Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me

The original Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997) wasn't a huge hit at cinemas. It found its real audience on home video and cable, building into a genuine phenomenon almost after the fact.

That success put New Line in an unusual position for the sequel: expectations had shifted from "will this work" to "this will work and let's make it bigger and crazier". It meant Mike Myers going from playing two roles - Austin and Dr. Evil - to playing three, with Fat Bastard being literally the biggest villain he would ever play. The Academy was so impressed with the makeup for Fat Bastard, that they would nominate the makeup team for an Oscar. Get in my belly, indeed.

Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me released 11th June 1999, on a $33 million budget and went on to gross $312 million worldwide, outgrossing the entire domestic theatrical lifetime of the original within its opening weekend alone. Very shagadelic, baby.

Rather than ignore the impending Summer 1999 juggernaut that was Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace, The Spy Who Shagged Me's marketing team embraced it, with a teaser trailer that insisted fans see Star Wars, and the result made the Austin Powers sequel the must-see comedy of the summer of 1999...

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