Summary
The summer blockbuster seasonis usually when studios roll out their most ambitious and expensive films, hoping to capture large audiences and rake in substantial profits. However, for everyAvengersorJurassic Park, there are monumental misfires that leave studios and audiences alike scratching their heads. Such films come in with huge budgets and star-laden casts, yet end upbombing at the box office.
These films, with all their invested resources, fail to recover the money from theaters and incur heavy financial losses. Factors such as poor timing, misdirected marketing strategies, or audience fatigue are to blame. These flops are interestingly striking case studies of how the best-laid plans can go wrong. Some of these movies have since gained cult followings or been reevaluated as more meritorious, but when they came out, they were considered nothing less than disastrous.
10 Box Office Flops From The 1990s That Everyone Loves
Financial success has never been a dependable measure of a movie’s success, and some of the best movies of the 1990s failed to turn a profit.
The Lone Ranger
Cast
Based on the character of the same name, The Lone Ranger follows John Reid (Armie Hammer), A.K.A. The Lone Ranger, and his Native American companion Tonto (Johnny Depp). Narrated by Tonto, The Lone Ranger recounts the duo’s early efforts to bring peace and justice to the Old West, apprehending various unscrupulous characters. Alongside Depp and Hammer, The Lone Ranger stars Tom Wilkinson, William Fichtner, Barry Pepper, James Badge Dale, and Helena Bonham Carter.
Disney’sThe Lone Rangerwas an ambitious attempt to reboot the classic Western hero for modern audiences. The film, with Johnny Depp playing Tonto and Armie Hammer as the titular character, was supposed to be a big hit. With production delays and a ballooning budget plaguing it, coupled with a lukewarm critical reception, it did not quite find its way into audiences, leaving the action-humor-bizarre tonal shifts brew rather disappointing at the box office.
The monetary loss ofThe Lone Rangerwas so severe that it prompted Disney to reconsider its strategy regarding big-budget films. This resulted in the studio putting a hold on the development of comparable blockbuster projects for a while. Although it grossed over $260 million worldwide, the massive budget of $225 million, along with marketing, practically broke it even, and Disney lost an estimated $160 million. It also got panned by the critics, with too much of a disjointed plotline and relying on Depp’s eccentric performance.
$215 million
Estimated $160 million (part of total $375 million)
$89.3 million
$171.2 million
$260.5 million
John Carter
Adapted from Edgar Rice Burroughs' A Princess of Mars, Disney’s John Carter brings the author’s Barsoom series to life. When American Confederate Civil War captain John Carter accidentally transports himself to Mars, he soon becomes entangled in the planet’s own internal power struggles. Using the increased strength and speed afforded to him by Mars' atmosphere, Carter fights to achieve peace on the distant planet known by the natives as Barsoom.
Adapted from the Edgar Rice Burroughs science fiction series,John Carterwas the canceled would-be franchise launcher for Disney– a film about a whisked-away Civil War veteran to Mars andembroiled in a conflict between warring factions. For all of its epic scope and visual effects innovation,John Cartersimply never found an audience, and its overall marketing campaign was arguably best described as confusing and off-putting for most.
The film grossed $284.1 million worldwide, but against a staggering budget of $263 million plus marketing costs, it fell far short of profitability, leading to an estimated loss of more than $200 million. This flop was a significant blow to Disney, with the resignation of then-studio head Rich Ross in its wake.
Battleship
Rihanna, Liam Neeson, and Taylor Kitsch star in the 2012 action movie adaptation of the board game Battleship. They play a group of Navy SEALs who confront an invading fleet of alien ships. As humanity’s only hope, they must use all their training and resources to fight the alien invasion and save the planet.
Battleship, loose as it was, represents Universal Pictures' attempt at churning out a blockbuster franchise by way of merging naval warfare with alien invasion. The movie sported a really nice cast, featuring Liam Neeson and pop star Rihanna, and had really impressive special effects. It has, however, been widely panned for its flimsy plot, lack of character development, and over-the-top action sequences.
Battleshipraked in $303 million worldwide, which, by some estimates, may sound respectable, but against the budget of $209 million and marketing, that simply wasn’t enough to avert loss.Something big, like missing this mark on such an expectedly large film franchise, was a miss for Universal.
King Arthur: Legend of the Sword
King Arthur: Legend of the Sword is a 2017 action-adventure movie directed by Guy Ritchie. After being robbed of his birthright, Arthur, played by Charlie Hunnam, is able to pull a sword from the stone and restart his journey toward his true legacy. Along the way, Arthur goes up against King Vortigern, who is played by Jude Law.
Guy Ritchie’sKing Arthur: Legend of the Swordwas an ambitious take on the legend of Arthur, blending medieval tradition with his trademark modern flair. With Charlie Hunnam in the lead as Arthur, it was to be the first of six films that would explore the lore of Camelot. It came into a crowded marketplace and received poor reviews, being met with general disinterest in the reimagined tale.
King Arthurpartially flopped due to its release just one week afterGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2., which dominated at the box office.
With a worldwide gross of only $148.7 million against a $175 million budget, the movie qualified asone of the largest flops of the year. This underperformance was so severe that it killed any ideas concerning future installments for the proposed series.
Why King Arthur: Legend of the Sword Bombed at the Box Office
Guy Ritchie’s King Arthur: Legend of the Sword has bombed at the box office - was it bad timing, too big a budget, or just plain lack of interest?
The Adventures Of Pluto Nash
The Adventures of Pluto Nash is a science-fiction comedy starring Eddie Murphy as Pluto Nash, a nightclub owner on the Moon. Released in 2002, the film follows Nash as he battles to protect his nightclub from the mafia while uncovering a larger conspiracy. Rosario Dawson and Randy Quaid co-star in this futuristic adventure set in a 2087 lunar colony.
Eddie Murphy’sThe Adventures of Pluto Nashis a sci-fi comedy that has gone down in history as one of the largest box office bombs ever. Set in the year 2087, it is about a nightclub owner on the moon who gets embroiled in a fight against the mob. Despite the futuristic setting and the presence of stars within the film,Pluto Nashwasa critical and commercial disaster.
Pluto Nashhas often been cited as an example of a film that seemed to be doomed right from its conception, given the troubled production and a premise that was ill-conceived.
Coming in with a budget of $100 million and only pulling in $7.1 million at the box office,The Adventures of Pluto Nashlost nearly $100 million, making it one of the largest flops financially in cinematic history. This hit Eddie Murphy hard in his career, and it would take years for him to recover from the failure.
Fantastic Four
Fantastic Four is a 2015 superhero film centered on four young outsiders who gain startling abilities after teleporting to a treacherous universe. As their lives are transformed, the team must harness their new powers to protect Earth from a former friend who becomes their adversary.
The 2015 reboot ofFantastic Fourwas to breathe new life into Marvel’s first family following two campy, lackluster feature-film adaptations. This time, under Josh Trank’s helm,it would lean into the darkness with a little bit of grounding. But for some reason, the fans just didn’t take it very well; in fact, the critics were pretty harsh. The troubled production, with rumored on-set feuds and last-minute reshoots, must have translated badly into a disjointed final product that left audiences unsatisfied.
The failure was an enormous blow to 20th-century Fox and obliterated any chances of a sequel.
Fantastic Fouropened to $167.9 million worldwide, which was way below expectations for a movie in the $120-155 million budget range. The failure was an enormous blow to 20th Century Fox and obliterated any chances of a sequel.
$154,696,080
$178,839,854
$333,535,934
$87.5–100 million
$131,921,738
$169,991,393
$301,913,131
$120–130 million
$56,117,548
$111,765,333
$167,882,881
$120–155 million
The 13th Warrior
The 13th Warrior is a historical action film that follows an Arab poet assigned to join a group of Norse warriors on a mission to battle a mysterious and deadly enemy. Set in the time of Vikings, it explores themes of cultural clash and heroism amidst gripping action sequences and period drama.
Based on Michael Crichton’s novel entitledEaters of the Dead, starring Antonio Banderas, the action-adventure epic film was described as an amalgamation of Viking history with fantasy and horror elements. It placed a Muslim ambassador accompanying a band of Norse warriors to do combat with a mysterious enemy. With a very intriguing plot and scope of action,this movie nevertheless had more than its fair share of problems in the making: reshoots, editing wars, and an inflated budget.
Having had its final box office gross of only $61.7 million,The 13th Warriorwas a huge financial flop, losing over $100 million. The poor performance of the film led to it almost being forgotten; however, recently, it has gained a minor cult following.
Cutthroat Island
Cutthroat Island is a 1995 action-adventure film directed by Renny Harlin. Geena Davis stars as Morgan Adams, a swashbuckling pirate who teams up with con man William Shaw, played by Matthew Modine, to uncover a hidden treasure. As they navigate treacherous waters and face off against rival pirates, their alliance is tested by danger and deception. The film showcases high-seas adventure and daring exploits.
Cutthroat Islandis the Renny Harlin swashbuckler starring Geena Davis, notorious for having turned into a spectacular flop. The movie followed a female pirate in her quest for hidden treasure but suffered production problems from script rewrites to cast changes and budget overruns. Borne with high-octane action and loaded with all the trimmings of production,Cutthroat Island was a box office disaster, according toComic Book Resources.
The commercial failure ofCutthroat Islandreally killed the trend of pirate films in Hollywood untilPirates of the Caribbeanrevived the genre in 2003.
Having cost $98 million to make and taken in a paltry box office total of only $10 million, the picture stands as one of the largest flops ever in the history of Hollywood movies. In fact, it was the huge failure ofCutthroat Islandthat formed thechief reason behind Carolco Pictures going bankrupt.
Why Pirates of the Caribbean Succeeded Where Cutthroat Island Failed
Cutthroat Island was disastrous enough to kill the pirate genre, so why was Pirates of the Caribbean a runaway success where this movie failed?
Tomorrowland
George Clooney and Britt Robertson star in Brad Birds' take on Tomorrowland - a sci-fi action-adventure movie based around the idea from Disney’s attractions. Clooney plays Frank, a rough-around-the-edges jaded man who is teaming up with the equally bright but optimistic teen Casey (Britt Robertson) to find Tomorrowland, a mysterious place full of wonder and futuristic technology with the power to change the world.
Tomorrowland, a sci-fi adventure film directed by Brad Bird and starring George Clooney, was adapted from the futuristic theme park the Same-named land. The movie followed a disillusioned genius and a curious teenager as they set out on their journey to unravel the secrets of a mysterious utopian world. Despite its ambitious premise and the Disney marketing machine,Tomorrowlandstruggled to really connect with audiences.
The film grossed $209.2 million worldwide but, against a $190 million budget with hefty marketing costs, failed to turn a profit. The poor showing was a letdown for Disney, especially with the star power and talent in the film.
The BFG
The talents of three of the world’s greatest storytellers – Roald Dahl, Walt Disney and Steven Spielberg – finally unite to bring Dahl’s beloved classic “The BFG” to life. Directed by Spielberg, Disney’s “The BFG” tells the imaginative story of a young girl and the Giant who introduces her to the wonders and perils of Giant Country.
Steven Spielberg’sThe BFGwas an adaptation of a beloved children’s book by Roald Dahl, so by all appearances, it would have been a sure thing. It delivers a story about a young girl who befriends a giant and their escapades across Giant Country with a visually stunning presentation and heartfelt performances. However, with Spielberg behind the wheel and the popular source material,The BFGturned out not to impress at the box office.
The film pulled in $183.3 million worldwide, which, although not exactly a bad result, was still disappointing compared to its budget of $140 million and comprehensive marketing drive.It was a surprising miss from Spielberg, who never seems to miss at the box office.
$140 million
$55.5 million
$139.7 million
$195.2 million
