Quick Links
Some of the highest-budgeted movies do not rise to their expected returns. Several factors determine the success of a film. A box office bomb is a movie that fails to satisfy expected profits. It is thus a loss upon the distributor, the production house, and the studio.
Here is a list of movies that lost big at the box office.
The Adventures of Pluto Nash
The 2002 film starring Eddie Murphy and directed by Ron Underwood was a big-time crash. There was no particular reason why it lost significant capital besides the fact that it was not well received by the audience or the critics.
Its ratings were 3.8 out of 10 on IMDb and four percent on Rotten Tomatoes. The science-fiction comedy was one of the rare flops in Eddie Murphy's successful acting career. According to Digital Spy, this movie had a production budget of $100 million and lost a massive amount of $96 million.
The Lone Ranger
The Lone Ranger is a 2013 Disney movie directed by Gore Verbinski, starring Johnny Depp. The team of The Lone Ranger expected it to be a box office hit just like the Pirates of the Caribbean. However, the results might be disappointing.
Although the film was nominated twice in the Oscars, it was not well-conceived by critics and audience. There also was a slight delay in its release due to some problems with the production. The production budget for this movie was about $225 million, and the money lost accounted for about $98 million.
Mars Needs Moms
The 3D computer-animated science fiction movie called Mars Needs Moms did not meet Disney's expectations in theatres. Simon Wells directed the Disney animated film.
Mars Needs Moms was an adaptation of the famous Berkeley Breathed book of the same name. However, it failed to live up to it. The production budget was as high as $150 million, and the loss incurred was more than 50%, up to $100 million.
Dark Phoenix
Fox studios wanted a grand closure to the X-Men franchise with the Dark Phoenix. Only it was not as great as they would have liked it to be. Directed by Simon Kinberg, it was released in cinemas in 2019.
The reputation of 21st Century Fox studio, which is now Disney-owned, received a severe blow due to the criticism and was a flop at the box office. According to Work and Money, the production cost was $200 million while the loss incurred was a disappointing $100 million.
The BFG
Roald Dahl is a favorite amongst kids and adults. The BFG was an attempt at adapting one of his famous stories. Renowned director Steven Spielberg directed this 2016 animated movie.
It turned out to be an expensive endeavor and failed to return the profits. The expenses were around $140 million, while the loss incurred was approximately $106 million.
Monster Trucks
Monster Trucks was a children's movie based on a pun. It was also a part of Nickelodeon and Paramount's target of creating a franchise regarding monster-driven trucks. Monster Trucks was a movie directed by Chris Wedge and released in 2016.
The estimated production budget for this movie was around $125 million. It lost big money around a sumptuous $115 million.
John Carter
The sci-fi movie John Carter was a venture on Disney's part to create a personal franchise for science fiction movies, as stated by Trivia Genius. The Sci-fi is directed by Andrew Stanton and released in 2012.
John Carter might have fared in the box office sales. Its vast loss was because the budget was way higher, and sales failed to make up for it. The production cost was approximately $263 million, and the loss incurred was also an extravagant amount of about $122 million.
King Arthur: Legend of the Sword
King Arthur: Legend of the Sword is counted among the movies that incurred one of the highest losses in history. Released in 2017, the fantasy drama was directed by Guy Ritchie.
Works that are adaptations of Arthurian legends receive a lot of attention both from fans. When this movie received negative criticism from most critics and was shunned by fans, it proved to be a significant blow to Warner Bros. The expense of production was about $175 million, with a loss of about $150 million.
There have been a lot of teasers that are hyped by fans. However, when the films release, they may be a disappointment, and eventually, the sales fail to cover the cost of production.
Source: Trivia Genius, Digital Spy, Work and Money