Happy 20th Anniversary To Office Space!

Grab your TPS reports, because it sounds like somebody's got a case of the Mondays! It's hard to believe, but Office Space was released a whopping TWENTY YEARS AGO today on February 19, 1999!

The film, which was written and directed by Mike Judge (of Beavis And Butt-Head fame), held a mirror to the dull, depressing environment of the modern office workplace. Viewers saw themselves and their co-workers in the film, as main character Peter Gibbons provided them with a cathartic release from their corporate drudgery.

It was a comedic, yet realistic look at the many passive-aggressive horrors inherent in working in an office. It's also one of the last genuinely funny comedies to come out of Hollywood, as they've pretty much given up on the genre these days!

Although the film's considered a classic today, it was a certified box office bomb when first released. I can vividly recall seeing it in the theater, with just two other people in the audience! The film grossed a dismal $10.8 million dollars, against its very modest $10 million budget. That ain't good.

Judge blamed the movie's box office failure on 20th Century Fox's bungled marketing. In particular he wasn't happy with the poster they created, which featured an office worker covered in Post-It Notes. Judge said the poster looked like Big Bird carrying a briefcase, and likely scared off potential viewers. He's not wrong!

Fortunately the film was saved by the then-burgeoning DVD market. Office Space made far more money on home video and repeated TV airings than it ever did in the theater! It's especially beloved by office workers, who quote the film's lines endlessly in their every day lives.

So get out your Jump To Conclusions mat, put on your flair and show us your "O Face!," as we celebrate 20 years of Office Space!