Christine (1983 film) "Christine". Kobritz purchased the rights to "Christine" after finding himself attracted to the novel's "celebration of America's obsession with the motorcar." According to John Carpenter, "Christine" was not a film he had planned on directing, saying that he directed the film as "a job" as opposed to a "personal project." He had previously directed "The Thing" (1982), which had done poorly at the box office and led to critical backlash. In retrospect, Carpenter stated that upon reading "Christine", he felt that "It just wasn't very frightening. But it was something I needed to do at that time for my career."
Christine (1983 film) In its seventh and final weekend, the film brought in $819,972 landing at #14, bringing the total gross for "Christine" to $21,017,849. Based on 25 reviews collected by Rotten Tomatoes, "Christine" has an overall 68% approval rating from critics with the consensus saying: "The cracks are starting to show in John Carpenter's directorial instincts, but Christine is nonetheless silly, zippy fun." and an average score of 5.9 out of 10. "Variety" gave the film a negative review, stating: ""Christine" seems like a retread. This time it’s a fire-engine red, 1958 Plymouth Fury that’s possessed by the Devil, and this deja-vu