Film's potential and production
Released in 1987, L'Aventure intérieure had all the elements needed to become a major success in the science-fiction genre. Produced by Steven Spielberg and directed by Joe Dante, the filmmaker behind Gremlins, the film unfortunately became a major commercial failure, earning only 27 million dollars at the worldwide box office for a budget of 25 million.Festival discussion and double feature
The reasons for the commercial failure were discussed during the Something Old, Something New festival, held in 2012 at the New Beverly Cinema, where the student section of the Association of Motion Picture Archivists (AMIA) at UCLA had scheduled a double feature featuring L'Homme qui rétrécit and L'Aventure intérieure, with the presence of its director, Joe Dante.Test screenings and studio confidence
On this occasion, the filmmaker spoke about the production of his work, mentioning the enthusiasm generated by test screenings. The film had received "one of the best reactions during test screenings" that he had ever experienced. Convinced that they had a major hit on their hands, the studio executives went as far as "pounding each other's hands to congratulate themselves," convinced that the film would be a blockbuster.Marketing and poster missteps
They were so confident that they believed "it was even unnecessary to advertise the film." Joe Dante also explained to the audience at the New Beverly Cinema that Warner Bros. simply did not know how to market L'Aventure intérieure. The original poster was particularly revealing of this misstep: none of the actors were featured on it. The studio may have relied solely on the mention "Steven Spielberg presents," placed above the title, to attract audiences.Critical reception and later success
It should be noted that the film was produced by Amblin Entertainment, Spielberg's company. Joe Dante also recalled that the Los Angeles Times, in its review of the film, summarized its reception in theaters with an unequivocal formula: it had "crashed in flames." The film had nevertheless managed to reach third place at the box office. However, during its later video release, the promotion changed: Dennis Quaid, Martin Short, and Meg Ryan were now prominently featured on the cover. Thus, thanks to the rental market, L'Aventure intérieure became a science-fiction classic.Plot summary
The story follows Lieutenant Tuck Pendelton, a daredevil pilot in the American navy. He volunteers for a revolutionary experiment: miniaturized and placed inside a microscopic submarine, he must be injected into the body of a rabbit. However, when industrial spies seize the technology allowing him to return to his normal size, everything goes wrong. Due to a series of circumstances, Tuck ends up accidentally injected into the body of Jack Putter, a shy supermarket employee. Trapped inside his host, he has only one option: convince the latter to help him defeat the criminals and regain his normal size before it is too late.
