STANLEY FINK, the chief executive of Man Group, the hedge fund administrator, helped to finance a film believed to be the worst performer at the British box office.
Mr Fink part-funded Offending Angels, a romantic comedy shot in various locations in London, which grossed a total of £89 at the UK box office, according to Guerilla Films, which is now launching the title on DVD.
In stark contrast The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, the final instalment to the fantasy trilogy, took $1 billion (£564 million) at the international box office. It achieved this record figure in just nine weeks and four days from its release in the United States in December 2003. This is the second film to break the billion-dollar barrier, according to Guinness World Records. The first was Titanic.
There is still hope that Mr Fink will make some money on the film, which appeared at the cinema in 2002, from its DVD release.
Offending Angels is about two friends intent on having a good time, but things change when their guardian angels turn up on their doorstep. The film features Andrew Lincoln, of This Life and Teachers fame, and Shaun Parkes, who appeared in Human Traffic.