Typically, when a popular filmmaker makes a movie that bombs they find themselves more limited in their next project. Sometimes they end up in "director jail," meaning that studios or independent financers don't feel comfortable financing their next movie because now they're not seen as a safe investment. It took Michael Cimino five years to get his next movie going after the notorious failure of "Heaven's Gate," for instance. 

However, when Quentin Tarantino made his first box office failure with his "Grindhouse" entry "Death Proof," the opposite happened. Suddenly, he found himself flooded with proposals from movie studios to direct a feature for them. The reason? Well, it has to do with his reputation for turning down the studios and only focusing on his own work. When "Grindhouse" bombed, the studios suddenly thought this was their chance to catch one of their white whales on the rebound. 

Talking with Spain's Ara,...