Casey Affleck almost bankrupt after directing flop doc

'I'm Still Here' continues to dive at the box office with little public interest in the film billed as a vanity project and self obsessed movie star kiss off .

The feature length documentary made a measly $259,000 at the US Box office after months of hype online from countless news agencies, entertainment blogs, and film industry columns. Although a good sum for the indie documentary filmmaker, a film as hyped as this with major talent could not be more unimpressive.

Casey Affleck, who directed the flop doc had to take a job during filming as he was on the verge of bankruptcy, having spent a huge amount of time and money on the film.

Having something at stake is a great motivator and once this thing became public for me that was very helpful because there was no question: I had to see it through, no matter how long it took. I went broke. I hadn't worked for more than a year, and I was pouring money into the movie. I had to stop for a month to do The Killer Inside Me. If I hadn't, I wouldn't have been able to finish the film.

The mock documentary about Joaquin Phoenix's meltdown has become a sore point for the Hollywood actor, but despite the controversy, the film industry is keen to see him return to the big screen.

For Casey Affleck, the situation is a different story, having not had a major role since 2007, the ladder will be a steeper climb, but there is hope yet. Brother Ben Affleck's recent outing in The Town in front and behind the camera, has been widely praised, and could be an Oscar contender.