Sometimes, things just don’t go your way. That being said, these directors should have scrapped their films from the get-go.
Heaven’s Gate (1980)
Heaven’s Gate was intended to be a defining movie for the western genre but ended up getting completely lacerated during the final stages of cutting. Michael Cimino’s finalized version of this film lost $123 million during its time in the box office. Cimino never made a film again.
Beloved (1998)
This incredibly important cultural period piece, that starred Oprah Winfrey by the way, crashed and burned in the box office. Coincidentally, Chucky came out the same day that Beloved did, completely squashing any chance this movie had to get off of the ground.
Death Wish (2018)
Unfortunately, this violent movie was released at a very bad time. This film released itself less than a month after the Parkland shootings and mere hours after the Las Vegas mass shooting occurred. This movie was handed the short end of the stick and only ended up making $4 million profit worldwide.
Alexander (2004)
What was intended to be a dramatic re-imagining of the story of King Alexander ended up getting caught up in the indecisive brain of Oliver Stone. This movie lost an estimated $71 million, as it was less of a period piece and more of a pornographic retelling of Hamlet.
Ben-Hur (2016)
This is arguably one of the worst remakes of a movie ever made. The budget for this film was a whopping $300 million and it ended up coming out looking like a community college student’s senior thesis. This film lost $211.7 million dollars and is very rarely spoken about.
Zoolander 2 (2016)
Zoolander 2 was too little, too late compared to the original Zoolander. Oddly enough, after 15 years of waiting, the Zoolander audience seemed to outgrow their interest in the original. Also, this movie was arguably half as good as the original, respectfully.
Solo (2018)
Disney thought they had Star Wars fans in the palm of their hand during the afterglow of Episode 7. Little did they know, the warm fuzzy fan service didn’t stick with the audiences, and their immediate next release did not sit well with the hardcore fans of this franchise.
Cowboys & Aliens (2011)
Cowboys AND Aliens??? What could possibly go wrong! Evidently, a lot. After 14 years of production, the team was unable to translate the complexity of the plot that they strung together in a publically understandable way. This film hit the deck, losing $75 million during the measly month it was run publically.
The Happytime Murders (2018)
This movie sullied the “muppet” genre with its off-beat, raunchy, and downright unsavory sense of humor, if you could even call that humor. The creators of this film were actually sued by the creators of Sesame Street for taking their image and smearing it. In total, this movie lost $12.5 million.
The Fall of the Roman Empire (1964)
It is fairly unfortunate that this movie fell so hard in the box office. The enormous budget for this movie set them back in the box office, not because of the quality of the film itself. This movie lost $126 million in totality but is still worth the watch today.
Green Lantern (2011)
Ryan Reynolds was trying to get into superhero movies long before his unforgettable performance as Deadpool. The Green Lantern proved to be a far more serious character than Reynolds was comfortable playing, and the box office smelled that a mile away. This movie lost $98 million real American dollars.
Battleship (2012)
Not only is this film known as the worst Naval movie ever made, this very well could be one of the objectively worst movies of all time! Even with its star-studded cast, this movie lost $220.4 million and its dignity faster than people walked out of the theaters.
A Sound of Thunder (2005)
This film had nothing to work with from the start. Based on a short story by a man named Ray Bradbury, there was never enough context to put a whole movie together, so the producers filled in the cracks. This ended up being a self-destructive move and lost this movie $96.3 million.
A Wrinkle in Time (2018)
Based on the award-winning novel, this movie left a lot to be desired after its release. This film never captured the awesome cinema that was portrayed in the book, which ended up costing the studio $186 million in the long run.
Red Planet (2000)
This movie had a ton of promise but ended up flopping because of some bureaucratic nonsense during the final phases of shooting. This film lost its funding, and then was sloppily edited to quickly be released, ending in a $93 million loss.
Around the World in 80 Days (2004)
This movie is a classic in our hearts and was a financial nightmare for its creators. With its lack of plot and repetitive thematics, this seemed more like a major developer video game that got spit out too soon. Around the World in 80 Days lost $99.6 very quickly.
The Wizard of Oz (1939)
This legendary classic actually dropped the ball when it was initially released. In 1939, The Wizard of Oz lost $1.1 million, but when it was re-released several years later, the movie made hundreds of millions of dollars and still does today.
Battlefield Earth (2000)
This film is the Troll 2 of modern sci-fi. With its absurd plot, campy performances from its actors, and ugly cinematics, Battlefield Earth was destined for failure before it even hit the theaters. This movie lost $108 million and counting during its tenure in the box office.
The Astronaut’s Wife (1999)
Although this movie looks cool on the outside, this is essentially one of the objectively worst films ever made. Despite its industry-crushing cast, and its interesting plot, The Astronaut’s Wife was practically a daytime television drama that got way too much funding. The losses on this movie were around $114.4 million.
Conan the Barbarian (2011)
Conan was the generational favorite of the late 70s, early 80s babies who currently like playing D&D. Superfans found every reason to enjoy this flick, but the general audience found every reason to hate it. Conan lost up to $66 million in the box office and is definitely not worth a watch, even today.
Father’s Day (1997)
Robin Williams generally does no wrong, but in this film, his performance was a bit on the nose. The greatest problem with this film was the writing, which was campy and uncomfortable for modern audiences to compartmentalize. In total, this movie lost $106 million.
Windtalkers (2002)
Nicholas Cage would take any role that was offered to him, entirely to his detriment. Although this catastrophic failure wasn’t entirely Cage’s doing, the movie still cost the studio around $110 million in losses.
Gigli (2003)
There is a reason that you’ve never heard of this movie. This movie was relentlessly put down by critics, and it only grossed $7.3 million during its time in the box office.
Power Rangers (2017)
To be fair, the biggest Power Rangers fans on earth are currently in their late 30s to 40s. Regardless, this movie was destined for failure after doing too much with what it had in its pocket. Sometimes simplicity is the best way to go.
Pan (2015)
We really wanted this one to be good, but alas, the film industry ruined another special movie for us. Pan started with an enormous budget and subsequently decimated itself internally by a self-sabotagingly terrible and inaccurate plot twist. This movie lost $155 million in totality.
The Wolfman (2010)
This Oscar-winning story was just a little too expensive for what it should have been. Unfortunately, this beautiful film was overshadowed by Twilight in the box office, and with conflicting themes, people opted for the more famous one of the two. The Wolfman lost $90 million over time.
xXx III (2005)
We have no clue why this didn’t do as well as its predecessor. The plot and cast were the same, the epicness was unparalleled, but maybe the audience was a little too mature for this whacky sequel. This movie lost $98 million.
The Man from UNCLE (2015)
This movie was actually highly critically acclaimed but lost so much viewership due to its outdated plot. Over time, this movie lost $83 million, but it’s definitely worth a view now.
Tomorrowland (2015)
This movie wanted to be The Wizard of Oz so badly, it choked in theaters just like that other movie did. This film was too much, too fast, with too little working for it. George Clooney usually does better.
Sahara (2005)
God, this film is awful. Sahara lost $100 million in the box office, and rightfully so, and was even granted a huge lawsuit regarding how poorly the movie was made. What a mess!
The Fantastic Four (2015)
This movie pretty much killed this franchise immediately. As a matter of fact, The Fantastic Four delt such a huge blow to superhero films that they were never used in another one. This terrible movie lost out on $103 million.
The Gods of Egypt (2016)
This movie has the single lowest rating on Rotten Tomatoes (a serious 15% rating, compared to their comedy ratings). Not only does the internet think it was bad, so does the box office. They lost $92 million in totality.
How Do You Know? (2010)
The creator of Taxi got shelved after he directed one of the hardest flopping movies of all time. The cast was stacked, the setting ruled, the idea was fresh, and somehow this is one of the worst movies ever made. This film lost $100 million, and will never be getting that back.
Supernova (2000)
This Alien wannabe flick crushed it in the previews, it looked intense and cinematic. Audiences were excited but quickly disappointed when a campy and melodramatic space-romance film greeted them in the theaters. This movie dumped $83 million.
Town and Country (2001)
This movie tried to resurrect some 80s comedic legends at the worst time possible. Not only that, the movie was delayed from theaters TWELVE TIMES, before officially disappointing critics and casuals alike. This movie dug itself into an $85 million deep hole.
Treasure Planet (2002)
Although this is regarded as a milestone for animation, audiences did not expect a movie so surreal to come from Disney. They decided to stick with tangible ideas after Treasure Planet’s flop, but this film is modernly regarded as a very important step for animators.
Seventh Son (2015)
This movie was doomed from the womb. A cross between a surrealist medieval plot and a carbon copy of Blade Runner with no cinematics to back it up, don’t watch this movie.
The Nutcracker 3D (2010)
We don’t know what the developers were thinking when they made this terrible imagination of an already boring play. This movie isn’t cute and is absolutely not worth your time.
Bladerunner 2049 (2017)
As much as we hoped and prayed that this movie would be as good as its prequel, alas, it was not. Ryan Gosling delivered a peak performance, but the cinematics were never there, to begin with. This is a poor follow-up to such a revolutionary film.
The Good Dinosaur (2015)
Lots of people don’t even know this film existed. Pixar dropped this flop a few years ago and refused to admit that it was doomed from the beginning. This just goes to show that even the most untouchable organizations can destroy themselves internally.
Rise of the Guardians (2012)
This movie had way too much going on to be even tangible to the audience that it was being marketed to. Did I mention that they spent $125 million on advertising ALONE? No wonder this movie lost $87 million VERY quickly.
Jupiter Ascending (2015)
The story of Jupiter Jones seemed like a genius idea with an all-star cast. Alas, this movie was a total mess. This was rated 26% on Rotten Tomatoes and it lost $120 million in theaters.
Evan Almighty (2007)
There was no need to resurrect the plot of the HIT film Bruce Almighty with less interesting characters and a more predictable outcome. This movie was a mess, and arguably Steve Carrell’s worst performance.
CutThroat Island (1995)
If you actually want to watch what this movie was trying to be, just watch Men in Tights. This is essentially a comedy version of Robin Hood on boats. It also lost a fat $143 mil in the box.
Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets (2017)
It’s more than likely that people didn’t want to see this movie just because of the lengthy title. This movie promised too much and delivered basically nothing. It also lost 84$ million, on top of its audience halfway through this terror film.
R.I.P.D. (2013)
This movie was almost too bad to even be considered for a review. Ryan Reynolds really does seem to get himself into some bad situations, doesn’t he?
Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within (2001)
Square Enix is never going to make another movie in the Final Fantasy franchise again. These RPG’s are beautiful, but literally nothing else is applicable to these dastardly animations.
The 13th Warrior
This movie should never have been adapted from the book. After losing $129 million in the theaters, the rights of this movie were immediately sold, and its directors have never directed again.
Stealth (2005)
This movie was released during one of the most politically polarized times in America. The plot of this film was distasteful and it served as a very expensive military advertisement. When all was said and done, this movie lost $120 million.
The Promise (2016)
This movie ended up being politically unbelievable and completely unacceptable. Virtually nobody watched The Promise, and because of that, it lost $102 million.
47 Ronin (2013)
The world did not need any more white savior Samurais. Kianu delivered a fantastic performance, as usual, but this movie was a money grab from beginning to end. Maybe that’s why it lost $158 million in the box office.
The Alamo (2004)
Nobody was particularly interested in this movie when it came out, despite being actually pretty decent. Due to lack of attendance, The Alamo lost $94 million in total.
Jack the Giant Slayer (2013)
This movie wanted to be Lord of the Rings so badly that it even copied some of the most notable scenes from the first two of them. Although the cast was tight, and the CGI was decent, this movie still drained $120 million.
The Lone Ranger (2013)
This Disney film starring Jonny Depp could have been much, much better. This was the lowest-grossing Disney film of all time, losing 190$ million due to lack of attention to detail.
Titan A.E. (2000)
This was the fatal film for Fox Animation Studios. After this $100 million loss, Fox Animation Studios were forced to shut their doors and start over from scratch.
The Adventures of Pluto Nash (2012)
The plot of this movie was just as washed out as its character development. Also, we cannot believe that Eddie Murphey got roped into this, but anyone will do anything for a big enough paycheck. Unfortunately, $96 million was lost after this movie’s release.
Monster Trucks (2016)
This movie is just flat out bad. Nothing could have possibly redeemed it. The cast was shotty at best, and it rightfully lost $123 million on the chopping block.
Mars Needs Moms (2011)
No self-respecting child would have ever gone out of their way to see this movie. Additionally, you shouldn’t either. Mars Needs Moms dropped $14 million altogether.
King Arthur: Legend of the Sword (2017)
King Arthur built as a comedy was one of the worst ideas in the history of the film industry. This gigantic flop for Warner Bros. supremely dropped the ball, losing $153 million in the process.
John Carter (2012)
It seemed like virtually no effort was put into the making of this movie. Even the title is unbelievable for the setting. Nobody acted in it, and nobody watched it. This movie lost a whopping $214 million.
Ghostbusters: Answer the Call (2016)
You know, this had the potential to be a cool movie in the end. Unfortunately, this movie lost a ton of funding immediately and in turn lost $75 million.
Robin Hood (2018)
This movie was dark and unsettling, but it was NOT marketed that way. If the studio was more transparent with its marketing, this might have actually taken off. Instead, they took a $100 million pay cut.
Ali (2001)
Will Smith CRUSHED this role, but the marketing just wasn’t behind this movie. Give this flick a chance if you like boxing at all. Oh, it also lost $63 million in the few weeks it ran.
Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas
You think Dreamworks would have accepted their loss after the first Sinbad film flopped so hard. Someone somewhere wanted a sequel. We, on the other hand, did not. $125 million in losses for this one.