How Universal Saved Vin Diesel’s Pitch Black From A Straight-To-Video Fate

However, that didn’t end up being the case. While PolyGram had quite a few movies in post-production before its disintegration, only a few of them, mostly ones previously co-produced with the company-backed Working Title Films, were going to be distributed by Universal. According to Twohy, the previously-undisclosed number of upcoming releases involved in the Universal deal turned out to be two movies, which were handpicked by the company.

“One was a Hugh Grant movie and the only other picture they picked out for theatrical distribution from PolyGram was ‘Pitch Black,'” said Twohy, likely referring to 1999’s “Notting Hill.”

Needless to say, this ended up being a very important decision that helped shape the science-fiction subgenre as the new millennium arrived. While “Pitch Black” didn’t receive the most glowing reviews from critics, it grossed over $53 million worldwide on a budget of $23 million, primarily because of its interesting melding of science-fiction and horror tropes. This success resulted in the “Riddick” franchise, with all of the movies and video games in the series centering around the titular antihero.

There was a time, though, that Twohy could not watch the film on its own and not associate it with the distribution panic it faced. However, he told SciFi Now that those days are behind him.

“Enough time has transpired between now and Pitch Black that I can actually kind of sit back … and enjoy it as a movie,” he explained, “rather than me revisiting all the travails on the set.”