Ben Affleck knows that not all of his movies are hits.

In fact, the Air director recently addressed the box office failure of his and Jennifer Lopez’s 2003 film Gigli, and why he still feels a bit guilty about it today. 

“I’ve been in movies like Gigli, that’s a famous example,” he explained in a Deadline interview alongside pal Matt Damon published Nov. 8. “I got a big cash payday for that. Well, it doesn’t feel right in retrospect because they lost money.”

Indeed, Ben admitted that his and Matt’s company Artists Equity—which seeks to “reimagine” the relationship between studios, actors and distributors—ensures that sort of inequity doesn’t occur in its films. 

“It wasn’t the biggest money-losing movie in history even though it was the most famous bomb in history, perhaps,” Ben reflected of Gigli. “Nonetheless, that doesn’t sit right with me.”

And while other films have lost more in earnings, Ben—who shares kids Violet, 18, Seraphina, 15, and Samuel, 12, with ex Jennifer Garner—is right, few box office bombs are as famous as his and J.Lo’s 2003 film.

The $72 million project only net $7 million in sales, and the Argo star previously posited that the fame surrounding the flop stemmed from his early aughts relationship with J.Lo. 

“The truth about that movie and what it taught me was how much everything around a movie sort of dictates the way people see it,” Ben explained to Entertainment Weekly in 2022. “But for being a movie that's such a famous bomb and a disaster, very few people actually saw the movie.”

Indeed, Ben noted that his relationship with J.Lo—with whom he later rekindled in 2021 and married a year later before she filed for divorce this August—is one of the main reasons the film became what it did. 

“I had begun having this relationship with Jennifer Lopez, which was selling a lot of magazines and appeared to generate a lot of enthusiasm,” Ben continued, adding of the studio: “They just predictably latched onto, ‘They want a romantic comedy. They want the two of them together. More of that!’”

Still, Ben also called the negative reaction of the film “a gift.”

“The reaction to Gigli hadn't happened, I probably wouldn't have ultimately decided, ‘I don't really have any other avenue but to direct movies,’ which has turned out to be the real love of my professional life,” he noted. “And I did get to meet Jennifer, the relationship with whom has been really meaningful to me in my life.”

Indeed, J.Lo also shared that her meet-cute with Ben on the set of Gigli is the only memorable part of the film to her.

“I don’t remember a whole bunch about it,” she admitted to Variety in February. “But I remember being on the set with him every day—and loving it.” 

Gigli may have flopped in sales, but keep reading for how it was a catalyst for one of the greatest love stories never told: 

The two prepare to film a scene for the movie in West Hollywood. The couple met on the set of the film.

The two are spotted in the city.

The two film the movie on Will Rogers State Beach in Los Angeles. That month, the actor proposes to the actress with a 6.1-carat pink diamond ring.

The two film the movie in New York City.

Is there anything more '00s than both Bennifer 1.0 and TRL?

The two make their red carpet debut as a couple at the premiere of her film Maid in Manhattan.

The two bundle up at the Sundance Film Festival in Utah.

The two appear at the premiere of Daredevil, starring Ben as the superhero.

The two appear at the premiere of Daredevil, starring Ben and future ex-wife Jennifer Garner.

The two attend the Academy Awards together.

The two sit courtside at a Los Angeles Lakers game.

The two film a Dateline interview for NBC in Vancouver.

The two appear at the premiere for their movie in Westwood, Calif.

...it flops at the box office.

The two postpone their wedding. No future date is given.

The two are seen at a Boston Red Sox game. The team is Ben's favorite.

The two end their engagement.

They're baaaack. On Sept. 10, the couple makes their first red carpet appearance in 18 years at the Venice Film Festival premiere of The Last Duel. 

There's no denying J.Lo makes for a stunning plus-one! 

Ben supports J.Lo at the 2021 Global Citizen Live event in New York City, where she performed onstage. It marked her first music gig since she performed at VAX LIVE in May, where the actor also appeared onstage separately, fueling rumors of a rekindled romance.

The two attend the Met Gala together for the first time.

Jen and Ben put on a sizzling display on the red carpet at the premiere of his film The Last Duel in New York City.

Jennifer confirmed her engagement to the Gone Girl actor with a video posted to her On The JLo site, revealing a glimpse of her beautiful engagement ring with a green stone.

On July 16, Jennifer and Ben tied the knot in a surprise ceremony at A Little White Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas.

The two vacation with her twins and two of his kids in the French capital soon after their wedding.

J.Lo steps out with Ben in support of his movie The Flash.

Jennifer release This Is Me... Now, an album about her relationship with Ben. The record is accompanied by a musical film titled This Is Me... Now: A Love Story and the documentary The Greatest Love Story Never Told.

The couple enjoys a day out in NYC on March 30, 2024.

J.Lo filed for divorce Aug. 20, listing the date of separation as Apil 26, according to the filing obtained by TMZ.

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