It might be not possible for most individuals to consider playing with a whole bunch of hundreds of thousands of {dollars}. However that’s what Hollywood does each month once they launch motion pictures made for tens, if not a whole bunch of hundreds of thousands of {dollars}, and marketed for tens, if not a whole bunch of hundreds of thousands extra.
Typically, these gambles repay, and we get motion pictures that rake in over $1 billion on the international field workplace, and different occasions, properly, not a lot. In the event you gamble with a whole bunch of hundreds of thousands, you possibly can lose a whole bunch of hundreds of thousands. Or a minimum of 100 million (adjusted for inflation), as every of the beneath movies did upon launch.
1. The thirteenth Warrior (1999)
Six years after the cinematic adaptation of Michael Crichton’s Jurassic Park wowed the world, this historic epic based mostly on one other Crichton novel didn’t wow anybody. The Tenth-century interval piece follows Iraqi poet Ahmad ibn Fadlan (Antonio Banderas) as he travels as an envoy with Vikings and turns into concerned in an journey much like Beowulf’s. Whereas the concept is attention-grabbing, and the movie was helmed by Predator and Die Arduous director John McTiernan, it didn’t catch a lot consideration.
2. The Adventures of Pluto Nash (2002)
Field workplace bombs aren’t all the time unhealthy motion pictures, however generally it’s clear that the essential pan of a movie hurts its possibilities of vital return on funding. That’s undoubtedly the case for The Adventures of Pluto Nash. The big-budget science fiction comedy that sees Eddie Murphy’s eponymous Pluto Nash tackle the house mafia. The idea is easy sufficient to be enjoyable, however the execution was severely missing regardless of a price range of $100 million.
3. The Alamo (2004)
The Alamo (2004) is one in every of a number of remakes that failed to fulfill the success of their predecessor. The 1960 John Wayne movie isn’t even one in every of his most celebrated, however it was profitable sufficient for a studio to greenlight this 2004 model. Whereas the movie’s ensemble forged, together with Dennis Quaid and Billy Bob Thornton, could have been sufficient to curiosity some filmgoers, the prolonged runtime and lackluster opinions stored The Alamo (2004) from rousing a lot curiosity.
4. Lolita (1997)
Stanley Kubrick’s adaptation of Vladimir Nabokov’s most well-known novel was a average success in 1962. Nonetheless, it didn’t adapt the supply materials properly in principle, which left room for an additional adaptation to be extra devoted to the controversial novel. Adrian Lyne’s 1997 adaptation actually consists of extra plot factors from the guide and is extra specific, however its portrayal of the central relationship is extra romantic and flirtatious. That strategy could have made audiences skeptical of the movie’s material much more cautious of spending cash on it, main it to change into a flop.
5. 47 Ronin (2013)
Given the observe report of American remakes of overseas movies, you’d assume studios would know higher than to greenlight a fantastical reimagining of a historic story that had already been become a number of motion pictures in Japan. However they went forward and gave this story of samurai in search of revenge for his or her grasp a price range of over $175 million and realized a tough lesson when it made simply over $151 million.
6. Battleship (2012)
The world of mental property (IP) is typically foolish and results in motion pictures based mostly on board video games like Battleship. In contrast to the sport, which options two warring units of, properly, battleships, the film facilities on an aquatic alien assault, presumably to keep away from any real-world political implications. It’s a considerably baffling however adequate premise for an motion film, and the movie did alright, raking in over $300 million worldwide. That wasn’t sufficient to recoup the over $200 million price range and advertising and marketing prices.
7. John Carter (2012)
Andrew Stanton wrote and directed two of the perfect and most profitable animated movies of the twenty first century, Wall-E and Discovering Nemo. His first outing into live-action didn’t dwell as much as his animated motion pictures. Primarily based on A Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs, John Carter might have been the beginning of a serious science fiction franchise following the eponymous character’s adventures. The movie’s comparatively unknown supply materials and a poor advertising and marketing marketing campaign made it crash and burn, main Stanton again to animation.
8. The Lone Ranger (2013)
Taking a look at it now, there are a variety of causes individuals wouldn’t wish to watch The Lone Ranger, a movie starring two alleged abusers with one in redface. Whereas the allegations hadn’t surfaced on the time of the movie’s launch in 2013, it appears that almost all of audiences on the time have been already not on board with a white actor taking part in an indigenous individual. It additionally didn’t assist that the film’s supply materials didn’t fire up a lot pleasure, and the movie didn’t recoup its large manufacturing and advertising and marketing price range.
9. Mortal Engines (2018)
Primarily based on the younger grownup novel of the identical title by Philip Reeve, Mortal Engines provided audiences a have a look at a steampunk future the place cities are large shifting machines. It’s an intriguing idea and was well-executed visually by director Christian Rivers, who’d beforehand labored on visible results for movie variations of The Lord of the Rings.
Critics dinged the movie for its flimsy and unoriginal narrative, and the guide didn’t have sufficient followers to make sure that the difference would achieve success, leaving the undeniably placing film far beneath field workplace expectations.
10. Cutthroat Island (1995)
There are field workplace bombs, after which there’s Cutthroat Island. The film held the Guinness World Report for largest field workplace loss for nearly twenty years (earlier than shedding it to John Carter in 2012) and brought about manufacturing firm Carolco Photos to close down. The main duo of Matthew Modine and Geena Davis couldn’t save the film, which tracks their pirate characters as they seek for items of a treasure map, from its chaotic script that went via a number of rewrites throughout manufacturing.
11. Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas (2003)
The early 2000s have been an thrilling time for animation, as 3D grew in reputation, and several other movies blended two and three-dimensional parts whereas focusing on boys with extra action-oriented tales. However a lot of these movies failed on the field workplace for numerous causes. Amongst these is Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas, based mostly on the mythological sailor of the identical title.
The movie’s eye-popping animation and A-list voice forged, together with Brad Pitt, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and Michelle Pfeiffer, couldn’t get sufficient individuals to see it and have become the ultimate Dreamworks animated movie to make use of any conventional hand-drawn animation.
12. Treasure Planet (2002)
The yr earlier than Sinbad, famed animation administrators John Musker and Ron Clements tailored Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island right into a science fiction journey. The movie is a cult basic and was an ideal success amongst animation followers then, however much less of a field workplace success. Treasure Planet remodeled $100 million on the field workplace, however that couldn’t clear the movie’s historic price range of $140 million, the best for any animated film on the time.
13. Titan A.E. (2000)
One of many earliest and most formidable combos of two and three-dimensional animation, Titan A.E. tells the story of a younger man thrust right into a sci-fi journey for the destiny of humanity. It’s fairly basic stuff, and the visuals are, on the very least, intriguing for followers of inventive animation. The story proved too conventional, with critics arguing that it felt like an excessive amount of of a retread of different, higher motion pictures and didn’t inspire audiences into the theater.
14. Ultimate Fantasy: The Spirits Inside (2001)
Ultimate Fantasy: The Spirits Inside tried to create essentially the most photorealistic computer-animated image the world had ever seen on the flip aspect of movies combining conventional and laptop animation. They may have succeeded of their purpose to create one thing new. Audiences have been turned off by the uncanny valley nature of the human characters within the sci-fi story a couple of dystopian Earth conquered by aliens.
15. Mars Wants Mothers (2011)
A decade after Ultimate Fantasy: The Spirits Inside launched the uncanny valley to main animated movies, Mars Wants Mothers provided us one of many deepest dives in that valley. The characters within the film fall awkwardly between caricature artwork and overly human laptop animation, resulting in an unnerving look that didn’t assist this sci-fi comedy about Martians abducting Earth’s moms.
16. Peter Pan (2003)
Celebrated romantic comedy director P.J. Hogan’s 2003 live-action adaptation of J.M. Barrie’s Peter Pan was well-reviewed in 2003. It appeared like an ideal mixture of fantasy and household movies. However that blend could also be what received it into field workplace hassle because it was launched only one week after The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King and the identical day as Cheaper by the Dozen, which seemingly siphoned its fantasy and household audiences, respectively.
17. Pan (2015)
Twelve years after Hogan’s adaptation of the well-known novel, award-winning filmmaker Joe Wright took a special strategy to the fabric and created a prequel story that gave backstories to a number of parts of the Peter Pan universe that didn’t want backstories. Just like the 2003 movie, Pan didn’t make again its vital price range. In contrast to the 2003 movie, nearly nobody likes this live-action foray into Neverland.
18. Sahara (2005)
Primarily based on the novel of the identical title by beloved journey novelist Clive Cussler, Sahara fell prey to a collection of points. Most related right here is that its price range, initially $80 million, ballooned as much as $160 by the tip of manufacturing. The movie, which tracks Matthew McConaughey’s Dirk Pitt on a treasure hunt within the Saharan desert, was a average success however didn’t recoup its unwieldy price range.
19. King Arthur: Legend of the Sword (2017)
Hollywood must study to plan franchises earlier than they begin. King Arthur: Legend of the Sword was meant to begin a six-film collection, however after failing to recoup its price range on the international field workplace, that plan was shortly scrapped. It’s one other lesson that nice, and even beforehand cinematically profitable, supply materials doesn’t all the time be sure that audiences will present up.
20. Terminator: Darkish Destiny (2019)
The Legacy sequel has an interesting historical past in Hollywood. Martin Scorsese made one within the 80s, and a few, like Mad Max: Fury Street, have been hailed as trendy classics. However for each success, there’s a failure. And generally, they’re a little bit of each. Terminator: Darkish Destiny met with a comparatively heat reception from critics and followers who appreciated the return of Linda Hamilton to the franchise after, and it did alright on the international field workplace however didn’t do almost properly sufficient to be a money-making success.
21. A Wrinkle in Time (2018)
Primarily based on a beloved kids’s novel, directed by Oscar-nominated filmmaker Ava DuVernay, and that includes an all-star forged together with Oprah Winfrey, Reese Witherspoon, and Chris Pine, Disney’s A Wrinkle in Time couldn’t persuade sufficient viewers to go on its journey via house and time. The movie’s field workplace failure was disappointing for followers of the guide and the collection that it begins, in addition to the various who celebrated it because the first time a black lady directed a movie with a price range of $100 million.
22. Velocity Racer (2008)
The Wachowski sisters modified the world in 1999 with The Matrix. However they’ve didn’t garner that sort of constructive consideration and vital monetary success for something they’ve performed since, together with the sequels to their most well-known movie. Their first non-Matrix movie, Velocity Racer, a live-action adaptation of the manga by Tatsuo Yoshida, appeared to overwhelm audiences with its onslaught of vibrant colours and fast-paced motion, leaving the movie within the field workplace mud.
23. Jupiter Ascending (2015)
The Wachowskis’ field workplace unhealthy luck didn’t cease with Velocity Racer. Their follow-up, Cloud Atlas, didn’t do too properly, and their remaining characteristic movie collectively, Jupiter Ascending, was too unusual to get anybody who wasn’t already a fan to see the film. Jupiter Ascending combines fairy story and house opera parts to inform the story of a phenomenal younger lady swept off her toes right into a fantastical world of intergalactic intrigue and journey. It’s daring storytelling, bolstered by the Wachowskis’ all the time daring filmmaking, however it wasn’t sufficient to herald audiences.
24. West Aspect Story (2021)
Because the Wachowskis present, earlier success on the field workplace doesn’t imply a lot. Steven Spielberg’s remake of West Aspect Story was broadly thought of probably the greatest movies of 2021. The essential reward, Spielberg’s huge title, and devoted musical theater followers couldn’t persuade nearly all of audiences to come back to the theater for the film musical.
25. Heaven’s Gate (1980)
Heaven’s Gate stays some of the notorious movies ever made for its influence on American cinema historical past. Written and directed by Michael Cimino, who led The Deer Hunter to monetary and awards success simply two years earlier, Heaven’s Gate pushed studios to retake management from the auteurs of the late Sixties and ’70s, resulting in extra IP-driven fare within the Nineteen Eighties and since. The movie, which exists in numerous cuts and tells the story of battling land barons in late nineteenth century Wyoming, has been nearly equally lambasted and celebrated since its launch.
26. Stealth (2005)
After directing two profitable and franchise-launching motion movies with The Quick and the Livid and XXX, it appeared like Rob Cohen was on a roll. Stealth stopped that roll proper in its tracks. Stealth facilities on three pilots creating after which making an attempt to manage an aircraft-flying synthetic intelligence, and borrowed too clearly from different, higher motion pictures like High Gun and 2001: A House Odyssey to garner any curiosity from critics or audiences.
27. How Do You Know (2010)
Whereas most field workplace bombs are wannabe blockbusters with epic historic battles or costly fantastical visible results, romantic comedies aren’t to be not noted. How Do You Know is an enthralling sufficient romantic comedy with a likable forged, together with Reese Witherspoon and Paul Rudd, however it in all probability didn’t must value $120 million, and it actually didn’t make that again.
Author and director James L. Brooks, whose resume consists of creating The Simpsons and directing Phrases of Endearment, turned away from characteristic filmmaking after the movie didn’t rustle up greater than half its price range on the field workplace.
28. City and Nation (2001)
How Do You Know wasn’t the primary romantic comedy to bomb on the field workplace. 9 years earlier, City and Nation broke the $100 million barrier for rom-coms with an ensemble forged together with Warren Beatty, Diane Keaton, Goldie Hawn, and extra handsome A-listers who, in principle, would herald audiences. The movie’s unfavourable opinions stored it from bringing in many individuals, and it made again solely a couple of tenth of its price range.
29. Gigli (2003)
Maybe essentially the most well-known rom-com bomb, Gigli, was the speak of the city when it arrived in 2003 due to Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez’s off-screen romance. The speak did nothing to convey individuals into the theater. The movie was panned then and continues to be largely thought of one of many worst motion pictures ever made.
30. Father’s Day (1997)
Film stars, whether or not handsome romantic leads or hilarious comedians, could assist herald audiences, however they actually don’t guarantee a movie’s success. Father’s Day paired up beloved funnymen Robin Williams and Billy Crystal in a film that exhibits them monitoring down the son of a lady they’re each seeing. However their mixed star energy couldn’t get anybody to care.
31. Supernova (2000)
Three years after Occasion Horizon delivered an exciting, if not financially profitable, tackle “Hellraiser in house,” Supernova delivered the identical premise to an excellent worse essential and monetary response. Developed and partially directed by famed style director Walter Hill however considerably modified by the studio, who introduced in Francis Ford Coppola to re-edit the movie at one level, Supernova failed in each method.
32. Unusual World (2022)
Disney’s Unusual World was well-reviewed and mixed parts from numerous science fiction journey tales, together with Journey to the Middle of the Earth and Incredible Voyage. None of that introduced audiences into theaters. Nonetheless, it made the movie the number-one movie on Disney+ for a number of days after its streaming debut.
33. Across the World in 80 Days (2004)
A daring reimagining of the basic novel of the identical title by Jules Verne or an affordable cash-in on a recognizable title and easy premise? The 2004 adaptation of Across the World in 80 Days included many anachronisms and narrative variations from its supply materials that led most critics and the overwhelming majority of audiences to keep away from the movie, which value greater than $100 million.
34. The Fall of the Roman Empire (1964)
The oldest movie on this checklist, The Fall of the Roman Empire, was one in every of a number of main historic epics that misplaced main money for the manufacturing studios within the early Sixties. Primarily based on the multi-volume The Historical past of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire by 18th-century historian Edward Gibbon, the three-hour spectacle didn’t win over critics or audiences and signed the demise knell of the massive-scale historic movies.
35. Windtalkers (2002)
John Woo is an motion filmmaking legend, from his early movies in Hong Kong to his Hollywood masterpiece Face/Off, however he’s additionally had his justifiable share of misses. Windtalkers, which facilities on two Navajo code talkers and their handlers throughout World Conflict II, is one in every of Woo’s most thrilling movies. Nonetheless, critics and audiences have been delay by Woo’s overly earnest and dramatic dealing with of the characters.
36. Ishtar (1987)
Elaine Might is without doubt one of the most influential and celebrated comedians and filmmakers of the twentieth century. Whereas her 1987 movie Ishtar is now thought of a masterpiece by some, it didn’t make a lot of an influence upon launch. The movie, together with Might’s script and path, boasts stars Dustin Hoffman and Warren Beatty, seemingly fell prey to poor opinions and unhealthy buzz in regards to the comedy journey movie’s comparatively excessive price range.
37. Jack the Big Slayer (2013)
Combining people tales Jack the Big Slayer and Jack and the Beanstalk right into a big-budget fantasy journey film was by no means the perfect concept. Pouring nearly $200 million into the movie’s manufacturing was undoubtedly a horrible concept. When the movie made slightly below $200 million on the international field workplace, it was nonetheless a large failure for the studio due to the big price range.
38. Gemini Man (2019)
Ang Lee first used a excessive body fee in his 2016 movie Billy Lynn’s Lengthy Halftime Stroll. He continued his affair with the nonetheless experimental filmmaking alternative in his 2019 Will Smith automobile, Gemini Man. We’ll by no means know whether or not it was the excessive body fee look that some contemplate a gimmick, Will Smith in a twin function as an older and not-so-well-younger model of himself, or the unfavourable opinions that stored audiences away. In all chance, it’s a mixture of all of them.
39. Battlefield Earth (2000)
Primarily based on the novel of the identical title by L. Ron Hubbard, Battlefield Earth was a labor of affection for star John Travolta, who needed to adapt the guide right into a two-part science fiction epic. When the 2000 movie, which solely adapts the novel’s first half, was universally derided by moviegoers and critics, these desires died shortly.
40. Beloved (1998)
Jonathan Demme’s adaptation of Toni Morrison’s novel was met with vital reward from critics upon its launch in 1998 and did moderately properly with its audience of educated adults. The one downside was that the film was made for $80 million, and its first rate field workplace efficiency didn’t match that spending.
41. Evan Almighty (2007)
The costliest comedy ever made at its launch in 2007, Evan Almighty confronted an uphill battle to make a revenue. Unsurprisingly, it misplaced; the Bruce Almighty sequel didn’t make again its $175 million price range and didn’t come near the unique movie’s nearly $500 million international field workplace.
42. The Wolfman (2010)
Whereas 2017’s The Mummy could also be extra broadly ridiculed as a false begin to a franchise, Common’s earlier try to reboot a basic monster misplaced the studio far more cash. The 2010 remake of the 1941 werewolf movie of the identical title was made for $150 million and didn’t recoup that quantity regardless of an ideal forged, together with Anthony Hopkins and Benicio Del Toro. Poor opinions actually didn’t enhance gross sales for the movie that even Common COO on the time referred to as “One of many worst motion pictures we ever made.”
43. Monkeybone (2001)
Henry Selick, the beloved director of The Nightmare Earlier than Christmas and Coraline, made his first and solely live-action movie in 2001 with Monkeybone, and given the movie’s reception, it’s simple to see why he went again to animation. Primarily based on the graphic novel Darkish City by Kaja Blackley, the film creatively mixed stop-motion and live-action parts in an unbelievable story of a special world. However neither Selick nor star Brendan Fraser have been sufficient to get filmgoers to see the movie.
44. Tomorrowland (2015)
Greater than a decade after the success of The Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, Disney returned to the flicks based mostly on rides concept for Tomorrowland. However this time, a successful forged, together with George Clooney and a celebrated director, Brad Chook of The Incredibles, couldn’t carry the ride-based film to field workplace glory.
45. Jack Frost (1998)
Jack Frost sought to change into a vacation basic with its story of a father resurrected in a snowman’s physique. However, as that premise makes clear, the film was a bit too darkish and unusual for many audiences and have become extra of a joke than a basic.
46. Lightyear (2022)
IP-mining took a brand new flip with the premise of Lightyear: a film that exists within the Toy Story film universe. However regardless of its undeniably ridiculous premise, the movie was a hit with critics and viewers, viewers who caught the movie on Disney+ a minimum of. Theater-going audiences skipped the film, making it a field workplace bomb earlier than retreating on the streaming service.
47. Monster Vehicles (2016)
Monster Vehicles asks the large query: what if monster vehicles have been literal monsters? It’s a cute concept, and the execution exhibits that the filmmakers didn’t take themselves too severely. However regardless of an “A” CinemaScore from audiences who did see the film, it didn’t drive almost sufficient individuals to the theater to remake its $125 million price range.
48. Moonfall (2022)
Catastrophe film grasp Roland Emmerich’s movies have usually been dismissed or outright lambasted by critics however have usually turned a major revenue for the studios. Not so along with his most up-to-date outing, Moonfall, which sees astronauts investigating how and why the moon has left Earth’s orbit. The film, made for over $130 million, didn’t make again even $70 million on the international field workplace.
49. Hugo (2011)
Like Steven Spielberg a decade later, Martin Scorsese proved that big-name administrators are removed from proof against field workplace losses. Marty’s adaptation of The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick used 3D to attract viewers right into a fantastical world and was broadly praised for that inventive alternative. However regardless of that reward and a wholesome field workplace return of greater than $180 million, the movie’s huge price range and market prices nonetheless ended up shedding the studio $100 million.
50. Transformers: The Final Knight (2017)
The Michael Bay-directed Transformers movies remodeled $4 billion mixed. With that in thoughts, Transformers: The Final Knight’s field workplace “failure” exhibits how complicated, foolish, and downright ridiculous Hollywood funds will be. The movie remodeled $600 million on the international field workplace, greater than double its vital price range of over $200 million. However contemplating advertising and marketing and distribution prices, the movie in the end misplaced the studio $100 million.