for Narc originated from a short film made by Joe Carnahan while a student at San Francisco State University. The script was pitched as "a raw cop drama in the tradition of the 70's films of Sidney Lumet and William Friedkin." The script failed to generate interest, with Carnahan saying financiers told him, ''This is an ''N.Y.P.D. Blue'' episode. Nobody cares about the cop genre anymore.'' The script eventually ended up in the hands of Ray Liotta, who had then just switched over to Endeavor, the same talent agency as Carnahan. ”I was looking for a movie that would have some impact, or at least make some cash,'' Liotta said. The actor set up a meeting with Carnahan, and, impressed with the director’s passion for the film, agreed to both star in and produce it. For a year, the film struggled to find full financing as it was a violent cop movie with no marquee names. Finally, an independent company called Cutting Edge Entertainment agreed to produce Narc and principal photography got underway in 2000. Filming Beginning February 2000, Narc was shot in 27 days in Toronto, with one day in Detroit. When the low-budget production was running low on funding two weeks into filming, the film’s producers and director persuaded 17 investors to fund the project so filming could be completed. The 17 people earned producer credits on the film. Reception Release The film had its world premiere at the 2002 Sundance Film Festival. It nearly did not secure a theatrical distribution deal and almost went direct-to-video; however the film was circulated amongst industry figures and actors like Dustin Hoffman and Warren Beatty, who praised the film. Tom Cruise and his producing partner Paula Wagner screened the film and were so enthusiastic about it that they agreed to come on board as executive producers. In April 2002, Cruise’s support led to Paramount Pictures making a $3 million-deal to distribute the film theatrically during awards season. Box office Narc had its premiere in Beverly Hills on December 17, 2002, before receiving a limited release in six theaters on December 20, 2002, grossing $63,303 with an average of $10,550 per theater and ranking #45 at the box office. The film then had its wide release in 822 theaters on January 10, 2003 and grossed $2,825,807 with an average of $3,437 per theater and ranking #12. The film ended up earning $10,465,659