Highlights
- Christian Bale's first starring role in a feature film was in Disney's "Newsies," despite it becoming a box-office disaster.
- Bale felt uncomfortable in his role due to his lack of singing and dancing training, causing specific camera angles to hide his poor dancing.
- Despite its initial failure, "Newsies" gained a cult following over the years, leading to a successful Broadway adaptation and making Bale a cult film star.
These days, Christian Bale is a bona fide movie star who calls acting a "sacrifice." From his stint as Batman which was so believable that Donald Trump treated Bale like Bruce Wayne, to winning an Academy Award for The Fighter, Bale is unquestionably one of the most talented actors, albeit sometimes unpredictable and prone to rants like on Terminator Salvation, of his generation.
However, Bale was not always the polished actor he is today. Once upon a time, Bale was a child actor looking to make a name for himself. While he had some success during childhood, it was not until he was a teenager that the American Psycho star began to gain traction in his career.
It was during this time that Disney came calling and offered Bale his first starring role in a feature film. Taking the role seemed like a no-brainer as Disney films were notoriously successful during the 1990s. But, as luck would have it, the role that Bale took on did not help his career at the time. In fact, he wanted to forget that he ever was a part of the film. Little did he know though that despite being part of a box office disaster, Bale would eventually become a cult movie star.
Christian Bale Starred In 'Newsies'
The film that Bale starred under the Disney name was Newsies. When Bale took the role, the script was written as a period piece that showed how the newsboys' strike of 1899 came to be. Bale portrayed the leader of the boys, Jack Kelly, who with the help of other newsies would eventually cause newsboys to strike, demanding fair wages.
It seemed like the film would be a heartwarming tale of young kids trying to survive in New York. But there were problems that occurred almost immediately. The first issue is that Newsies changed from a dramedy to a musical; Bale was not a trained singer or dancer and felt very uncomfortable in his new role.
"This was their big hope that musicals were going to come back," David Moscow, who played Bale's sidekick, Davey in the film, explained.
Moscow went on to say, "They had to calm both me and Christian down, like, 'Look, we're never going to make you look bad. We have so much rehearsal time.' They brought in Madonna's voice coach for us. It was wild."
Despite the days and weeks of training, it never fully paid off. As such, specific camera angles had to be taken when Bale and Moscow were dancing so that audiences would not be aware of just how poor the dancing was.
Between this, a budget that ran out, continuity issues throughout the film, and a score that just was not catchy, it should have been no surprise that Newsies was going to be a box-office disaster. But right up until the film was released, everyone believed the Disney film was going to be a success.
'Newsies' Was A Box Office Disaster
When Newsies was given its $15 million budget, it was anticipated that the film would make back that money and more. However, when the reviews came back on opening weekend, it was clear that not only was the movie not going to make a profit, Disney would be lucky if it broke even.
During the opening weekend, Newsies grossed $1.232 million. Theaters were never at capacity and it became clear to the cast and crew that the film they had worked so hard on was not going to make them the stars they imagined it would.
"I remember having breakfast with Jeffrey Katzenberg at the Four Seasons hotel in Los Angeles and saying, 'What are we going to do?'" Alan Menken, who wrote the music for Newsies explained to Insider.
"And he said, 'Menken, I could throw $10 million up in the air right here, Doheny, and just throw it up in the air. And it would do just as much good. It's DOA, baby, DOA."
Cast members who were excited to see their work on the big screen and share the moment with their friends and family were surprised by how poorly the film did as well.
"I'll never forget — the trailer ends, and some guy sitting in front of me leaned over to someone next to him and said, 'Man, Disney's really gone down on the tubes," Max Casella, who played Racetrack Higgens said.
Casella went on to say, "My publicist called me, and it was like he was announcing a death."
Despite the fact that Newsies only grossed a total of $2.8 million during its theater run, the film became a cult classic hit. In doing so, Bale became a cult star as well.
'Newsies' Made Christian Bale A Cult Classic Star
While Newsies did not perform well in theaters in its day, over the years, it gained a cult following. Those who loved the film became known as "Fansies." They were the ones who purchased the film when it was available on VHS or rented it over and over.
Suddenly, the film that Bale did not want his name attached to made him a cult star and a teenage heartthrob. Further still, the cult status is what got the once-frowned-upon musical to become a Broadway hit 20 years after the film was released.
Bale has never seen Newsies on Broadway, simply because he is not a fan of musicals. But he was thrilled that the storyline of the newsboys so many years later was getting the success it deserved when it opened on the Great White Way in 2012.
"These things never make any sense," Bale explained about why the movie flopped and the Broadway show was thriving." I’m incredibly happy for them. They’re having the success our movie never had."
Bale went on to say, "I’m not really into musicals. But I wish them the best. And I’m sure the person playing the character I played exceeded whatever I did, and congratulations to them."
These days, Bale is far removed from his role of Jack Kelly and has quite a bit more on his resume than he did when he was cast in Newsies. But had it not been for his performance and the performances of his castmates, Newsies would never have become the Disney cult classic it is today and as a result, Bale would never have been a cult film star to both Disney and musical aficionados alike.
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