According To Data, These Were The Biggest Box Office Bombs In History
The box office is one of the definitive ways that we can rank the initial success of a movie. Sure, some are hidden gems that shine after their box office run, but that initial week at the box office is one of the most important times in the success (or failure) of a movie.
Using data from The Numbers, we've compiled a list of the worst movie performances of all time at the box office, compared to their production budgets.
Gods Of Egypt
Gods Of Egypt (2016) was a historical action movie starring Chadwick Boseman and Gerard Butler, in which Set—the god of darkness—plunges Egypt into chaos. Poorly received by critics compared to Butler's other action-movie hits at the time—and surprising considering that Chadwick Boseman would go on to become The King of Wakanda—Gods Of Egypt flopped at the box office, grossing $138.8 million against its $140 million budget.
The Flowers Of War
Another mega-star that starred in a flop, Christian Bale wasn't enough to ensure success for the Chinese epic, The Flowers Of War (2011). An American (Bale) posing as a priest finds refuge in a Chinese church prior to the Japanese invasion of Nanking, as he attempts to protect the women and children from the impending invasion. Despite the laudable plot of the film, The Flowers Of War grossed $98.2 million against its $100 million budget.
Wrekin Hill, The Flowers of War (2011)
Green Zone
Matt Damon stars in Green Zone (2010), an Iraq War drama detailing the hunt for WMDs in post-invasion Iraq. Green Zone (2010) had a budget of $100 million, but only grossed $97.5 million.
Bicentennial Man
Making robots more like humans never seems to go over well, yet films still do it. Bicentennial Man (1999) was one of Robin Williams' worst movie performances, just one year after his role in Patch Adams. Bicentennial Man was poorly received by critics, grossing just $87.4 million against its $90 million budget.
Columbia, Bicentennial Man (1999)
Ben-Hur
This biblical epic stars Morgan Freeman and Jack Huston as the titular character. Telling the story of a Jewish prince who's betrayed and exiled by a former friend that became a Roman commander, Ben-Hur (2016) was Hollywood's third iteration of the story from the Bible. It grossed $91.7 million worldwide against its $95 million budget.
The Stepford Wives
The Stepford Wives (2004) was a remake of a 1975 film of the same name (that became a cult classic), based on a 1970 horror novel. Starring Nicole Kidman and Bette Midler, The Stepford Wives performed poorly at the box office, grossing just $96.2 million against its $100 million budget.
Paramount, The Stepford Wives (2004)
Peter Pan
This remake of Peter Pan for the umpteenth time had to really be something special to do well—it wasn't. Peter Pan (2003) retold the iconic story from the 1904 play, without much ingenuity nor creative spin to give audiences something different to sink their teeth into. Despite Jason Isaacs starring as Captain Hook, the film only grossed $95.3 million worldwide, but cost $100 million to make.
The Wolfman
In 2010, Universal remade The Wolf Man (1941) as The Wolfman (2010), starring Anthony Hopkins, Benicio Del Toro, and Emily Blunt. Despite winning an Oscar for Best Makeup, The Wolfman failed to make up anything on its budget at the box office—grossing $142.6 million worldwide, on a budget of $150 million.
Treasure Planet
An attempt to remake Treasure Island (1990) in an intergalactic setting wasn't necessarily going to be well-received by fans of the iconic book and film. Treasure Planet starred Joseph Gordon-Leavitt as the voice of Jim Hawkins, but it only grossed $91.8 million from its budget of $100 million.
Walt Disney, Treasure Planet (2002)
In The Heart Of The Sea
Before Tom Holland and Chris Hemsworth were the mega-stars of the Marvel Universe, they shared a screen in In The Heart Of The Sea (2015). Inspired by Moby Dick (1851), In The Heart Of The Sea was directed by Ron Howard. The epic adventure film wasn't particularly epic, according to critics and audiences, only grossing $89.7 million on its $100 million budget.
Warner Bros., In the Heart of the Sea (2015)
The Chronicles Of Riddick
The second installment in the Riddick franchise saw Vin Diesel reprise his role as Riddick in The Chronicles Of Riddick (2004). In 2000, Pitch Black cost just $23 million to make and more than doubled its budget at the box office. Meanwhile, The Chronicles Of Riddick had a production budget of an astonishing $120 million and grossed just $107.2 million worldwide.
Universal, The Chronicles of Riddick (2004)
Robin Hood
It always seems to be remakes of 20th century classics (usually from Disney) that don't do well in the 21st century, doesn't it? Robin Hood (2018) starred Taron Egerton and Jamie Foxx, but couldn't come close to the success of its predecessor: grossing just $85.2 million worldwide, but costing $99 million to make.
Mortal Engines
When "Peter Jackson" is a name associated with a project, you expect big things. Unfortunately for Jackson, Mortal Engines (2018) was one of his rare failures. A fantasy-adventure movie starring Jihae, the South Korean actress of Succession (2018), Mortal Engines grossed just $85.3 million against its $100 million budget.
Universal, Mortal Engines (2018)
Catwoman
Catwoman (2004) starred Halle Berry and attempted to piggyback off the success of neo-noir superhero movies at the time, but couldn't quite manage it. Released a year before Christopher Nolan's Batman Begins (2005), Catwoman only grossed $82.1 million worldwide, against a $100 million production budget.
Ali
You might think that a biopic about Muhammad Ali's life would fare much better than it did at the box office. Ali (2001) even starred Will Smith (who earned his first Oscar for this role), but the film was only able to gross $87.7 million from its $109 million budget.
47 Ronin
Another rare box office failure for a film starring Keanu Reeves, 47 Ronin (2013) is an action drama that sees Reeves take on the role of a Samurai warrior. Unfortunately, the film was cut to pieces by critics and only grossed $151.72 million of its $175 million budget.
Sahara
Imagine launching a movie with the full intention of making it into a cinematic series, only for it to flop spectacularly? That's what happened with Sahara (2005), based on Clive Cussler's Dirk Pitt series. It even stars Matthew McConaughey and Penelope Cruz—which may have been a big part of its $145 million budget. Unfortunately, it only grossed $121.7 million, making it a $23.3 million failure. The idea for a series was scrapped.
The Widowmaker
The Widowmaker (2002) may have been a case of "too late" for a Cold War movie about a Russian submarine. This war thriller set aboard a Russian submarine during the Cold War starred Liam Neeson and Harrison Ford, but sunk to the bottom of the audience ocean—grossing just $65.7 million on a production budget of $90 million.
Paramount, K-19: The Widowmaker (2002)
Cats
People did not like Cats (2019), seemingly from the moment a trailer dropped for the movie. Even bringing in big names like Judi Dench, Idris Elba, Jennifer Hudson, James Corden, and Francesca Hayward couldn't save Cats. It went in and out of theaters without much fuss, grossing only $75.5 million worldwide from its $100 million budget.
Speed Racer
Emile Hirsch starred in Speed Racer (2008), which is now considered a cult classic among racing movie fans, but at the time, Speed Racer didn't perform so well at the box office. Despite boasting the filmmaking team behind The Matrix and being based on a beloved cartoon, Speed Racer only grossed $93.39 million from a $120 million budget.
Warner Bros., Speed Racer (2008)
Conan The Barbarian
Robert E Howard's classic character, Conan The Barbarian, was almost given new life by a young Jason Momoa in Conan The Barbarian (2011), a remake of the 1982 classic starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. But Momoa could never live up to Schwarzenegger's performance and the movie flopped, bringing in $63.36 million of its $90 million production budget.
Lionsgate, Conan the Barbarian (2011)
The Road To El Dorado
Going back 20 years, The Road To El Dorado (2000) was all about a search for the mythical city of gold. Starring both a cartoon version of Elton John in the film and using the singer's music as part of the soundtrack, The Road To El Dorado failed to find the pot of proverbial gold, grossing just $65.7 million from a $90 million production budget.
DreamWorks, The Road to El Dorado (2000)
Land Of The Lost
Land Of The Lost (2009) was a remake of a 1970s children's TV series of the same name. Land Of The Lost stars Will Ferrell as one of a group of scientists sucked into a space-time vortex back to when dinosaurs ruled the earth. Despite bringing Ferrell's comedic genius to the film, Land Of The Lost was "the first bomb of the summer" in 2009 and only made $69.5 million from a $100 million production budget.
Universal, Land of the Lost (2009)
Deepwater Horizon
Despite telling an important story about one of the world's most devastating man-made environmental disasters, Deepwater Horizon (2016) just wasn't a big hit among theater-goers. Starring Mark Wahlberg, the movie dramatized the events that led to the explosion of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico. However, it failed to explode at the box office, grossing just $122.6 million, but cost a staggering $156 million to produce.
Summit, Deepwater Horizon (2016)
Home On The Range
Home On The Range (2004) wasn't quite Animal Farm, despite having talking animals, using prized voice actors like Judi Dench, and starring Roseanne Barr. Critics were fairly "meh" about it—and so were theatergoers. It grossed just $76.5 million from a production budget of $110 million.
Walt Disney, Home on the Range (2004)
King Arthur: Legend Of The Sword
Yet another tale of King Arthur told in a movie—seemingly, another case of flogging the proverbial dead horse. Charlie Hunnam's role as Arthur in King Arthur: Legend Of The Sword (2017) was another Arthurian tale that performed poorly, grossing just $139.6 million from its $175 million budget.
Warner Bros., King Arthur: Legend of the Sword (2017)
Windtalkers
Released during the same summer as K-19: The Widowmaker, John Woo's Windtalkers was supposed to be a Vietnam War refresh after the successes of previous Vietnam War movies in the years prior. Starring Nicolas Cage, Windtalkers seemed to fall on deaf ears. It only grossed $77.6 million against a $115 million production budget.
Around The World In 80 Days
Hollywood has, by now, learned that second (and third) time around isn't always the charm with re-adaptations. However, in 2004, they hadn't quite learned that lesson. Thus, Around The World In 80 Days (adapted from the 1956 adaptation of Jules Verne's 1872 classic), starring Jackie Chan and Steve Coogan, was an epic disappointment, making just $72 million from a $110 million production budget.
Walt Disney, Around the World in 80 Days (2004)
Son Of The Mask
Based on Jim Carrey's star-making The Mask (1994), which made $350 million worldwide on a $20 million budget, Son Of The Mask (2005) would have to do something extraordinary to beat it. It didn't. Carrey didn't reprise his role and was replaced by Jamie Kennedy, and it cost an astonishing $100 million to make, but grossed just $59.9 million. Certainly not a prodigal son—more like "abject failure son".
Dark Horse, Son of the Mask (2005)
RIPD
Before Ryan Reynolds was blowing box office records out of the water, he starred in RIPD (2013), "Rest In Peace Department", another comic book adaptation (following on from The Green Lantern) in 2011. But, Reynolds' second attempt at a comic book adaptation bombed spectacularly, grossing a paltry $79.1 million against a staggering production budget of $130 million.
Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within
Piggybacking on the popularity of the Final Fantasy video game series, Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within (2001) was the first ever film to feature motion-capture animation—a revolution in the industry at the time. That could explain its $137 million budget, but it unfortunately failed to capture much interest at the box office, grossing just $85.1 million worldwide.
Columbia, Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within (2001)
Stealth
What happens when you release a movie in the summer of 2005, all about flying, while trying to compete with Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge Of The Sith? Nothing happens. It's a flop. Or at least, that's what Stealth (2005), a military action movie starring Jessica Biel and Josh Lucas, was. It grossed just $76.4 million at the box office, but had a gargantuan budget of $138 million. 2005 was the summer of Star Wars and not much else.
The 13th Warrior
Antonio Banderas is usually a shoe-in for a good action flick. But this cinematic adaptation of a Michael Crichton novel lacked, well, everything that made Jurassic Park so good. The 13th Warrior grossed just $61.7 million at the box office, but cost $125 million to produce. Ouch. Unlucky number 13, I guess.
Touchstone, The 13th Warrior (1999)
Monster Trucks
Monster Trucks (2016) starred Lucas Till and Rob Lowe in a movie that's all about monsters in trucks. The premise is relatively unimaginative, the cast (aside from Lowe) is unmemorable, and the movie was, well, not great. It only grossed $61.6 million worldwide and cost $125 million to produce.
Paramount, Monster Trucks (2016)
The Alamo
Another re-make that couldn't outshine its predecessor. In the 1960s, the John Wayne version of The Alamo was one of the highest-grossing films of that decade, but The Alamo (2004) just couldn't live up to that record. The historical action film cost $92 million to make, but only grossed $39 million worldwide. Ouch.
The Nutcracker In 3D
This one most certainly did not crack the Hollywood success nut—instead, The Nutcracker In 3D (2010) was an abysmal failure. Its gross? Just $20.5 million from a—wait for it—$90 million production budget. It also received a stunning zero rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Vnesheconombank, The Nutcracker in 3D (2010)
How Do You Know?
If they'd have known how badly this sports comedy starring Reese Witherspoon, Paul Rudd, and Jack Nicholson was going to go, maybe they wouldn't have made How Do You Know? (2010). It cost $120 million to produce and only netted $49.6 million at the box office. Not exactly a home run for a movie about an elite softball player.
Columbia, How Do You Know (2010)
Cutthroat Island
The 1995 pirate adventure movie Cutthroat Island, starring Geena Davis, was astronomically priced at $92 million to produce. At the box office, it made just $18.5 million. Its performance was so bad that the production company that made the film filed for bankruptcy shortly thereafter. Cutthroat, indeed.
The Promise
An indie production with a laudable goal to bring awareness of the Armenian Genocide, but it struggled to find an American distributor due to the geopolitics of the subject, particularly considering the American relationship with the Turkish government. Therefore, The Promise (2016) grossed just $10 million worldwide, but cost $90 million to produce, and starred Oscar Isaac.
The Adventures Of Pluto Nash
Eddie Murphy's The Adventures Of Pluto Nash (2002), was an outer space comedy set on the Moon. Unfortunately for Murphy, The Adventures Of Pluto Nash (2002) didn't even reach the launchpad. Its budget was $100 million, but it only brought in a shocking $7.1 million, making it one of Hollywood's biggest-ever failures.
Warner Bros., The Adventures of Pluto Nash (2002)
Town & Country
Somehow, Town & Country (2001) took nearly two years to shoot, following endless rewrites. Not only that, but it was described as a "farcical comedy" and it cost the production company $105 million as a result. It didn't even gross 1/10th of its production cost—managing just $10.4 million at the box office.
New Line, Town & Country (2001)
Mars Needs Moms' Catastrophic Failure
You may recognize director Robert Zemeckis from films like Forrest Gump (1994) and the Back To The Future trilogy (1985). You may not know that he directed the largest box office bomb in movie history—Mars Needs Moms (2011). Despite using cutting-edge motion-capture animation, the movie was awful. It cost an astonishing $150 million to produce and grossed just $39.5 million. While it didn't end Zemeckis' career, it is the biggest loss on a Hollywood film of all time at a stunning shortfall of $110.5 million.
