‘The Shawshank Redemption’ was a commercial flop before it became a classic. The movie initially made $18 million at the box office, which wasn’t even enough to cover the studio’s costs. But even though the movie made $10 million more after being nominated for a bunch of Oscars, it was still considered a flop.
The film only became popular after Warner Home Video shipped 320,000 rental copies across the US. Even though many thought that it was risky to distribute so many VHS tapes of the movie, it paid off.
The Movie Really Helped the Local Economy
The story, like almost every other Stephen King novel, is set in Maine. Still, the movie was entirely shot in Ohio. The filmmakers used 13 different filming locations that have all become tourist destinations, thanks to die-hard Shawshank fans.
Since 1994, 18,000 people have gone to Ohio to look at these sacred Shawshank sites, bringing in $3 million to the local economy. Who knew that a movie about a banker escaping prison through a poop shoot could be so good for the people of Ohio?
Stand-in Hands
Even though Tim Robbins played Andy Dufresne in most scenes, he didn't play the character during the close-up shots of Andy's hands. In fact, they're the hands of director Frank Darabont. He was so particular about the way he wanted Andy's hands to behave that he did it himself in post-production.
So, when Andy's hands load the revolver in the opening scene or carve his name into his cell wall, it's Darabont the whole time.
Freeman's Speculation
Nowadays, it's weird to think that this hit movie had such bad box office numbers. The reason for it could be the unfortunate timing that coincided with other cinematic hits. But Morgan freeman had a different idea.
Freeman speculated that the film's name was holding it back. It was too difficult for people to pronounce, which made it hard for the film to become popular through word of mouth.
A Different Freeman
Is that digitally de-aged Morgan Freeman on that mugshot? Actually, it's his son. Red's mugshots in the movie, which are attached to his parole papers, are actually photos of Alfonso Freeman. He even had a cameo in the film chanting, "Fresh fish! Fresh fish today! We're reeling em' in!"
This wasn't the only time Alfonso showed up in one of his dad's films either. The year after Shawshank came out, he played the fingerprint technician in the movie 'Seven'.