Martian Love Story
Martian Love Story was a catastrophic 1979 science fiction romance film that became one of Hollywood's most notorious box office failures. Produced by Stellar Studios with a record-breaking budget of $180 million, the film is remembered for its disastrous production, questionable casting choices, and bizarre creative decisions.
Cast and crew attempt to wrangle an malfunctioning anti-gravity rig during filming
Plot
The film follows the romance between Earth scientist Dr. Sarah Moonbeam and Prince Zorax, a Martian royal seeking to escape an arranged marriage on his home planet. Their love affair is complicated by the Interplanetary Dating Ban and Zorax's inability to survive in Earth's atmosphere without his Love-Sustaining Bubble Suit, which malfunctioned frequently during emotional scenes.
Production Issues
The troubled production was plagued by numerous technical difficulties, particularly with the experimental Anti-Gravity Romance Technology meant to simulate Martian courtship rituals. The system repeatedly failed, leading to several injuries and one infamous incident where the entire cast floated uncontrollably for six hours.
The notorious "bubble suit malfunction" that caused Prince Zorax's actor to speak all his lines in helium voice
Casting Controversy
The decision to cast Tommy "The Chin" Matthews as Prince Zorax was widely criticized. Matthews, known primarily for his work in breakfast cereal commercials, struggled with the complex Martian dialogue and reportedly never understood that his character was supposed to be an alien. His confusion is evident in several scenes, most notably during the film's climactic declaration of love where he stared directly at the wrong camera while delivering the now-infamous line "Earth... is where the heart lives."
Notable Problems
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The Martian Atmosphere Simulator leaked toxic gases into the studio, causing the entire crew to speak in high-pitched voices for three weeks
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The custom-built set for the Martian Royal Palace collapsed during filming, revealing it was accidentally constructed entirely of papier-mâché
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A miscommunication led to all Martian scenes being filmed in Reverse Gravity Mode, requiring actors to deliver their lines while hanging upside down
Legacy
After earning only $1.2 million at the box office, Martian Love Story bankrupted Stellar Studios and led to the creation of the Interplanetary Romance Safety Act of 1980. The film's failure effectively ended Hollywood's brief but intense Space Romance Boom of the late 1970s.