How did this movie ruin Cimino's career?

It was nominated for an Oscar for Best Art Direction, but it didn't win. People had high expectations for Cimino's next film after "The Deer Hunter", but there was a lot of negative press about "Heaven's Gate" before it was released. Filming was behind schedule and over budget. Critics savaged the film after it premiered in New York, so Cimino asked that the film be pulled from distribution so he could edit it into a shorter length. When critics saw the shortened version months later it still received scathing reviews. Few theatres played the film and audiences were small. The film cost an estimated $35,000,000 in 1980, but its domestic gross was only around $3,500,000. It became one of those films that is widely mocked by the public even though few have actually seen it.

it not only ruined his career but it changed hollywood. studios after this film stopped giving the free rein to directors and movie making changed for the worse. the press savaged this film and secretly the studios loved it . cimino was a young maverick that provoked much jealousy among the studio. his fall didn't cause many tears.

still i think this movie was an excellent, it is laughable when people describe it as one of the worst movies of all time. no it wasn't perfect but it was compelling and done well. the final battle scene was awesome movie making. to say this is one of the worst movies of all time and then watch a movie like armaggedon is ridiculous. holly wood has not recovered from the years of bells and whistles make money movie making that has dominated films for the last 30 years.

the last two years inspired me to hope we are returning to some good solid movie making from directors and studios that aren't afraid to take their time and tell a good story. There will be Blood, No country for Old men, michael clayton, pan's labyrinth, children of men,

time has a way of revising opinion. shane, high noon, once upon a time in the west, were all looked at with scorn when released. now these movies are considered a classic. heaven's gate is a three star movie and deserves much more respect than it has gotten, but will in time

First off, the movie is borderline unwatchable. It's almost unbelievably self-indulgent, and I don't usually like calling movies "self-indulgent," but no other term fits here. Scenes that make their point in ten seconds go on for a minute and a half. Scenes that not only don't advance the story, but actively bog it down, are commonplace. Cimino single-handedly destroyed a studio; no one in Hollywood wanted to go near him, and with good reason.

But it wasn't just Heaven's Gate. This guy just couldn't learn his lesson. Read the IMDb story about "Footloose" -- Cimino was warned sternly about adhering to the budget, then he tries to add a massive delay and added expense for a surprise rewrite while the whole cast is assembling for principal photography. Who DOES that stuff? Michael Cimino, that's who.

I'm watching this abortion right now on DVR-delay from TCM's recent airing. It's no better than I remember, and maybe even worse. If that's possible. Which it isn't.

I don't wish the man, personally, any ill. I hope he's happy living out his dreams somewhere. I hope he has a good, fulfilling and long life. But let's not kid ourselves about what this movie is, and for God's sake I hope no one else lets the man anywhere near a camera.

It's the ONLY movie I've ever walked out on, and the theater served beer and wine. You could sip your beverage while watching. Couldn't save THIS clunker. Had to go.
Anyone who says they actually LIKE this thing is obviously a pedantic charlatan.

Heaven's Gate didn't ruin Camino's career, his ego did...

Watch Final Cut: The Making & Unmaking Of Heaven's Gate & you'll have your answer. Personally, I think there's a great movie in that 200+ hours of footage but Cimino' such a megalomaniac, unfortunatley we'll never truly know. Cimino crossed the line that separates obsessive genius from contempt & disrespect. He should've been fired at best, at worst sued but UA didn't have the balls to reign him in at any point, so it's not really all his fault.

Read the book, FINAL CUT, by Steven Bach.

A former head of production at United Artists, which produced Heaven's Gate, he goes into great detail about the making of the film, and the breaking of careers and a major studio.


"...you're forgetting one thing- I just started using laser cats again!"

In my opinion, this movie was a commercial flop because it is difficult to figure out the story it is trying to tell. I think it had something to do with this guy from Harvard who wanted to help bring civilization to the West. He gets there and becomes involved in a conflict between cattlemen and immigrants. That story takes forever to tell and pretty soon z-z-z-z-z-z z-z-z-z-z-z-z-z-z-z. In my view, that is why this movie was a commercial failure. It is just a badly told story.