Grindhouse (film)

Grindhouse is a 2007 American film written and directed by Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino. Presented as a double feature, it combines Rodriguez's Planet Terror, a horror comedy about a group of survivors who battle zombie-like creatures, and Tarantino's Death Proof, an action thriller about a murderous stuntman who kills young women with modified vehicles. The former stars Rose McGowan, Freddy Rodriguez, Michael Biehn, Jeff Fahey, Josh Brolin, and Marley Shelton; the latter stars Kurt Russell, Rosario Dawson, Vanessa Ferlito, Jordan Ladd, Sydney Tamiia Poitier, Tracie Thoms, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, and Zoë Bell. Grindhouse pays homage to exploitation films of the 1970s, with its title deriving from the now-defunct theaters that would show such films. As part of its theatrical presentation, Grindhouse also features fictitious exploitation trailers directed by Rodriguez, Rob Zombie, Edgar Wright, Eli Roth, and Jason Eisener.

The film was released theatrically on April 6, 2007, to positive reviews for its tone, thrills, and tribute to exploitation cinema. However, Grindhouse was a commercial failure, grossing $25.4 million on a $53–67 million budget. Due to underperforming at the domestic box office, Planet Terror and Death Proof were released separately in other countries. Initial home media releases also separated Planet Terror and Death Proof; the theatrical version with both films and the fictitious trailers did not appear on home media until 2010. Despite the box office failure, Rodriguez and Tarantino have expressed interest in a possible sequel due to Grindhouse's positive reviews and successful home media sales. The fictitious trailers directed by Rodriguez, Eisener, and Roth later became the basis for their feature films Machete, Hobo with a Shotgun, and Thanksgiving.