{"id":2477605,"date":"2026-06-26T22:00:58","date_gmt":"2026-06-26T22:00:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2477605"},"modified":"2026-06-26T22:00:58","modified_gmt":"2026-06-26T22:00:58","slug":"ed-norton-looks-back-on-the-surprising-reaction-to-one-of-his-now-iconic-movies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/ed-norton-looks-back-on-the-surprising-reaction-to-one-of-his-now-iconic-movies\/","title":{"rendered":"Ed Norton looks back on the surprising reaction to one of his now-iconic movies"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div data-article-body=\"true\">\n<h3 class=\"mb-4 text-lg font-bold\">Key Points<\/h3>\n<ul class=\"mb-4\">\n<li class=\"ml-4 list-disc\">\n<div class=\"\">\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Edward Norton recently recalled the poor reception <em>Fight Club<\/em> received when it premiered at the Venice Film Festival.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"ml-4 list-disc\">\n<div class=\"\">\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;I remember being disappointed in the short term,&#8221; he said, &#8220;but slowly over time, you go, &#8216;this is better.'&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"ml-4 list-disc\">\n<div class=\"\">\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Norton&#8217;s latest acting role, in Olivia Wilde&#8217;s <em>The Invite<\/em>, is now in theaters.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/ew.com\/person\/edward-norton\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:Edward Norton;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Edward Norton&quot;}\" class=\"link \">Edward Norton<\/a> is talking about <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/ew.com\/fight-club\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:Fight Club;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Fight Club&quot;}\" class=\"link \"><em>Fight Club<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The four-time Oscar nominee recently reflected on the 1999 movie&#8217;s premiere and the surprising reaction it received. Directed by <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/ew.com\/person\/david-fincher\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:David Fincher;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;David Fincher&quot;}\" class=\"link \">David Fincher<\/a> and starring Norton, <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/ew.com\/person\/brad-pitt\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:Brad Pitt;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Brad Pitt&quot;}\" class=\"link \">Brad Pitt<\/a>, and <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/ew.com\/person\/helena-bonham-carter\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:Helena Bonham Carter;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Helena Bonham Carter&quot;}\" class=\"link \">Helena Bonham Carter<\/a>, <em>Fight Club<\/em> was panned when it premiered at Venice Film Festival. But 27 years later, it is considered a cult classic.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;People forget that <em>Fight Club<\/em> became such a definitive film but it was a total financial bomb,&#8221; Norton said on the latest episode of Dana Carvey and David Spade&#8217;s <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=is_YBe28Bao\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:Fly on the Wall podcast;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Fly on the Wall podcast&quot;}\" class=\"link \"><em>Fly on the Wall<\/em> podcast<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;When it came out, it didn&#8217;t do well at all,&#8221; Norton continued. &#8220;I think that movie cost 60-or-70-million bucks to make and I don&#8217;t even know if it got to $40 million at the U.S. box office.&#8221; (Indeed, the movie brought in a cool $37 million domestically.)<\/p>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-0 size-full\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-3 right-3 rounded-full bg-primary p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-primary\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"24\" height=\"24\" viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\" aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\" class=\"flex-none size-4 -scale-x-100 text-primary lg:size-6 [&amp;_path]:fill-current\"><path fill=\"currentColor\" d=\"M3.1 3.1V11h1.8V6.314l5.392 5.393 1.415-1.414L6.313 4.9H11V3.1zm17.8 17.8V13h-1.8v4.686l-5.393-5.393-1.415 1.414 5.393 5.393H13v1.8z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal dialogue\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed bottom-0 left-0 right-0 top-0 z-4 size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-primary hidden\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<p><i>Edward Norton in &#8216;Fight Club&#8217;<br \/>Credit: Peacock<\/i><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">It was also a &#8220;very strange decision&#8221; to have <em>Fight Club<\/em> make its world premiere in Venice. &#8220;It didn&#8217;t feel like a good fit,&#8221; Norton admitted.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">He added, &#8220;At the hotel beforehand, Brad had said to me, &#8216;How do you think this is gonna go?&#8217; And I said, &#8216;I don&#8217;t think this is gonna go well at all.&#8217; And he said, &#8216;Me neither.'&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Norton, who&#8217;s currently starring in <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/ew.com\/olivia-wilde-tears-up-sundance-2026-standing-ovation-the-invite-movie-11892068\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:The Invite;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;The Invite&quot;}\" class=\"link \"><em>The Invite<\/em><\/a>, directed by <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/ew.com\/person\/olivia-wilde\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:Olivia Wilde;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Olivia Wilde&quot;}\" class=\"link \">Olivia Wilde<\/a>, said the <em>Fight Club<\/em> gang sat in the back of the theater for the premiere and &#8220;people were actively&#8221; booing and &#8220;booed at the end.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;People left in the middle of it,&#8221; he recalled, &#8220;and at the end of it, Brad turns to me in the dark, kind of tearful, and he said, &#8216;I think that&#8217;s the best movie I&#8217;m ever gonna be in.'&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><strong><em>Get your daily dose of entertainment news, celebrity updates, and what to watch with our <\/em><\/strong><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/ew.com\/ew-dispatch-newsletter-11812417\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:EW Dispatch newsletter;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;EW Dispatch newsletter&quot;}\" class=\"link \"><strong><em>EW Dispatch newsletter<\/em><\/strong><\/a><strong><em>.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Norton acknowledged that it sounded &#8220;like a funny story&#8221; considering <em>Fight Club<\/em>&#8216;s cult-classic status now. &#8220;I remember being disappointed in the short term, but slowly over time, you go, &#8216;this is better.'&#8221;<\/p>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><img alt=\"Edward Norton and Brad Pitt in 'Fight Club'Credit: 20th Century Fox\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"960\" height=\"640\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"rounded-lg\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/oe6sLAEGbHWX8omxlrujag--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTY0MDtjZj13ZWJw\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/entertainment_weekly_785\/6f6d085a27f600a991055ffd7e1ec08e\"\/><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-0 size-full\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-3 right-3 rounded-full bg-primary p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-primary\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"24\" height=\"24\" viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\" aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\" class=\"flex-none size-4 -scale-x-100 text-primary lg:size-6 [&amp;_path]:fill-current\"><path fill=\"currentColor\" d=\"M3.1 3.1V11h1.8V6.314l5.392 5.393 1.415-1.414L6.313 4.9H11V3.1zm17.8 17.8V13h-1.8v4.686l-5.393-5.393-1.415 1.414 5.393 5.393H13v1.8z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal dialogue\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed bottom-0 left-0 right-0 top-0 z-4 size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-primary hidden\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<p><i>Edward Norton and Brad Pitt in &#8216;Fight Club&#8217;<br \/>Credit: 20th Century Fox<\/i><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">In 2020, Pitt mentioned how surprised he was by the audience&#8217;s lackluster reaction at the Venice premiere. &#8220;The movie ended, the lights flick on, I look at people,&#8221; he remembered, telling <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wtfpod.com\/podcast\/episode-1086-brad-pitt-amp-leonardo-dicaprio\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:Marc Maron on his eponymous podcast;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Marc Maron on his eponymous podcast&quot;}\" class=\"link \">Marc Maron on his eponymous podcast<\/a>. &#8220;They just slowly get up from their seats and no one is talking and they kind of disappear from the screening.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">He added, &#8220;I remember looking at Fincher and being like, \u2018Oh my God, what the f\u2011\u2011\u2011 did we do? What happened?&#8217; I thought that s\u2011\u2011\u2011 was great.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Read the original article on <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/ew.com\/ed-norton-looks-back-surprising-reaction-to-now-iconic-movie-12007759\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:Entertainment Weekly;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Entertainment Weekly&quot;}\" class=\"link \">Entertainment Weekly<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><em> \u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n<p><em> \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source nz.news.yahoo.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Key Points Edward Norton recently recalled the poor reception Fight Club received when it premiered at the Venice Film Festival. &#8220;I remember being disappointed in the short term,&#8221; he said, &#8220;but slowly over time, you go, &#8216;this is better.&#8217;&#8221; Norton&#8217;s latest acting role, in Olivia Wilde&#8217;s The Invite, is now in theaters. Edward Norton is [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2477606,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25172],"tags":[25825,334249,313250,313278,382592,406687,359444,333428],"class_list":["post-2477605","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-entertainment","tag-brad-pitt","tag-david-fincher","tag-david-spade","tag-edward-norton","tag-fight-club","tag-helena-bonham-carter","tag-olivia-wilde","tag-venice-film-festival"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Ed-Norton-looks-back-on-the-surprising-reaction-to-one.jpeg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2477605","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2477605"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2477605\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2477607,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2477605\/revisions\/2477607"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2477606"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2477605"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2477605"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2477605"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}