David Fincher’s classic film, “Fight Club,” is regarded as one of the best and most daring studio movies of the late 1990s. But when 20th Century Fox released it in 1999, it didn’t have many fans — least of all the studio’s then-owner, Rupert Murdoch.
Bill Mechanic, who was the head of 20th Century Fox at the time, likened his boss’ movie tastes to what showed up in the gossip column of the Murdoch-owned New York Post.
“I always thought what Rupert wanted was Page Six,” Mechanic told Business Insider. “He didn’t think movies were there to challenge.”
Mechanic knew he was in trouble when he greenlit “Fight Club,” which follows a nameless narrator (played by Edward Norton) and his imaginary friend Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt), who start an underground brawling club that morphs into a cult hell-bent on social disorder.
The film’s sharp consumerist satire, complex plot, and violent material were already a tough sell — then came the Columbine High School shooting, which complicated its marketing campaign in the months leading up to its release. Soon, scathing editorials were cropping up in the trades.
Mechanic knew he’d hear from Murdoch at some point, and it wouldn’t be good. That moment came a few weeks before “Fight Club” premiered. Mechanic was attending a meeting where Murdoch was present when the movie came up.
“He starts attacking, and he said, ‘What kind of sick fucking human being would make a movie like this?'” Mechanic recalled Murdoch saying. “I said, ‘Me. David Fincher. We’re not embarrassed.'”
At the time, Mechanic said he felt his days were numbered at Fox, so he decided to make one small suggestion to Fincher.
At the end of “Fight Club,” the narrator realizes his best friend, Tyler Durden, is his alter ego. After shooting himself in the face to rid himself of Durden, he watches as Project Mayhem’s final act is accomplished: the skyscrapers that house credit card companies are blown up to erase all debt records.
One of the buildings that explodes is the famed Fox Plaza Tower.
Many speculated at the time that this detail was Fincher’s doing as a middle finger to the studio, but actually, it was Mechanic’s suggestion.
“David took me through the sequence. I think I was up in the actual building talking to him, and I asked David if he would put the Fox building in there for my tribute to Rupert,” Mechanic said.
“I just realized I went to work for the wrong person,” Mechanic added of Murdoch. “I think I got movies made that wouldn’t have been made, and there’s a price to pay.”
Murdoch didn’t respond to a request for comment.
Following the poor box office performance for “Fight Club” and a couple other duds, Mechanic left Fox in 2000. He’s since produced the beloved 2009 stop-motion movie “Coraline” and earned a best picture Oscar nomination in 2016 for Mel Gibson’s “Hacksaw Ridge.” But “Fight Club,” he says, remains close to his heart.
“It’s the movie I get asked the most about,” he said. “It’s one of the best experiences I had.”
“Fight Club” is being rereleased in 4K in theaters for one night, on April 22. Digital and Blu-ray 4K versions will be available May 12.
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