History Trivia / Idiocracy

* ScrewedByTheNetwork: Creator/TwentiethCenturyFox seemed to get antsy about the rampant corporation-skewering and wanted to shuffle the film off to the DVD racks as quickly and quietly as possible. However, the film's contract stipulated that this film would get a theatrical release... so it premiered in about ''twelve'' theaters nationwide (Moviefone simply listed it as "Untitled Mike Judge Project"), with hardly any promotion at all, and was shown for only a week. According to Creator/MikeJudge himself, Fox was banking on it gaining a cult following the way ''Film/OfficeSpace'' had.

** Czech Republic: ''Absurdistán''

* VindicatedByCable: To Fox's credit, they were right that the film would get a cult following similar to how Office Space did.

* ProductionPosse: Creator/MikeJudge has a couple of ''Film/OfficeSpace'' holdovers in ''Idiocracy'': Michael Bolton (not ''[[NamesTheSame that]]'' Music/MichaelBolton) is in President Camacho's cabinet, and Milton is a judge (using his [[WesternAnimation/KingOfTheHill Buck Strickland]] voice, to boot).

* FlipFlopOfGod: Originally, the writers have stated multiple times that they did not intend to write the film as satire on the decreasing intelligence of mankind[[note]]It's closer to satirizing societal apathy[[/note]]. Creator/MikeJudge himself said it's more like a DeconstructiveParody of ''Film/TwoThousandOneASpaceOdyssey'' after how the real 2001 was nowhere near the pristine, idealistic future that that movie had predicted. However, after events leading to the 2016 U.S. Presidential election, such as the massive accidental poisoning of water and plants for money, the election of [[TheDitz ditzy]] elitist Creator/DonaldTrump, and general success of sharing half-truths to complete falsehoods among the population, Judge and the other writers have started to agree with fans who claim that [[https://twitter.com/etanjc/status/702545314733895680 the movie may be coming true after all]].

* RealLifeRelative: [[Creator/LukeWilson Luke]] (Joe) and Andrew (Beef Supreme) Wilson.

** The Creator/TruTV series ''It Only Hurts When I Laugh'' is ''On, My Balls'' in all but name.

** Japan: ''26th Century Young Man'' (a reference from ''Manga/TwentiethCenturyBoys'')

* {{Defictionalization}}: Not long after the movie was released, a real-life company started producing a "Brawndo" energy drink. [=AVClub=] did a taste test of it [[http://www.avclub.com/article/taste-test-brawndo-the-thirst-mutilator-10176 here.]]

** Czech Republic: ''Absrudistan''

** Croatia: ''Idiots of the Future'' (or ''Absurdistan'')

* FlipFlopOfGod: Originally, the writers have stated multiple times that they did not intend to write ''Idiocracy'' as satire on the decreasing intelligence of mankind[[note]]It's closer to satirizing societal apathy[[/note]]. Mike Judge himself said it's more like a DeconstructiveParody of ''Film/TwoThousandOneASpaceOdyssey'' after how the real 2001 was nowhere near the pristine, idealistic future that that movie had predicted. However, after events leading to the 2016 U.S. Presidential election, such as the massive accidental poisoning of water and plants for money, the election of [[TheDitz ditzy]] elitist Creator/DonaldTrump, and general success of sharing half-truths to complete falsehoods among the population, Judge and the other writers have started to agree with fans who claim that [[https://twitter.com/etanjc/status/702545314733895680 the movie may be coming true after all]].

* ProductionPosse: Mike Judge has a couple of ''Film/OfficeSpace'' holdovers in ''Idiocracy'': Michael Bolton (not ''[[NamesTheSame that]]'' Music/MichaelBolton) is in President Camacho's cabinet, and Milton is a judge (using his [[WesternAnimation/KingOfTheHill Buck Strickland]] voice, to boot).
* RealLifeRelative: Luke (Joe) and Andrew (Beef Supreme) Wilson.
* RealLifeWritesThePlot: The film was made in the immediate wake of Owen Wilson's suicide attempt from the stress of being a professional actor. His brother Andrew (Beef Supreme), who had helped talk him out of it, was angry at the Screen Actor's Guild for being directly responsible for his brother's depression, not to mention helping as little as possible in the aftermath. He only appeared in the movie because his other brother Luke twisted his arm about it, and refused to have any speaking lines, as doing so would have required him to get a SAG license.
* ScrewedByTheNetwork: 20th Century Fox seemed to get antsy about the rampant corporation-skewering and wanted to shuffle ''Idiocracy'' off to the DVD racks as quickly and quietly as possible. However, the film's contract stipulated that this film would get a theatrical release... so it premiered in about ''twelve'' theaters nationwide (Moviefone simply listed it as "Untitled Mike Judge Project"), with hardly any promotion at all, and was shown for only a week. According to Mike Judge himself, Fox was banking on it gaining a cult following the way ''Film/OfficeSpace'' had.
* SpecialEffectsFailure: Inevitable due to the limited budget. One scene that particularly sticks out is when they are walking through Costco, in the big room with the sofas. In part of the room toward the back, a plane has crashed through the ceiling, but it's VERY OBVIOUSLY a matte painting.
* WorkingTitle: Used both ''3001'' and ''The United States of Uhh-merica''.

* FlipFlopOfGod: Originally, the writers have stated multiple times that they did not intend to write ''Idiocracy'' as satire on the decreasing intelligence of mankind[[note]]It's closer to satirizing societal apathy[[/note]]. Mike Judge himself said it's more like a DeconstructiveParody of ''Film/TwoThousandOneASpaceOdyssey'' after how the real 2001 was nowhere near the pristine, idealistic future that that movie had predicted. However, after events leading to the 2016 U.S. Presidential election, such as the massive accidental poisoning of water and plants for money, the election of elitist Creator/DonaldTrump, and general success of sharing half-truths among the population, Judge and the other writers have started to agree with fans who claim that [[https://twitter.com/etanjc/status/702545314733895680 the movie may be coming true after all]].

* FlipFlopOfGod: Originally, the writers have stated multiple times that they did not intend to write ''Idiocracy'' as satire on the decreasing intelligence of mankind[[note]]It's closer to satirizing societal apathy[[/note]]. Mike Judge himself said it's more like a DeconstructiveParody of ''Film/TwoThousandOneASpaceOdyssey'' after seeing how much uglier the real 2001 was. However, after events leading to the 2016 U.S. Presidential election, such as the massive accidental poisoning of water and plants for money, the election of elitist Creator/DonaldTrump, and general success of sharing half-truths among the population, Judge and the other writers have started to agree with fans who claim that [[https://twitter.com/etanjc/status/702545314733895680 the movie may be coming true after all]].

* FlipFlopOfGod: Originally, the writers have stated multiple times that they did not intend to write ''Idiocracy'' as satire on the decreasing intelligence of mankind[[note]]It's closer to satirizing societal apathy[[/note]]. Nearly 10 years after the film was released, the writers, as well as Mike Judge himself, changed their mind about that on [[https://twitter.com/etanjc/status/702545314733895680 Twitter]] after events leading to the 2016 U.S. Presidential election, such as the massive accidental poisoning of water and plants for money, the election of elitist Creator/DonaldTrump, and general success of sharing half-truths among the population made them agree with the fans on how [[NightmareFuel their movie actually is coming true]].

* ScrewedByTheNetwork: 20th Century Fox seemed to get antsy about the rampant corporation-skewering and wanted to shuffle ''Idiocracy'' off to the DVD racks as quickly and quietly as possible. However, the film's contract stipulated that this film would get a theatrical release... so it premiered in only a handful of theaters nationwide (Moviefone simply listed it as "Untitled Mike Judge Project"), with hardly any promotion at all, and was shown for only a week. It wasn't until 2017 when Judge revealed that the reason Fox didn't promote it was they knew the film would eventually get a cult following much like his previous film, Film/OfficeSpace

* BoxOfficeBomb: Budget, $25 million. Box office, $495,303.

** Japan: ''26th Century Youth''

* ScrewedByTheNetwork: 20th Century Fox seemed to get antsy about the rampant corporation-skewering and wanted to shuffle ''Idiocracy'' off to the DVD racks as quickly and quietly as possible. However, the film's contract stipulated that this film would get a theatrical release... so it premiered in only a handful of theaters nationwide (Moviefone simply listed it as "Untitled Mike Judge Project"), with hardly any promotion at all, and was shown for only a week.

* RealLifeWritesThePlot: The film was made in the immediate wake of Owen Wilson's suicide attempt from the stress of being a professional actor. His brother Andrew (Beef Supreme), who had helped talk him out of it, was angry at the Screen Actor's Guild for being directly responsible for his brother's depression, not to mention helping as little as possible in the aftermath. He only appeared in the movie because his other brother Luke twisted his arm about it, but refused to have any speaking lines, as doing so would have required him to get a SAG license.

** Croatia: ''Idiots of the Future''/''Absurdistan''

** Croatia: ''Idiots of the Future''