
David Fincher directed the 1999 film adaption of the 1996 novel, Fight Club, by
Chuck Palahniuk. The film stars
Edward Norton as an everyman. The movie also stars
Brad Pitt and Helena Bonham Carter. Jim Uhls provided the screenplay.
Fincher has described the movie as black comedy with heavy satire. Fight Club takes the viewer into the conflict young people experience in the value system of advertising. The movie also contains homoerotic overtones from Palahniuk’s novel, and a twist ending. Fight Club was one of the most controversial and talked-about films of 1999. The film had its premiere at the 56th Venice International Film Festival on September 10, 1999. It was released in the United States on October 15, 1999, and earned the number one spot at the box office. On the second weekend Fight Club dropped over 40 percent in revenue. The films' budget was $63 million, but only earned $37 million during its theatrical run. The movie failed to meet expectations at the box office, but received commercial success with the DVD release. Fight Club is now considered a cult classic.