Mike Myers has said he was shocked by the hostile response to his 1993 romantic comedy *So I Married an Axe Murderer*, which was widely criticised on release and performed poorly at the box office. The reaction mattered because Myers had expected the film to build on the success of his *Saturday Night Live* work and *Wayne’s World*, but it instead became an early setback in his film career.

The film follows Myers as a poet who suspects his new wife may be a serial killer, with Myers also playing his character’s Scottish father. It grossed about $11.5 million against an estimated $20 million budget and received largely negative reviews, although it later gained a modest cult following.