Ben Stiller has explained why the box office failure of Zoolander 2 was actually a positive thing.
Zoolander 2 was released in 2016, 15 years after the first film was a huge hit. The sequel reportedly cost over $50 million to make but only grossed $57 million worldwide.
Alongside Stiller, Owen Wilson and Will Ferrell returned to their roles from the original movie. It also featured A-list cameos from stars including Katy Perry, Justin Bieber and Naomi Campbell.
Related: Benedict Cumberbatch wouldn't play Zoolander 2 character today
Speaking to Esquire, Stiller reflected on the film's box office failure, saying that if it had done well he may not have been able to pursue his current, less comedic projects.
"If Zoolander 2 had been a huge hit, and then people were saying 'Zoolander 3!' 'Do this movie! That movie!' – that might have taken me off the road of having the space to work on developing [Escape at] Dannemora.
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"I might have gotten distracted by other bright shiny objects, but instead it opened a path where I could just do what I’d honestly wanted to do for years and years, which was: just direct something!
"I'm just going to work on this project that I want to work on, because it takes a little time to get these things going, and if you don't stick with it you don't get there."
Stiller directed Escape at Dannemora in 2018 for Showtime and earned himself a Directors Guild of America award for it.
His Apple TV + series Severance premiered earlier this month to more critical acclaim (including from Digital Spy).
It stars Parks and Rec's Adam Scott, Britt Lower, Christopher Walken and Patricia Arquette, and follows a man who agrees to have his non-work memories separated from his work memories.
Severance launches its first two episodes on February 18 2022, and then airs weekly on Apple TV+.
Reporter, Digital Spy
Stephanie is a freelance news writer, who previously covered WWE and AEW for Digital Spy.
After graduating with a degree in history from Queen Mary University, London, she studied journalism at Birkbeck University.
Outside of her work at Digital Spy, she writes about pop culture, with a special focus towards Irish media and how it intersects with politics.
You can read more of her work on her Substack page.
