With "Zoolander 2" opening in a couple of weeks, it’s worth remembering that when the first film came out in 2001, Paramount didn’t seem to realize its potential. And neither did audiences. "Zoolander" only earned $60 million worldwide, but it was on DVD where the film became a phenomenon. Ben Stiller hasn’t forgotten the humble beginnings of his massively popular fashion world satire.
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“It wasn’t like a slam-dunk movie idea,” he told Vogue. “For the most part, we were on our own —both in the fashion world and with the studio, too. They were just like, ‘we don’t quite know what this is.’ ”
Stiller said that early tests screenings didn’t quite work. “It wasn’t that they hated it,” Stiller said. “They were just like, ‘Oh, OK.’ Honestly, that’s what it was like when the movie came out, too. Same thing. ‘Oh, OK.’ ”
These days, many many more people are now stoked for the upcoming sequel, but we’ll see if it delivers, or it’s just, "Oh, OK." Below, check out Derek Zoolander answering 73 questions from Vogue, a promo for something called Youth Milk, new pictures and more. "Zoolander 2" opens on February 12th.
