10 Directors Who Were PISSED OFF At Film Premieres
5. Tommy Wiseau Didn't Realise His Film Was A (Wonderful) Disaster - The Room
Tommy Wiseau's "disasterpiece" The Room is often referred to as "the Citizen Kane of bad movies," and rightly so.
Its production was brilliantly dramatised in James Franco's biopic The Disaster Artist, though its unforgettable climax in which The Room is finally premiered ultimately plays a little fast and loose with the facts.
By the film's account, Tommy (Franco) is initially upset at the premiere audience laughing at his film's awfulness, yet after some coaching from his co-star Greg Sestero (Dave Franco), he's convinced to embrace the movie as an offbeat comedy and returns to the premiere reinvigorated.
According to one of the film's actresses who attended the premiere, Robyn Paris, the reality was quite different, noting that there wasn't much cheering from the audience - but certainly a lot of laughter - and that she herself chose to laugh quietly to avoid upsetting Tommy.
Sestero himself has stated in interviews that Tommy was totally surprised and disappointed by the response of the premiere audience, though in the years that followed he came to embrace his creation as a campy, so-bad-it's-good treat.