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Preview Hype Masked Audience Reality
- Early upbeat previews misled Paramount into opening HAROLD AND MAUDE in large prestige houses.
- That mismatch helped the film bomb initially because its audience was niche, not mass.
Why The Film Needed A Specific Audience
- The film failed broadly because its premise repelled many potential viewers when described bluntly.
- It needed a special, adventurous audience who would accept its weirdness and spread the word.
Westgate’s Immediate Embrace
- HAROLD AND MAUDE opened at the Westgate in March 1972 and drew full houses of young people immediately.
- Assistant manager Randy Green learned the film by heart as it played night after night.