Sometimes you gotta spend money to make money, or in the case of Universal, lose money to potentially make money. The studio is currently reeling from what will likely be a $40 million loss on Angelina Jolie‘s vanity project “By The Sea.” The Euro-flavored drama costarring her husband Brad Pitt seemed like a slam dunk based on their names alone, but neither critics nor audiences warmed to the movie. But the studio hopes that by backing the picture, it will lead to one scenario that will pay off in the end.
READ MORE: AFI Review: ‘By The Sea’ By Angelina Jolie, Co-Starring Brad Pitt & Mélanie Laurent
THR reports that the studio rolled the dice on Jolie’s movie —including such indulgences as allowing Jolie’s team to cut the trailers and posters (which bizarrely didn’t even feature the faces of its two biggest stars)— in the hopes that she might return the favor by signing up for the long-developing “Wanted 2” or “Bride Of Frankenstein.”
Yep, it’s the ol’ “one for me, one for them” scenario, though it’s debatable whether or not anyone cares about a “Wanted” sequel at this point. Similarly, even though “Our Brand Is Crisis” flopped, Warner Bros. is still hoping to get Sandra Bullock to commit to the female led reboot/remake of “Ocean’s Eleven.”