a routine stunt for this film, stuntman Dar Robinson died on November 21, 1986. Marketing contest Producer Dino De Laurentiis conceived the idea for Million Dollar Mystery when he visited New York and saw a row of people lining up for what he presumably thought was a movie. A companion told De Laurentiis that they were actually lining up for lottery tickets. Glad Bags sponsored a sweepstakes timed for the film's release. The company gave away entry forms, and the audience would fill out these forms with their answer to where the last million is hiding, based on clues given in the film. De Laurentiis said of the film: De Laurentiis had high expectations for the film, but it did not turn out to be a hit. The winner of the contest ended up being 14-year-old Alesia Lenae Jones of Bakersfield, California, who successfully guessed that the loot was hidden in bridge of the nose of the Statue of Liberty. Apparently, thousands of contestants had arrived at the same answer, and her entry was chosen in a random drawing. Reception Million Dollar Mystery was a box office flop grossing $989,033 against a $10 million budget. The film received negative critical reviews. The film holds a 0% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 6 reviews. Home media The film was released on VHS and Laserdisc by HBO Video in 1987 with the contest info at the end of the movie omitted. It was later issued by Anchor Bay Entertainment on DVD in 2007 with the theatrical ending intact, and reissued again on DVD and Blu-ray by Kino Lorber in Spring 2021. Award nominations Golden Raspberry Awards Nominated: Worst Original Song, Barry Mann & John Lewis Parker (1988) Nominated: Worst Supporting Actor, Tom Bosley (1988) Nominated: Worst Supporting Actor, Jamie Alcroft (1988) Nominated: Worst Supporting Actor, Mack Dryden (1988) References External links 1987 films 1987 comedy films Films directed by Richard Fleischer Treasure hunt films Puzzle hunts De Laurentiis Entertainment Group films Films shot in Utah Films with screenplays by Rudy De Luca 1980s English-language films American comedy mystery films 1980s American films