Disney had no faith in their surprise box-office hit, Gnomeo and Juliet, and Elton John is pissed. The movie, which was produced by John's company, Rocket Pictures, grossed only $100,000 less than last weekend's number-one movie, Hall Pass. According to Elton, it got there completely on its own, after Disney was hesitant to even release it.
He tells it like this:
"We fought resistance from the (Disney) studio for so long, and to be honest with you, the film has taken $75 million in America, and we haven’t had a message of congratulations from anyone within the studio… Gnomeo and Juliet took us eleven years to make. We defied all the odds and all of the people at Disney who said, 'this wouldn’t be a hit'… And it’s the biggest hit, but it could have been a bigger hit if Disney got behind it more… They’re so ashamed, and they should be ashamed of themselves."
Frankly, I believe him. If someone came to me with an animated Shakespearean rom-com called Gnomeo and Juliet, I wouldn't be too excited about it. Even after its success, I'm not too fond of the idea. That said, if Disney really stonewalled Elton like that, he deserves to gloat a little.