From worstpreviews, Robert Rodriguez was out searching for a domestic distributor for his "Machete" film, which stars Danny Trejo, Robert De Niro, Jessica Alba, Steven Seagal and Lindsay Lohan.
Six studios were very interested, including Sony, Lionsgate, Warner Bros, Fox, Paramount and The Weinstein Company, which distributed "Grindhouse," the film that included the faux trailer that the film is based on. Each studio got to see about fifteen to thirty minutes of footage from "Machete."
After a bit of bidding, 20th Century Fox ended up on top by agreeing to pay $9 million upfront, a big backend gross participation for Rodriguez, and guaranteeing a wide release.
This deal left a big question. Why didn't The Weinstein Company, which has a first-look option, acquire the rights? Some believe that the studio couldn't come up with $9 million, but one Weinstein insider claims that the studio could have scooped up the film for $3.5 million and in the end decided against it because "we saw the footage and it's not very good at all."
