Shining Through Scandal: The Incredible Life Of Elizabeth Taylor

Taylor Says That The Film Was A Low Point In Her Life

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Cleopatra became a huge-box office success, grossing $15.7 million in 1963. However, because the production costs amounted to $62 million, 20th Century Fox was nearly bankrupt and it took years for them to earn that money back despite the film’s profits. On top of that, Cleopatra didn’t fare too well with the critics, who said that Elizabeth Taylor was overweight in the film and that she could hardly match the talent of her classically trained co-stars. Taylor later told LIFE, “I’m afraid Cleopatra may have been rather a low point. The only things I was proud of… Fox cut out with unerring accuracy—that is, the core of the characterization.”