie did in that scene mirrors their research Molly session.</p><p>"She ended up taking a lot more than me because I was in the middle of trying to find a first AD for the film so I was stressed about that," Franco said. "It was kind of like in the film, she ended up on her own island high by herself. I ended up filming her just to see if we could take away anything from it where she could study the video later to help inform her performance. If anything it reminded her of how happy she is on Molly. And how much she loves to dance, which we incorporated in the film."</p><p>Alison Brie high on Molly. Do we have a DVD extra in the making?</p><p>"Oh, if she is comfortable with us sharing it that would be the greatest DVD extra," Franco said.</p><p>Franco and Brie enjoy working together on projects. They have previously been in <keyword id="406" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="60" keywordseo="Movies">movies</keyword> "The Little Hours" and "The Disaster Artist." If Franco had ended up starring in "The Rental," it's likely Brie wouldn't have been in it ("She would have been playing my sister-in-law, which felt a little uncomfortable," Franco said). But Franco instantly thought of her when he knew he was going to just direct.</p><p>"She's so talented and really made my job easy," Franco said. "She would nail it on the first take every time. I would go up to her and just say, 'Hey, we got that, do you want to move on or play around?' I think what makes her really special as an actor is her ability to balance heavy drama with moments of levity. Sometimes in the space of a single scene. It was just really impressive to watch her seamlessly navigate back and forth between conflicted emotions; it's not something many actors can do."</p><p><div type="image" title="The Rental IFC Films" height="577" width="769" msid="77109854" hostid="261"></div></p><p>Since being stuck in quarantine together at home due to the coronavirus, the duo has continued to work together. Franco said the downtime gave them a chance to do something they've been talking about for a while: writing a rom-com together.</p><p>"It's for me to direct and for her to star in," Franco said. "It's a genre that we love but we felt like people have really been yearning for a smart elevated comedy so we started to think about 'When Harry Met Sally…,' 'Sleepless in Seattle,' and 'Pretty Woman.' We're hoping it's the next one we get to collaborate on."</p><p>Durkin said that's the talent of Franco — he's open to dabbling in different genres.</p><p>"I'm really excited for the versatility of his work," he said. "I think he's got a wide range of interests and you can see it in this film. The humor, the scares, he's exploring a lot of elements."</p><h2>After a decade of professional distance, Dave talks about working with brother, James Franco</h2><p>As the sibling of well-known actor James Franco, Dave says he hopes "The Rental" is just one more indication that he doesn't need his brother to make his own mark in the industry. </p><p>By the time Dave was getting his start into acting in the early 2000s, his brother was already a bonafide star. James had starred in the TV series "Freaks and Geeks," had won a Golden Globe for his performance as James Dean in a TV movie on the iconic actor, and was just about to star in a third "Spider-Man" movie.</p><p>"That is something that I've struggled with my entire career," Franco said of being in the same business as his brother. "When I was first starting out as an actor I made a conscious decision to distance myself from my brother in terms of work because I wanted to pave my own path."</p><p>A decade into the business, the Francos finally decided to do a project together: a celebration of one of the worst movies ever made, "The Room."</p><p><div type="image" title="James Franco Dave Franco David Crotty Patrick McMullan Getty" height="2308" width="3077" msid="77109858" hostid="261"></div></p><p>Directed by James, 2017's "The Disaster Artist" found acclaim for its look at the loyal friendship between "The Room" creators Tommy Wiseau (played by James) and Greg Sestero (played by Dave). The brothers are fantastic together as Dave's Greg portrayal is the perfect straight man to James' outlandish Tommy. James would win a Golden Globe for the performance and the movie would earn a best adapted screenplay Oscar nomination.</p><p>"At that point, it just felt like the right time and the right project," Dave said of finally working with his brother. "But since then I continue to push myself and take risks and hopefully 'The Rental' will continue to help people recognize that I'm my own person."</p><p>Franco declined to comment about the allegations against his brother by several women who say <a href="https://www.insider.com/james-franco-accused-in-lawsuit-of-sexually-exploiting-students-2019-10">they were sexually exploited at his acting school</a>.</p><h2>Dave Franco is now preparing to play Vanilla Ice</h2><p>While Franco was excited about his directing debut and even has an idea for a sequel to "The Rental," his excitement amped up when he revealed he's getting ready to play Vanilla Ice.</p><p>That's right, the 1990s sensation is getting a biopic and Franco is playing him.</p><p>"We have been in development for a while but we are inching closer and closer to preproduction," Franco said.</p><p>The news was quietly released in early 2019 through trade publication Production Weekly and included the longline: "From a high school dropout selling cars in Dallas to having the first hip-hop single to top the Billboard charts with 'Ice Ice Baby,' a young Vanilla Ice struggles with stardom, extortion attempts, and selling out as he makes music history."</p><p><div type="image" title="vanilla ice" height="2062" width="2750" msid="77109864" hostid="261"></div>Franco said if the project is done right, it will very much be like "The Disaster Artist."</p><p>"With that movie, people expected us to make a broad comedy where we make fun of Tommy Wiseau, but the more real we played it, the funnier and heartfelt it was — that's the tone we want for this one as well," Franco said.</p><p>But due to the coronavirus any start date on filming of the movie is a mystery. Because of that Franco said he's not at the point where he's constantly listening to the "To the Extreme" album or watching the Vanilla Ice movie, "Cool as Ice," but he said he has had phone calls with Ice, whose real name is Rob Van Winkle.</p><p>"Rob is such a sweet and intelligent guy and he's been super helpful in the process of getting all the details correct and making us privy to information the public doesn't know," Franco said. "Just talking to him I can't help but think about the rabbit holes I'm going to go down to get ready for the role."</p>

Dave Franco on directing 'The Rental' and finding inspiration in his own fear of staying in strangers' homes

<p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div><ul><li><strong>"The Disaster Artist" was the first time Dave Franco and his brother James had a substantial amount of screen time together in a movie.</strong></li><li><strong>Franco shared how "in character" as Tommy Wiseau his brother was while directing the movie.</strong></li><li><strong>He also revealed how losing 20 pounds to play a role in his upcoming Netflix movie, "6 Balloons," led to some physical and emotional problems.</strong></li></ul><p><br>For most of his career Dave Franco has carefully navigated a path that stayed out of the very large wake left by his brother James. The younger Franco slowly found his niche through building credits doing zany comedies like "21 Jump Street" and "Neighbors." But when his brother came to him about the two making a movie together about the cult classic "The Room," it was an offer too good to pass up.</br></p><p>"The Disaster Artist" (opening in limited release on Friday and wider the following week) is a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the 2003 low budget movie, "The Room," which is regarded as one of the worst movie ever made. James directs and also stars as Tommy Wiseau, the bizarre writer-director of "The Room," while Dave plays Tommy's best friend and fellow aspiring actor, Greg Sestero, who follows Wiseau on the journey to make "The Room." Though hilarious at times, the movie's backbone is the bond the two friends have and it's all pulled off perfectly by the brothers' performances.</p><p>Dave sat down with Business Insider to talk about making this unique buddy comedy with his brother. He also clarified how far James took being "in character" as Wiseau while directing "The Disaster Artist," and explained what drove him to lose 20 pounds for an upcoming Netflix movie.</p><p><strong>Jason Guerrasio: What was it about "The Disaster Artist" that not only made you want to work with your brother but also start a production company with him, Ramona Films?</strong></p><p><strong>Dave Franco:</strong> When I first started acting I did make a conscious choice to distance myself from him work-wise just because I wanted to paint my own path, not be referred to as James Franco's little brother for the rest of my life. But after a while it just got to the point where I was like "he's my brother and I love him and I respect him," and with "The Disaster Artist" the dynamic between these characters just felt right. I understood these guys. I'm an actor, I understand the struggle of an actor starting out. And I can relate to the idea of how important it is to have an ally and someone who believes in you and encourages you.</p><p>In terms of the production company, my brother and I are very drawn toward projects that do feel slightly outside the box. And at the same time are accessible enough that they could draw a slightly wider audience.</p><p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div><p><strong>Guerrasio: Starting the production company, did the idea come during production?</strong></p><p><strong>Franco:</strong> It was during post production when he started to invite me to the edit room. I quickly realized we share a brain and we had this shorthand where we get each other. We really modeled the production around what Seth Rogen has been doing forever. What Judd Apatow does. They create these very collaborative environments where everyone has a say and no one is more powerful that anyone else and the best idea always wins.&#xa0;</p><p><strong>Guerrasio: Did you guys go as far as Seth and Judd go in videotaping the audience's reaction at early screenings to see if a joke didn't land right or something could be tweaked in the edit?</strong></p><p><strong>Franco:</strong> I don't think they videotaped. And the reason for that is that works best for a full-on comedy. This is very funny at points but in regards to tone it's most similar to something like "Boogie Nights." A bunch of crazy characters in strange circumstances but everyone is playing it as straight as possible and the humor comes from that. During our test screenings we were most concerned if the friendship between Tommy and Greg was playing. That's the core of our story. Because without the friendship it had the potential of just being an extended "SNL" skit.&#xa0;</p><p><strong>Guerrasio: Were you into "The Room" before all of this?</strong></p><p><strong>Franco:</strong> My brother and I were both pretty late to the game. He actually read <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Disaster-Artist-Inside-Greatest-Movie/dp/1451661193" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Greg Sestero's book</a> before he even saw "The Room," and he's probably the only person on the planet who did it in that order. But then he reached out to me and said, "If you haven't seen 'The Room' watch it immediately, I think we need to make a movie about it." So at the time I was working in Boston so I watched "The Room" in a hotel room by myself, which is not the right way to watch that movie for the first time. There's so much coming at you need to turn to someone and say, "What the f--- is going on?" So I finished that viewing and just feeling very unsettled, to be honest. But soon after I went to one of the midnight screenings where the audience is throwing stuff at the screen, reciting every line. And I then immediately understood why "The Room" is such a cult movie. Since then I've seen the movie roughly 25 times, which is more than any movie I've seen in existence. [<em>Laughs</em>.]</p><p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div><p><strong>Guerrasio: I <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/alison-brie-glow-the-little-hours-interview-2017-6">talked to your wife, Alison Brie, for "The Little Hours,"</a> and she said you also did the book on tape of Greg's book.</strong></p><p><strong>Franco:</strong> Yeah. And I would recommend the book on tape for this because it's Greg reading it and he has a great Tommy impersonation. I sat down with Greg a handful of times before we started filming and through production, and one of the things I asked him was during production of "The Room" if he ever thought it had a chance of being a good movie. And he claims that he did not but I don't fully believe him just because as a young actor all you care about is getting on a set. When you're on set you almost have to have this blind optimism and believe that whatever you're working on could be great. Even from the outside everyone can see it's objectively bad. I've been in those scenarios. I've been on set and everything is going smoothly to the point where people were talking about the movie being nominated for awards and I bought into the hype. Then the movie came out and not only was a it not good but it was a full-on piece of sh--. It was probably the worst thing I've ever done. It just makes you think about the fact you do anything creative you have to give all of yourself over to the process. There are going to be moments when you question whether or not what you're doing is brilliant or if it's a total disaster.</p><p><strong>Guerrasio: Now I'm trying to think back on the movies you've done to figure out which one you think is the worst thing you've ever done.</strong></p><p><strong>Franco:</strong> [<em>Laughs</em>.]</p><p><strong>Guerrasio: Anyway, how did you and James work on the characters? Did you want to rehearse with him before shooting?</strong></p><p><strong>Franco:</strong> We didn't really rehearse too much beforehand just because his style of filmmaking, like Seth's style, is very loose and improvisational. Yes, we had an incredible script to work off of but we always kept it loose.&#xa0;</p><p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div><p><strong>Guerrasio: So going into shooting he gave you no head's up that he would be being in character as Tommy behind the camera as director?</strong></p><p><strong>Franco:</strong> I don't think he knew. I think he just fell into it and it was just easier to stay in character instead of bouncing back and forth between Tommy and James.</p><p><strong>Guerrasio: On the first day was he just James on set?</strong></p><p><strong>Franco:</strong> No, from day one he was Tommy. There was definitely an adjustment period. He can articulate this better than me, but I do think a huge reason why he did this was because he didn't want to lose the Tommy voice. Yes, he stayed in character while he directed but that didn't mean he adopted Tommy's personality. He was still James but he was doing the Tommy voice. He wasn't a dictator on set.&#xa0;</p><p><strong>Guerrasio: Have you ever gotten into a role in your career where you're so into it it takes a while to snap out of it?</strong>&#xa0;</p><p><strong>Franco:</strong> I've never been the type of actor who comes home at the end of the day and goes, "I can't get rid of my part." But, I have a movie coming out early next year for Netflix called "6 Balloons" where I played a heroin addict&#xa0;and so I lost 20 pounds.&#xa0;</p><p><strong>Guerrasio: For you, that's kind of scary.</strong></p><p><strong>Franco:</strong> Yeah, I'm not a big guy. So when you lose that much weight it depresses you and I was full-on depressed. I remember at one point my wife saying, "You're not yourself, you're not fun to be around." And I was like, "I'm f---ing starving! What do you want from me?" But on set I also wasn't fun to be around. I wasn't really interacting with anyone. I was in the corner by myself, miserable. That was the most I ever got deep into a character. I'm glad I did it. It was the hardest role I've ever done and it scared the hell out of me but I think that's a good thing as an actor. To go into something that makes you uncomfortable.</p><p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div><p><strong>Guerrasio: Do you feel you could ever do that again?</strong></p><p><strong>Franco:</strong> Not for a long time. I almost really f---ed up my health. Not to get too dark, I was running all day every day to lose weight and I ended up messing up my knee to the point that when we finished production I had to go to physical therapy for a couple of months.</p><p><strong>Guerrasio: I mean, we've heard the stories from Robert De Niro to Christian Bale, of the losing and gaining of weight for roles. I would think for every actor there's a wonder if you can take it to that limit.&#xa0;</strong></p><p><strong>Franco:</strong> I know. And it was very rewarding but I don't need to transform my body like that for a long time. While I was in it I do remember looking at a lot of pictures of Christian Bale throughout his career, he's losing weight or gaining weight, so that was inspiring. [<em>Laughs</em>.] "If he can do this 15 times I can do it once."</p><p><strong>Guerrasio: So, back to "The Disaster Artist," what was Tommy and Greg's reaction to the movie when they first saw it?</strong></p><p><strong>Franco:</strong> They saw an early screening, even before the South by Southwest work-in-progress. We were more nervous about Tommy's reaction than Greg's. They both loved it but after Greg saw it he was so taken by it that he went off and for the next four days wrote an entire script for him and Tommy to star in. So since then they've filmed this new project, called "<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt6155194/?ref_=nv_sr_1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Best F(r)iends,</a>" and little did we know that "The Disaster Artist" is part two of "The Room" trilogy. [<em>Laughs</em>.]&#xa0;</p><p><strong>Guerrasio: Wow. So what's going forward for the production company? Are you going to produce? Direct?</strong></p><p><strong>Franco:</strong> I can't get into many details but all the projects are all over the place in genre and size of budget. But the unifying aspect of all of them is they do feel unique. I'm having so much fun. As much as I love acting and I hope to be doing it for a long time, it almost feels more natural for me to be a producer. I came into all of this because I'm a fan of movies and I wanted to find any way I could to be a part of it all. I happened to take the acting route but it could have been a million different ways in. Now that I'm producing it's just really fun for me to work with people that I really admire and put people together who I think will work well together. Just having a little more control.</p><div></div>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/why-megyn-kelly-left-fox-news-2017-11">Megyn Kelly reveals why she left Fox News</a></h3>        <div>                    </div>    </div></hr>

Dave Franco explains why he's done worrying about being in the shadow of his brother James

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Charley Gallay/Getty</span></p><p class="caption">Dave Franco.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><ul><li><strong>Dave Franco lost 20 pounds for his upcoming Netflix movie, "6 Balloons."</strong></li><li><strong>It was the first time he'd ever gotten that dedicated for a role in his career and he said it "scared the hell out of me."</strong></li><li><strong>He ran so much to lose the weight, he injured his knee and had to spend a couple of months in physical therapy after production wrapped.</strong></li></ul><p><br />James Franco is the one in his family who's known for being super dedicated to the arts - whether for taking time out of his career to do film classes at NYU, or directing his latest movie "The Disaster Artist" <a href="http://www.slashfilm.com/james-franco-the-disaster-artist/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">while staying in character</a> as Tommy Wiseau, the outlandish director and star of what's regarded by many as the worst movie of all time, "The Room."</p><p>But his brother Dave is proving he can go pretty deep into his craft as well.</p><p>The younger Franco, who stars opposite James in "The Disaster Artist," revealed to Business Insider in a recent interview that he lost 20 pounds to play a heroin addict in his upcoming Netflix movie, "6 Balloons." The dedication led to some major ramifications both physically and emotionally.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Rich Fury/Getty</span></p><p class="caption">Dave Franco's wife, actress Alison Brie, was concerned about the weight loss: "You're not yourself, you're not fun to be around," she told him.</p></div><p></p></div></div>"I was full-on depressed," he said. "I remember at one point my wife [actress Alison Brie] saying, 'You're not yourself, you're not fun to be around.' And I was like, 'I'm f---ing starving! What do you want from me?' But on set I also wasn't fun to be around. I wasn't really interacting with anyone. I was in the corner by myself, miserable."</p><p>In "6 Balloons" (coming out in 2018), Abbi Jacobson ("Broad City") plays Franco's sister who discovers that his character has relapsed on heroin while taking care of his 2-year-old daughter.</p><p>Franco admitted the "6 Balloons" role is the first time he'd ever gone deep into a character in his career. Looking back, he's glad he did it, but he also said it "scared the hell out of me."</p><p>"I almost really f---ed up my heath," he went on to say. "I was running all day every day to lose weight and I ended up messing up my knee to the point that when we finished production I had to go to physical therapy for a couple of months."</p><p>Franco said he got so obsessed with the transformation, he would look at pictures of how Christian Bale has changed his body for roles over the years as motivation.</p><p>"If he can do this 15 times I can do it once," Franco said he would remind himself.</p><p>Though it was rewarding to do a role that got Franco out of his comfort zone, when the actor was asked if he would ever do a dramatic transformation like this again for a part he quickly responded: "Not for a long time!"</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/shaq-learned-kazaam-shaq-fu-reboot-failure-strategy-lessons-2017-11">SHAQ: What I learned from the failures of 'Kazaam' and 'Shaq Fu'</a></h3>        <div>                    </div>    </div>

Dave Franco almost ruined his health losing 20 pounds for his new Netflix movie: 'I was full-on depressed'

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Disney/Pixar</span></p><p class="caption">"Coco."</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><ul><li><strong>"Coco" wins the domestic box office for a second-straight weekend with $26 million.</strong></li><li><strong>A24 is capitalizing on the pre-"Star Wars: The Last Jedi" weekends by releasing award season contenders "Lady Bird" and "The Disaster Artist."</strong></li></ul><p><br />Disney/Pixar's "Coco" has followed up its <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/coco-justice-league-thanksgiving-box-office-winner-2017-11">Thanksgiving weekend dominance</a> at the domestic box office with a repeat win.</p><p>The heartwarming tale of a boy's journey to the Land of the Dead took in an estimated $26 million its second weekend, according to <a href="https://twitter.com/ERCboxoffice/status/937353171805937665" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Exhibitor Relations</a>, easily beating "Justice League" once again. The Warner Bros./DC Comics movie is taking a nose-dive, dropping 60% from last weekend and only taking in <a href="https://twitter.com/ERCboxoffice/status/937339492112855040" target="_blank" rel="noopener">$16.5 million</a>.</p><p>But for the real highlights from this weekend you have to look beyond the top two performers.</p><p>The Julia Roberts drama "Wonder" continues to be the surprise success story of the season as it came in third place with <a href="https://twitter.com/ERCboxoffice/status/937348257394540545" target="_blank" rel="noopener">$12.5 million</a>. That gives the movie a domestic total of $88 million, a figure most in Hollywood didn't think the film would come close to after three weeks in theaters (its budget was $20 million).</p><p>The trick has been the flood to theaters with students at the matinee showings. Lionsgate really pushed the idea of teachers taking their kids to the movie for a field trip to highlight its anti-bullying message. It's paid off big time for Lionsgate.</p><p>Then there's the run distributor A24 is on. The company behind the best picture Oscar win for "Moonlight" is looking to take advantage of these few weeks before "Star Wars: The Last Jedi" opens. A24's releases "Lady Bird" and "The Disaster Artist" are hot tickets at arthouse theaters.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>A24</span></p><p class="caption">"Lady Bird."</p></div><p></p></div></div>In its fifth week in theaters, the coming-of-age drama "Lady Bird" is now playing in over 1,000 screens and is using the long tail word of mouth approach - and news that the movie is now the best reviewed title of all time on Rotten Tomatoes - to build up a total domestic gross to date of <a href="https://twitter.com/ERCboxoffice/status/937332504998027264" target="_blank" rel="noopener">$17 million</a> (the movie was made for close to $10 million).</p><p>The movie's Oscar hopes will only increase its box office as the company slowly continues to expand the movie to other cities through the end of the year.</p><p>Then there's "The Disaster Artist", a very different movie from "Lady Bird", but A24 will use a similar model for its release. The retelling of Tommy Wiseau's stranger-than-fiction journey to make, "The Room," considered one of the worst movies ever made, stars James Franco who is also the director.</p><p>Opening on only 19 theaters this weekend ("Lady Bird" started its run on just four screens), the movie took in <a href="https://twitter.com/ERCboxoffice/status/937331966042562560" target="_blank" rel="noopener">$1.2 million</a> - that's $64,254 per screen. This is another title that will only increase in popularity as the weeks go on.</p><p>But when "The Last Jedi" opens, it might be game over in regards to any other wide release making big numbers for the rest of the year. When the latest "Star Wars" movie opens December 15, it won't just earn a lot of coin, but could cement Disney's dominance at the box office for the rest of 2017.</p><p>It's possible a Disney title will be the winner of the domestic box office from last weekend until the final weekend of December. It would be a combination of "Coco" wins up until "The Last Jedi" opens and then dominance by the space saga the rest of the year.</p><p>That would be six-straight weekends of Disney titles taking the No. 1 spot.</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/south-korean-boy-band-music-world-takeover-2017-10">This South Korean boy band is taking over the music world</a></h3>        <div>                    </div>    </div>

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