“Cats” was not only a major flop in 2019, it replaced 2003’s “Gigli” as the go-to shorthand for horrible movies.
But there may be a way to save it. Forget the Snyder Cut of “Justice League” or the new Francis Ford Coppola update of “The Godfather: Part III” — these days it is all about the “Butthole Cut” of “Cats.”
With “Cats” star James Corden guesting on the CBS “Late Show,” Stephen Colbert vowed to get to the bottom of this mystery about cats’ bottoms.
“Is there a butthole cut of ‘Cats’?” Colbert asked Corden on Thursday via satellite. “Like, is there a version out there where someone is giving you a digital butthole, James?”
“I don’t know,” Corden said. “I haven’t seen it. I’ve not watched the film.”
Neither have most people. “Cats” has made about $74 million worldwide on a budget of approximately $95 million, according to BoxOfficeMojo.
“Which would you rather have?” Colbert interrupted. “Would you rather it be anatomically correct and so you have a butthole, or you don’t have a butthole?”
“I think either way it probably can’t save that movie,” Corden said.
“I disagree,” Colbert, Corden’s lead-in, said. “I would rent the butthole cut, just to count ’em.”
“I’ll put a call in,” Corden promised.
Please do, for all of us.
Watch the video above.
“Cats” is “rotten” with a 20% rating among critics on Rotten Tomatoes. Top critics have it at 25%. Perhaps surprisingly, the (verified) audience score is 53%.
Corden was on Colbert’s show promoting his new Netflix movie-musical, “The Prom,” from Ryan Murphy.
“The Prom,” which follows a group of down-on-their-luck Broadway stars shake up a small Indiana town as they rally behind a teen who just wants to attend prom with her girlfriend, also stars Meryl Streep, Nicole Kidman, Kerry Washington, Andrew Rannells, Keegan-Michael Key and Tracey Ullman, among others.