The Escape Artist

1982 | Comedy, Crime, Drama

Synopsis

Teenager Danny Masters, the son of the late Harry Masters, considered the second best escape artist in history, wants to follow in his father's footsteps, he already a skilled but untested magician. As far as Danny knows, his father died in a dangerous escape routine. Escaping from under his grandmother's roof, Danny, in a step to achieve his goal as they have all his father's old professional paraphernalia, reunites with his Aunt Sibyl and Uncle Burke in the town of Harding where they have a mind-reading act, she who actually can read minds but which only impinges on the smoke and mirrors they've developed with the act itself. In his wanderings around Harding, Danny gets involved with corrupt Stu Quiñones, and indirectly with Stu's equally corrupt father, the town's mayor, Leon Quiñones. This father/son pair no longer associate with each other as although Stu aspires to be as corrupt as his father, Stu's activities are a little too brazen and public for a politician with which to deal. In those dealings, Danny devises what is largely seen as a publicity stunt in reality to get the one up on the Quiñoneses, but in which he will have to show his true mettle as a great escape artist. In the process, Danny may also provide some justice for his father, the true nature of his death which Danny learns along the way.

Scores

Overall Score
21.6
Popularity Percentile (Year)
15.9%
Box Office Percentile (Year)
1.4%
Review Aggregate
69.7

Critic Consensus

80.0% Fresh • 5 critic reviews

Critic reception is largely positive, with 80% of 5 logged reviews marked Fresh. Across reviews, critics repeatedly emphasize funny, character-driven, emotional. Most critics frame the film as an effective delivery of its core style and intent.

funnycharacter-drivenemotionalvisually strikingthought-provokingrealistic

Cast

CastYearReported SalaryInflation AdjustedNotes
Griffin O'Neal1982$2,000$5,000(est)
Raúl Juliá1982$1,000$3,000(est)
Teri Garr1982$1,000$2,000(est)
Joan Hackett1982$1,000$2,000(est)
Gabriel Dell1982$1,000$2,000(est)
Desiderio Arnaz1982$0$2,000(est)

Aggregated Reviews

Rotten Tomatoes critic score80.0
RT critic review count5
Rotten Tomatoes audience score64.0
RT audience rating count1,000
IMDb rating6.1
IMDb votes938

Box Office ?

CategoryYearReportedInflation Adjusted
Domestic1982$143,369$466,061
International1982N/AN/A
Worldwide1982$143,369$466,061

Earnings / Profitability

Estimated net revenues and net expenses for films based on reported and estimated numbers. This income statement should be considered most viable for the first 24 months after the inital movie's release (ie after most lucrative pay windows).
CategoryYearReportedInflation Adjusted
Revenues
Theatrical Net Revenue1982$71,684$233,030
Digital Rentals ?1982N/AN/A
Digital Purchases ?1982N/AN/A
Physical Rentals ?1982$24,000$78,019
Physical Purchases ?1982$19,000$61,765
TV & Streaming Revenue1982$64,516$209,727
Total Revenues1982$179,201$582,541
Expenses
Budget ?1982$250,000 (est)$812,694 (est)
Print & Advertising (P&A) ?1982$115,000 (est)$373,839 (est)
Participations1982$4,000$13,003
Residuals ?1982$6,000$19,505
Interest & Overhead1982$50,000$162,539
Total Expenses1982$425,000$1,381,580
Movie Net Profit or Loss1982$-245,799$-799,039

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