Prehistoric Adventure Adaptation Struggles to Find Footing at the Box Office

In the mid-1980s, a film adaptation of Jean M. Auel's novel The Clan of the Cave Bear nearly never made it to the big screen. However, thanks to the efforts of Mark Damon's Producers Sales Organization (PSO), the $16 million project was able to secure financing by selling off international distribution rights at the American Film Market.

Producers Gerald Isenberg and Stan Rogow had initially tried to interest NBC in a made-for-TV movie version of the prehistoric adventure, which follows a Cro-Magnon girl adopted by a Neanderthal family, but were unsuccessful. It was then that PSO stepped in, helping to raise the necessary funds to shoot the film on location in British Columbia.

Daryl Hannah, fresh off her starring role in the hit film Splash, was cast as the lead character Ayla. However, the actress described the shoot as grueling, with the cast having to hike, live in tents, and speak in guttural, subtitled dialogue. Despite the striking visuals captured by acclaimed cinematographer Michael Chapman, the finished film, released by Warner Bros. in 1986, failed to connect with critics or audiences, grossing less than $2 million domestically.

Though the film earned an Oscar nomination for its makeup, plans for a proposed trilogy were quietly shelved after the disappointing box office performance. In the end, this prehistoric adventure proved a challenging adaptation that struggled to find its footing.