In the years since Howard the Duck hit the big screen, to scathing reviews and poor box office receipts, star Lea Thompson says it has found an affectionate audience, for which she is grateful.
"People now appreciate the movie in the spirit in which it was made. It was an iconoclastic movie. It is for little rebels. And I love that fans had to be brave when they said, 'I like that movie!' It was so easy to make fun of it," Thompson told The Hollywood Reporter.
The 1986 live-action adaptation of the Marvel comic had a great pedigree: Howard the Duck was produced by LucasFilm, and Thompson, who played Howard's friend, aspiring singer Beverly Switzler, had starred in Back to the Future the previous year. But Howard the Duck opened to a paltry $5 million at the box office and made only $16.2 million domestically and $37.9 million globally, coming short of its reputed $45 million budget.
But, Thompson said, VHS releases of Howard the Duck gave it a second life over the years: "And that is why I often say my Howard the Duck fans are my favorite fans because they had to earn it! It was not jumping on the bandwagon."
Thompson's career has shifted from acting to directing shows like The Goldbergs, DC's Stargirl and Star Trek: Picard, and she has floated the idea of directing a Howard the Duck reboot.
Source:Â The Hollywood Reporter