It Was Considered A Box Office Flop
Although now regarded as a cinematic classic, The Shawshank Redemption initially struggled at the box office. Upon its release, it earned just $18 million—falling short of covering its production costs. Following a wave of Oscar nominations, the film managed to generate an additional $10 million but was still deemed a box office failure. Despite its lackluster theatrical performance, Warner Home Video took a gamble by distributing 320,000 rental copies across the United States. This bold move paid off, as the film quickly became one of the most rented titles of the year, solidifying its path to enduring popularity.
It Was Considered A Box Office Flop
More Than One Freeman
Few people realize that the mugshots of a young Red attached to his parole papers in The Shawshank Redemption aren’t of Morgan Freeman or a random individual. They’re actually photos of Alfonso Freeman, Morgan Freeman’s son. Alfonso even makes a memorable cameo in the film, chanting, “Fresh fish! Fresh fish today! We’re reeling ’em in!” Interestingly, this wasn’t his only appearance in one of his father’s films. Just a year later, he played a fingerprint technician in the thriller Seven.
More Than One Freeman
