25 years of Sundance

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SUPER SIZE ME (2004)

Backstory Documentary filmmaker Morgan Spurlock's intrepid human-lab-rat experiment — he ate exclusively at McDonald's for a month — tapped a rich vein in the zeitgeist as the obesity epidemic became national news. Samuel Goldwyn Films and Roadside Attractions forked over about half a million dollars for distribution rights after bigger studios shied away, fearful of McDonald's retribution.

What's the big deal? Two months after Super Size Me screened at Sundance, McDonald's announced the end of supersizing. The film's long, profitable run at the box office ($12 million) helped establish docs as hot properties for dealmakers who had largely ignored them. The very next year, Warner Independent Pictures took a risk on the French-language nature documentary that became March of the Penguins.

What ever happened to... Spurlock produced 30 Days, a well-received reality series for FX. Next up: The Republican War on Science.

Originally posted Jan 27, 2006 Published in issue #861 Feb 03, 2006 Order article reprints

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