Lea Thompson defends Howard The Duck, says it "made its money"

Lea Thompson defended Willard Huyck's 1986 Howard The Duck against its reputation as a box-office failure, arguing the film "made its money."

Thompson appeared on the podcast Taboo's Comics & Kicks via YouTube to discuss the George Lucas production. She acknowledged the film was "not perfect by any stretch of the imagination" but rejected claims it was a "famous bomb of the century."

The numbers support her argument. Howard The Duck earned $38 million at the box office against a $30 million budget, per Box Office Mojo and The Numbers. Home video releases added another $4.7 million in estimated sales from its 2009 DVD and 2016 Blu-ray releases.

Thompson also defended the film's approach to Steve Gerber's Marvel source material. She noted the movie included scenes more faithful to the comic book's tone. "The script was kind of watered down from the comic book," Thompson said. "Howard The Duck in the comic book was much more sloppy and angry and messy and trashy than [he] was in the movie. So I kind of love that scene because it felt more like the comic book."

Home video was crucial to the film's cultural footprint. Phil Tippett's stop-motion work, Tim Robbins' performance, and Thompson's own role became embedded in viewers' minds through VHS, LaserDisc, DVD, and Blu-ray releases.