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Released
1999 · FILM

Bowfinger

A down‑and‑out director hatches a wild scheme to shoot a blockbuster with Hollywood’s biggest star—without the star ever knowing he’s on camera—while racing against sabotage, budget limits, and chaos to prove his dream can still roll.

“The con is on.”

Directed by
Frank Oz, Michele Panelli Venetis
Written by
Steve Martin, Steve Martin Nm0000188
Rated
MPA · PG-13
Runtime
97 min
Comedy
Streaming on
  • Paramount+

Synopsis

Bobby Bowfinger, an aspiring filmmaker on the verge of bankruptcy and in search of his big break, devises an unconventional plan to create his dream movie. He assembles a makeshift crew consisting of an idealistic young actress, a faded Hollywood diva, and a studio errand runner, and sets out to produce a blockbuster starring the biggest name in Hollywood, Kit Ramsey—without Ramsey's knowledge that he is part of the film.

Credits

Actors
Editor
Production Designer
Director of Photography
Writers
Directors

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How many hands made this film

The scale of the collaboration

A crew of 239+ credited

Why a floor?

This is a minimum, not a total. We only count the credits we’ve captured so far, and coverage is uneven — a blockbuster might show a few hundred names while another of the same size shows a couple dozen. The real crews all ran into the thousands. The number here only grows as full credits are enriched — so we frame it as a floor, never a headcount.

Craft leads on file

Edited by Richard PearsonShot by Ueli SteigerScored by David NewmanDesigned by Jackson De GoviaSound by Ron BocharCostumes by Joseph G AulisiStunts by Bud DavisVFX by Catherine Sudolcan

Box Office

1999 · Box office

⚖️ Fell short of break-even — grossed 1.8× its budget

Why 2.5×?

Cinemas keep roughly half of every ticket sold, and a wide release’s marketing often costs about as much again as the film — so a movie needs to gross around 2.5× its production budget just to break even theatrically. It’s a rule of thumb, not the studio’s ledger (home video and streaming come later).

Worldwide gross

$98.6M

Budget$55.0M
Worldwide gross$98.6M
break-even (2.5×)

Opening week (7-day): $25.2M

Peak 2,706 theaters

Versions & cuts

  • TV· 85 min

Also known as

  • (English)Bowfinger
  • Bowfingers große Nummerde
  • Bowfinger, roi d'Hollywoodfr
  • (Bulgarian)Боуфингър
Release dates around the world4 countries · show
  • CanadaAug 13, 1999
  • SwitzerlandAug 13, 1999
  • United StatesAug 13, 1999
  • SingaporeOct 7, 1999

Companies

ProductionUniversal Pictures, Imagine Entertainment
DistributionUniversal Pictures, United International Pictures (UIP), Filmes Lusomundo
Special effectsIllusion Arts
Other companiesAmerican Humane Association, C5, CMG Worldwide, Central Casting, Chapman/Leonard Studio Equipment

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