Did Kids Sneak Into Starship Troopers?

When Starship Troopers and Bean: The Movie opened in American theaters in 1997, some underage viewers were said to buy tickets for the Mr. Bean comedy and then sneak into the R-rated Starship Troopers.

Phil Tippett, who created the creature effects for Paul Verhoeven’s film, later said the filmmakers suspected this lowered the movie’s official box-office earnings. But nobody knows how common it was.

Starship Troopers still won its opening weekend in the United States, earning about $22 million, compared with $12.7 million for Bean: The Movie. Later, it quickly lost viewers and ended up being a financial disappointment.