In 1981, Brian De Palma was “very proud” of his latest movie. Everyone else thought it was a “catastrophe”

Brian De Palma’s 1981 thriller *Blow Out* failed at the box office despite starring John Travolta, then one of Hollywood’s biggest names. De Palma later called its opening a “catastrophe”, but the film is now widely regarded as one of his best, and he has said he is very proud of it.

Travolta plays Jack Terry, a sound recordist who captures evidence of a fatal car crash involving a governor and is pursued by people trying to suppress the truth. The film earned $12 million, compared with $31 million for De Palma’s *Dressed to Kill* and $33 million for *Carrie*. De Palma attributed the poor reception to the tastes of the time, when audiences expected Travolta to play lighter roles.