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Ex-Fox Studio Chief Says He Asked for Fox Plaza Cameo in 'Fight Club' as a Jab at Rupert Murdoch

The recollection points to a deeper rift over whether big-studio films should challenge audiences.

Overview

  • Bill Mechanic shared the account in a new Business Insider interview tied to a one-night 4K theatrical rerelease, with home versions planned for May.
  • He says Rupert Murdoch blasted the movie at a News Corp meeting, quoting him as asking who would make “a sick f—ing” film like that.
  • Mechanic says he asked director David Fincher to include the Fox Plaza Tower in the film’s closing image as a private “tribute” to Murdoch.
  • He links the friction over the film and other box-office misses to his 2000 exit from Fox, and no response from Murdoch was reported in the coverage.
  • Variety notes the movie’s path from a weak theatrical run to cult status on DVD and reports that Fox leaders at the time even doubted the first X-Men before it became a franchise.