Richard Linklater Says He’s Never Made Money Off ‘Dazed and Confused,’ Got ‘Screwed’ by Studio

variety.com:

Zack Sharf “Dazed and Confused” is one of the defining American independent films of the 1990s and one of the most beloved cult classics of all time, but it turns out the film’s enduring legacy has never resulted in money for writer-director Richard Linklater.

The filmmaker was recently asked by The Daily Beast if he made money off “Dazed and Confused,” to which he responded, “Fuck no!”“It’s like… where’s my money?” Linklater asked. “How come a movie that cost less than $7 million has $12 million in interest against it?”When asked how “Dazed and Confused” can be a cult hit for nearly three decades and counting and not make money for him, Linklater responded, “I don’t know.

Ask Universal! Hollywood accounting. I remember really asking for a piece of the soundtrack, because I picked all the songs, and they were like, ‘Oh no…First film, you know?’ N.W.A is still pissed off about that first contract.

Everybody has that first story of getting screwed with their first project. That film was an indie success. It made more than it cost theatrically, and over the years it’s been everywhere.” Linklater said the home video market for “Dazed and Confused” produced at least $30 million dollars or so of revenue, but he did not get a single piece of it.