25 Years Ago, This Sci-Fi Flop Left San Francisco with Mixed Feelings!

The late Robin Williams’ career is not defined by just a few iconic films, such as “Good Morning, Vietnam,” “Dead Poets Society,” “Mrs. Doubtfire,” or “Good Will Hunting.” Among his lesser-mentioned works are “The World According to Garp,” a gem filled with sensitivity, where he portrays T.S. Garp, an unusual and naive character who is both touching and vulnerable, exploring his relationships with influential women in his life, his joys, fears, and uncertainties. Another such film is “One Hour Photo” by Mark Romanek, where Williams, with a shaved head and dyed blonde hair, plays a deeply unsettling character, characterized by minimalistic movements, a pallid complexion, and a sinister smile.

“It Was a Mistake”

Released in the year 2000, “Bicentennial Man” is also not frequently mentioned. It was the third collaboration between Chris Columbus and Robin Williams, following their earlier projects “Mrs. Doubtfire” (1993) and “Nine Months” (1995). “Bicentennial Man” is loosely based on a short story by Isaac Asimov and a novel, “The Positronic Man,” co-authored by Asimov and Robert Silverberg. The film tells the story of a robot equipped with emotions who dreams above all else of becoming human in the 21st century.

“What attracted me to the role was how the story addresses artificial intelligence and human behavior. There are thousands of robots similar to the one I play, but this one has something special… a curiosity, an ability to be fascinated,” Williams said about the film.

However, Williams later expressed regret for participating in the film, as did the director. “It was a mistake because I realized at that time that I was not the right person for it,” the filmmaker said in a podcast in early 2025. The film was severely penalized at the box office, unable to gross more than $87 million while it had cost $100 million to produce.

A Filming That Caused a Massive Accident

Scenes from the film were shot at San Francisco City Hall in 1999. Disney, co-producing the film alongside Columbia Pictures, paid a substantial fee (between $5,000 and $20,000 per day!) to the city’s municipality to film various interiors, including the film’s ballroom scene inside City Hall.

One day, the film crew accidentally triggered the building’s automatic water sprinklers, flooding part of this historic site with 1,135 liters of water. The flood was caused by the intense heat emitted by two 10,000-watt spotlights. Water poured onto the second and third floors of the building, ruining the thick, expensive carpeting. A deputy sheriff dispatched to the scene described it as “resembling much of Niagara Falls.”

The city’s team pointed out the film crew’s negligence concerning safety. Tom Ammiano, who was then leading the influential Board of Supervisors (a governmental body overseeing county government operations), had strongly opposed filming inside City Hall. The massive flooding his opposition predicted proved him right…

Disney made amends by sending employees to dry the building and offering a free floor polishing service for several floors, in addition to covering all damages, of course. However, the municipal team was particularly scorched by the incident, to the point that they refused any film shootings for eight years.

City Hall did not reopen its doors to film productions until 2008, and notably for a film deeply symbolic of the city’s history, “Milk” directed by Gus Van Sant; a biopic dedicated to Harvey Milk, the first openly gay politician to be elected to official office in San Francisco.