| Rock the Kasbah | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Barry Levinson |
| Written by | Mitch Glazer |
| Produced by |
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| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Sean Bobbitt |
| Edited by | Aaron Yanes |
| Music by | Marcelo Zarvos |
Production companies |
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| Distributed by | Open Road Films[1] |
Release dates |
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Running time | 106 minutes[2] |
| Country | United States[1] |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $15 million[3] |
| Box office | $3.4 million[4] |
Rock the Kasbah is a 2015 Americancomedy film directed byBarry Levinson and written byMitch Glazer.[5] The film starsBill Murray as a talent manager sent toAfghanistan for aUSO tour,Kate Hudson as his partner in country,Bruce Willis as his armed protection and book client, andLeem Lubany as his musical discovery.Open Road Films released the film on October 23, 2015.
Richie Lanz, a has-been rock manager, takes his last remaining client on aUSO tour ofAfghanistan. When Richie finds himself inKabul, abandoned, penniless and without his U.S. passport, he discovers a young Afghan girl named Salima with an extraordinary voice and manages to convince Producer of Afghan Star Daoud to put her through Afghanistan's version ofAmerican Idol.
The story is very freely adapted from the 2009 documentaryAfghan Star, and was dedicated to one of the stars of that film, Setara Hussainzada.
The film was announced in September 2013.[5] In February 2014,Open Road Films acquired the US distribution rights to the film.[6] In March 2014,Shia LaBeouf, who had been cast in the film,[7] dropped out.[8] A few days later,Scott Caan replaced LaBeouf.[9]Principal photography and production began on June 2, 2014,[10] and ended on July 30, 2014.[11] It was filmed in Morocco.[12]
On August 20, 2014,Open Road Films announced the film would be released on April 24, 2015.[13] On May 13, 2015, the film's release date was pushed up from November 13, 2015, to October 23, 2015.[14]
This film opened on October 23, 2015, alongsideThe Last Witch Hunter,Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension,Jem and the Holograms, and the expanded release ofSteve Jobs. In its opening weekend, the film was originally projected to gross $6 million from 2,012 theaters; however, after grossing $75,000 during its Thursday preview screenings ($60 per theater), projections were lowered to $4 million.[15] The film grossed $529,000 on its first day, and opening weekend projections were again lowered to $1.6 million. In its opening weekend, the film grossed $1.5 million, finishing 13th at the box office.[16] According toBox Office Mojo, the film had the fifth-worst opening of all-time for a film playing in 2,000+ theaters, grossing an average $731 per venue (fellow openerJem and the Holograms had an even worse $570 average).[17]
OnRotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 7% based on 123 reviews and an average rating of 3.38/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "The Shareef don't likeRock the Kasbah, and neither will viewers hoping for a film that manages to make effective use of Bill Murray's knack for playing lovably anarchic losers."[18] OnMetacritic, the film has a score of 29 out of 100 based on 35 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".[19] OnCinemaScore, audiences gave the film an average grade of "B−" on an A+ to F scale.[16]
