Oscar nominees who went bust
Dino De Laurentiis
Nomination
Best Foreign Language Film (1957)
Movie
'La Strada'
Win or lose?
Won
Credits and creditors
The famed Italian director set up shop in the U.S. in 1983, building a movie studio (De Laurentiis Entertainment Group) in North Carolina. The first few years of operation were rocky, however, with the production house releasing such flops as 'Million Dollar Mystery' and the truly awful 'Maximum Overdrive.' Hollywood insiders said DEG was better suited as an armaments manufacturer given the amount of bombs it produced. DEG went bankrupt in 1988, and the company was acquired thereafter by Village Roadshow. Some film experts believe the many thorns and nettles DEG faced were most likely karmic retribution for 'Dune.' They have a point.
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