Netflix loves spending vast amounts of money on both developing original content and securing the distribution rights to outside projects, with the company also having a soft spot for touting its success at every turn. However, Eric Andre has highlighted the downside of on-demand glory by revealing he barely saw a penny from Bad Trip.
The riotous comedy debuted on the platform in March of 2021 and immediately became one of the most-watched movies around the world, emboldened by its zany approach to comedy, the semi-meta narrative that threaded all the sketches together, and a stellar critical reception that saw it land a healthy Rotten Tomatoes score of 79 percent.
However, despite developing Bad Trip for over a decade – as well as taking starring, writing, and producing credits – Andre revealed to Howard Stern that once the film was sold off to Netflix behind his back, he made the bare minimum for his efforts and nothing more.
“MGM was secretly trying to sell it to Quibi, behind our backs… Then they got caught. They kept telling us Netflix didn’t want it. Financially? Nothing. I made zero dollars. I made the minimum SAG-AFTRA indie scale. The movie took seven-and-a-half years to make, and I made like $17,000. For like a decade of work. But you know what? The success of Bad Trip has opened up other opportunities. It’s the beginning of a new chapter.”
Andre might be putting a brave face on the situation, but it could potentially open the door to a wider conversation about how Netflix compensates the minds behind its biggest, brightest, and best hits, especially with the writers’ strike ongoing.