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List of biggest box-office bombs

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In the film and media industry, if a film released in theatres fails to break even by a large amount, it is considered a box-office bomb (or box-office flop), thus losing money for the distributor, studio, and/or production company that invested in it. Due to the secrecy surrounding costs and profit margins in the film industry, figures of losses are usually rough estimates at best, and there are often conflicting estimates over how much a film has lost. To accommodate this uncertainty, the losses are presented as ranges where this is the case, and the list is ordered alphabetically in the absence of a definitive order. Because the films on the list have been released over a large span of time, currency inflation is a material factor, so losses are adjusted for inflation using the United States Consumer Price Index to enable comparison at equivalent purchasing power.

Some films on this list grossed more than their production budgets yet are still regarded as flops. This can be due to Hollywood accounting practices that manipulate profits or keep costs secret to circumvent profit-sharing agreements,[1] but it is also possible for films to lose money legitimately even when the theatrical gross exceeds the budget. This is because a distributor does not collect the full gross, and the full cost of a film can substantially exceed its production budget once distribution and marketing are taken into account. For example, tax filings in 2010 for Cinemark Theatres show that only 54.5 percent of ticket revenues went to the distributor, with the exhibitor retaining the rest. While the distributor's cut will vary from film to film, a Hollywood studio will typically collect half the gross in the United States and less in other parts of the world. Marketing often represents a substantial share of the overall cost of the picture too: for a film with an average sized budget the promotion and advertising costs are typically half that of the production budget, and in the case of smaller films it is not unusual for the cost of the marketing to be higher than the production budget.[2] In some cases, a company can make profits from a box-office bomb when ancillary revenues are taken into account, such as streaming, home media sales and rentals, television broadcast rights, and licensing fees, so a film that loses money at the box office can still eventually break even.[3]

There are some films notorious for large production budgets and widely seen as box-office bombs that have either broken even or turned a profit. Cleopatra nearly bankrupted 20th Century Fox with production and marketing costs of US$44 million and numerous delays.[4][5] It was among the top ten films of the 1960s,[6] but still failed to recoup its investment during its theatrical release.[4] It eventually broke even in 1966 when Fox sold the television broadcast rights to ABC for $5 million.[7] The total costs for Waterworld (1995) exceeded $300 million and it was perceived as a disaster at the time, despite grossing $264 million worldwide. It also eventually broke even through other revenue streams.[8][9] Such films are still cited as high-risk examples in evaluating the prospects of future productions.[8] For example, Cleopatra is blamed for a decline in big-budget epic films in the 1960s.[10]

The COVID-19 pandemic, starting around March 2020, caused temporary closure of movie theatres, and distributors moved several films to premier to streaming services such as HBO Max, Disney+, and Peacock with little to no box-office takes. While these films may have had successful runs on these services, the viewership or revenue from these showings are typically not reported and excluded from the box office. As a result, several films from 2020 to 2022 are included on this list, despite potentially having been profitable for their studios through streaming.[11]

Biggest box-office bombs

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The following is a partial list of films that lost the most money, based on documented losses or estimated by expert analysis of various financial factors such as the production budget, marketing and distribution costs, gross box-office receipts and other ancillary revenues. The list is limited to films that are potentially among the top one hundred box-office losses, adjusted for inflation (approximately upper-bound losses of $100 million or higher as of 2023).

  † Background shading indicates films playing in the week commencing 23 August 2024 in theaters around the world.
§ indicates a film released for streaming less than 30 days after it was released theatrically.
Biggest box-office bombs
Title Year Net production budget
(millions) 		Worldwide gross
(millions) 		Estimated loss (millions) Ref.
Nominal Adjusted for inflation [nb 1]
The 13th Warrior 1999 $100–160 $61.7 $69–129 $126–236 [# 1]
47 Ronin 2013 $175–225 $151.8 $96 $126 [# 2]
The 355 2022 $40–75 $27.7 $93 $105 [# 3]
The Adventures of Pluto Nash 2002 $100 $7.1 $96 $163 [# 4]
The Adventures of Rocky & Bullwinkle 2000 $76–98.6 $35.1 $63.5 $112 [# 5]
The Alamo 2004 $107 $25.8 $94 $152 [# 6]
Alexander 2004 $155 $167.3 $71 $115 [# 7]
Ali 2001 $107 $87.7 $63 $108 [# 8]
Allied 2016 $85 $118.6 $75–90 $95–114 [# 9]
Amsterdam 2022 $80 $31.2 $108 $112 [# 10]
Around the World in 80 Days 2004 $110 $72.2 $74 $119 [# 11]
The Astronaut's Wife 1999 $75 $19.6 $65 $119 [# 12]
Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever 2002 $70 $19.9 $70.1 $119 [# 13]
Battlefield Earth 2000 $73–103 $29.7 $73.3 $130 [# 14]
Battleship 2012 $209–220 $303 $150 $199 [# 15]
Beloved 1998 $80 $22.9 $68.5 $128 [# 16]
Ben-Hur 2016 $100 $94.1 $75–120 $95–152 [# 17]
The BFG 2016 $140 $179.6 $71–100 $90–127 [# 18]
Black Adam 2022 $190–260 $393 $50–100 $52–104 [# 19]
Blackhat 2015 $70 $19.7 $68–90 $87–116 [# 20]
The Call of the Wild 2020 $125–150 $107.6 $50–100 $59–118 [# 21]
Cats 2019 $90–100 $73.7 $71–113.6 $85–135 [# 22]
Chaos Walking 2021 $100 $26.5 $112 $126 [# 23]
Chill Factor 1999 $34–70 $11.8 $64 $117 [# 24]
A Christmas Carol 2009 $175–200 $325.3 $50–100 $71–142 [# 25]
The Chronicles of Riddick 2004 $105–120 $115.8 $47–73 $76–118 [# 26]
Cowboys & Aliens 2011 $163 $174.8 $63–75 $85–102 [# 27]
Cutthroat Island [nb 2] 1995 $98 $18.3 $105 $210 [# 28]
Dark Phoenix 2019 $200 $252.4 $79–133 $96–161 [# 29]
Deepwater Horizon 2016 $110–120 $119.5 $60–113 $76–143 [# 30]
Dolittle 2020 $175 $227.9 $50–100 $59–118 [# 31]
Driven 2001 $94 $54.7 $67 $115 [# 32]
Dudley Do-Right 1999 $70 $10 $65 $119 [# 33]
Evan Almighty 2007 $175 $173.4 $87 $128 [# 34]
The Fall of the Roman Empire 1964 $18.4 $4.8 $14.3 $140 [# 35]
Fantastic Four 2015 $120–125 $168 $80–100 $103–129 [# 36]
Fathers' Day 1997 $85 $35.7 $67 $127 [# 37]
Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within 2001 $137 $85.1 $94 $162 [# 38]
The Flash 2023 $200 $271.3 $155 $155 [# 39]
Gemini Man 2019 $138 $173.5 $111.1 $132 [# 40]
Ghost in the Shell 2017 $110–180 $169.8 $60–100 $75–124 [# 41]
Gigli 2003 $75.6 $7.3 $72 $119 [# 42]
Gods of Egypt 2016 $140 $150.7 $76–90 $96–114 [# 43]
The Good Dinosaur 2015 $175–200 $332.2 $85 $109 [# 44]
The Great Raid 2005 $80 $10.8 $75 $117 [# 45]
Green Lantern 2011 $200 $219.9 $75–90 $102–122 [# 46]
Hard Rain 1998 $70 $19.9 $60 $112 [# 47]
Hart's War 2002 $70–95 $32.3 $62.7 $106 [# 48]
Haunted Mansion 2023 $150 $117.4 $117 $117 [# 49]
Heaven's Gate 1980 $44 $3.5 $40.5 $150 [# 50]
How Do You Know 2010 $100 $48.7 $104 $145 [# 51]
Hudson Hawk 1991 $65 $17.2 $47.8 $107 [# 52]
Hugo 2011 $150–170 $185.8 $91 $123 [# 53]
Inchon 1982 $46 $5.2 $40.8 $129 [# 54]
Instinct 1999 $80 $34.1 $63 $115 [# 55]
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny 2023 $326 $384 $143 $143 [# 56]
The Invasion 2007 $80 $40 $71 $104 [# 57]
Ishtar 1987 $51–55 $14.4 $40.6 $109 [# 58]
Jack Frost 1998 $40–85 $34.6 $68 $127 [# 59]
Jack the Giant Slayer 2013 $185–200 $197.7 $103 $135 [# 60]
John Carter 2012 $263.7 $284.1 $112–200 $149–265 [# 61]
Jungle Cruise § 2021 $200 $220.9 $150 $169 [# 62]
Jupiter Ascending 2015 $175 $184 $95–120 $122–154 [# 63]
K-19: The Widowmaker 2002 $100 $65.7 $67 $113 [# 64]
King Arthur: Legend of the Sword 2017 $175 $148.7 $112–153.2 $139–190 [# 65]
Krull 1983 $27 $16.5 $33.5 $102 [# 66]
The Last Duel 2021 $100 $30.6 $99 $111 [# 67]
Lightyear 2022 $200 $226.4 $106–122 $110–127 [# 68]
Lolita 1997 $62 $1.1 $61 $116 [# 69]
The Lone Ranger 2013 $225–250 $260.5 $160–190 $209–249 [# 70]
The Man from U.N.C.L.E. 2015 $75 $109.8 $80 $103 [# 71]
Mars Needs Moms 2011 $150 $39 $100–144 $135–195 [# 72]
The Marvels 2023 $270 $206.1 $237 $237 [# 73]
The Matrix Resurrections § 2021 $190 $156.5 $130 $146 [# 74]
Missing Link 2019 $102.3 $26.2 $101.3 $121 [# 75]
Monkeybone 2001 $75 $7.6 $71 $122 [# 76]
Monster Trucks 2016 $125 $64.5 $108–123.1 $137–156 [# 77]
Moonfall 2022 $138 $67.3 $138 $144 [# 78]
Mortal Engines 2018 $110 $83.7 $174.8 $212 [# 79]
Mulan § 2020 $200 $66.8 $141 $166 [# 80]
The Mummy 2017 $195 $410 $60–95 $75–118 [# 81]
The Nutcracker in 3D 2010 $90 $20.5 $82 $115 [# 82]
Onward § 2020 $175–200 $142 $130 $153 [# 83]
Osmosis Jones 2001 $70 $14 $63 $108 [# 84]
Pan 2015 $150 $128.4 $86–150 $111–193 [# 85]
Peter Pan 2003 $130.6 $122 $70 $116 [# 86]
Poseidon 2006 $160 $181.7 $83 $125 [# 87]
The Postman 1997 $80 $20.8 $70 $133 [# 88]
The Promise 2016 $90 $10.6 $93–102.1 $118–130 [# 89]
R.I.P.D. 2013 $130–154 $78.3 $92 $120 [# 90]
Red Planet 2000 $80 $33.5 $63 $111 [# 91]
Rise of the Guardians 2012 $145 $306.9 $87 $115 [# 92]
Robin Hood 2018 $100 $85.7 $83.7 $102 [# 93]
Sahara 2005 $160 $119.2 $78.4 $122 [# 94]
Seventh Son 2015 $95 $114.2 $85 $109 [# 95]
Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas 2003 $60 $80.8 $125 $207 [# 96]
Soldier 1998 $60–75 $14.6 $60 $112 [# 97]
A Sound of Thunder 2005 $80 $11.7 $74 $115 [# 98]
Space Jam: A New Legacy § 2021 $150 $162.9 $111 $125 [# 99]
Speed Racer 2008 $120 $93.9 $88 $125 [# 100]
Sphere 1998 $73–80 $50.2 $61 $114 [# 101]
Stealth 2005 $135 $79.3 $96 $150 [# 102]
Strange World 2022 $180 $73.6 $197 $205 [# 103]
The Suicide Squad § 2021 $185 $167.4 $120 $135 [# 104]
Supernova 2000 $90 $14.8 $83 $147 [# 105]
Tenet 2020 $200 $363.7 $50–100 $59–118 [# 106]
Terminator: Dark Fate 2019 $185–196 $261.1 $110–130 $131–155 [# 107]
Titan A.E. 2000 $75–90 $36.8 $100 $177 [# 108]
Tomorrowland 2015 $180–190 $209 $90–150 $116–193 [# 109]
Town & Country 2001 $90 $10.4 $85 $146 [# 110]
Transformers: The Last Knight 2017 $217–260 $605.4 $100+ $124+ [# 111]
Treasure Planet 2002 $140 $109.6 $85 $144 [# 112]
Turning Red § 2022 $175 $19.8 $167 $174 [# 113]
Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets 2017 $177.2–180 $225.9 $82 $102 [# 114]
West Side Story 2021 $100 $76 $104 $117 [# 115]
Windtalkers 2002 $115–120 $77.6 $76–81 $129–137 [# 116]
Wish 2023 $200 $254.9 $131 $131 [# 117]
The Wolfman 2010 $150 $139.8 $76 $106 [# 118]
Wonder Woman 1984 § 2020 $200 $166.5 $100–137 $118–161 [# 119]
A Wrinkle in Time 2018 $125 $133.2 $130.6 $158 [# 120]
xXx: State of the Union 2005 $113.1 $71 $78 $122 [# 121]
Zoom 2006 $75.6 $12.5 $69 $104 [# 122]

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved February 29, 2024.
  2. ^ Cutthroat Island was once listed as having the "largest box office loss" by Guinness World Records[12][13] but the category has since been retired.

References

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Citations

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  1. ^ Susman, Gary (April 14, 2015). "The 19 Biggest Box Office Bombs in Movie History". Moviefone. Retrieved August 15, 2015.
  2. ^ Anders, Charlie Jane (January 31, 2011). "How much money does a movie need to make to be profitable?". io9. Retrieved July 12, 2013.
  3. ^ Davidson, Adam (June 26, 2012). "How Does the Film Industry Actually Make Money". The New York Times. Retrieved August 15, 2015.
  4. ^ a b Galloway, Stephen (September 9, 2019). "Hollywood History Questions Answered: What Movie Was the Biggest Bomb Ever?". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
  5. ^ Hall, Sheldon; Neale, Stephen (2010). Epics, spectacles, and blockbusters: a Hollywood history. Wayne State University Press. p. 166. ISBN 978-0-8143-3008-1. With top tickets set at an all-time high of $5.50,Cleopatra had amassed as much as $20 million in such guarantees from exhibitors even before its premiere. Fox claimed the film had cost in total $44 million, of which $31,115,000 represented the direct negative cost and the rest distribution, print and advertising expenses. (These figures excluded the more than $5 million spent on the production's abortive British shoot in 1960–61, prior to its relocation to Italy.) By 1966 worldwide rentals had reached $38,042,000 including $23.5 million from the United States.
  6. ^ King, Susan (April 3, 2001). "How 'Cleopatra' Nearly Sank Fox". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 25, 2023.
  7. ^ Block, Alex Ben; Wilson, Lucy Autrey, eds. (2010). George Lucas's Blockbusting: A Decade-by-Decade Survey of Timeless Movies Including Untold Secrets of Their Financial and Cultural Success. HarperCollins. pp. 434 & 461. ISBN 9780061778896.
  8. ^ a b Fleming, Mike Jr. (August 7, 2013). "Isn't It Time To Take 'Waterworld' Off The All-Time Flop List?". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on January 8, 2015.
  9. ^ Stewart, Andrew (August 11, 2012). "B.O. reality gets lost in perception". Variety. Retrieved July 18, 2016.
  10. ^ Patterson, John (July 15, 2013). "Cleopatra, the film that killed off big-budget epics". The Guardian. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
  11. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (December 31, 2020). "How Covid Wiped Out The Studios' Domestic Box Office Market Share In 2020". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 12, 2021.
  12. ^ "Largest Box Office Loss". Guinness World Records. April 30, 2012. Retrieved July 17, 2019.
  13. ^ McClintock, Pamela (July 8, 2013). "Why 'Mars Needs Moms' bombed for Disney". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved July 16, 2013. Other infamous financial flops include Renny Harlin's pirate pic Cutthroat Island -- listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the biggest bomb of all time -- Sahara, The Adventures of Pluto Nash and Gigli.

Chart sources

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  1. ^ The 13th Warrior
  2. ^ 47 Ronin
  3. ^ The 355
  4. ^ The Adventures of Pluto Nash
  5. ^ The Adventures of Rocky & Bullwinkle
  6. ^ The Alamo
  7. ^ Alexander
  8. ^ Ali
  9. ^ Allied
  10. ^ Amsterdam
  11. ^ Around the World in 80 Days
  12. ^ The Astronaut's Wife
  13. ^ Ballistic
  14. ^ Battlefield Earth
  15. ^ Battleship
  16. ^ Beloved
  17. ^ Ben-Hur
  18. ^ The BFG
  19. ^ Black Adam
  20. ^ Blackhat
  21. ^ The Call of the Wild
  22. ^ Cats
  23. ^ Chaos Walking
  24. ^ Chill Factor
  25. ^ A Christmas Carol
  26. ^ The Chronicles of Riddick
  27. ^ Cowboys & Aliens
  28. ^ Cutthroat Island
  29. ^ Dark Phoenix
  30. ^ Deepwater Horizon
  31. ^ Dolittle (2020)
  32. ^ Driven
  33. ^ Dudley Do-Right
  34. ^ Evan Almighty
  35. ^ The Fall of the Roman Empire
  36. ^ Fantastic Four
  37. ^ Father's Day
  38. ^ Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within
  39. ^ Flash
  40. ^ Gemini Man
  41. ^ Ghost in the Shell
  42. ^ Gigli
  43. ^ Gods of Egypt
  44. ^ The Good Dinosaur
  45. ^ The Great Raid
  46. ^ Green Lantern
  47. ^ Hard Rain
  48. ^ Hart's War
  49. ^ Haunted Mansion
  50. ^ Heaven's Gate
  51. ^ How Do You Know
  52. ^ Hudson Hawk
  53. ^ Hugo
  54. ^ Inchon
  55. ^ Instinct
  56. ^ Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny
  57. ^ The Invasion
  58. ^ Ishtar
  59. ^ Jack Frost
  60. ^ Jack the Giant Slayer
  61. ^ John Carter
  62. ^ Jungle Cruise
  63. ^ Jupiter Ascending
  64. ^ K-19: The Widowmaker
  65. ^ King Arthur: Legend of the Sword
  66. ^ Krull
  67. ^ The Last Duel
  68. ^ Lightyear
  69. ^ Lolita
  70. ^ The Lone Ranger
  71. ^ The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
  72. ^ Mars Needs Moms
  73. ^ The Marvels
  74. ^ The Matrix Resurrections
  75. ^ Missing Link
  76. ^ Monkeybone
  77. ^ Monster Trucks
  78. ^ Moonfall
  79. ^ Mortal Engines
  80. ^ Mulan
  81. ^ The Mummy
  82. ^ The Nutcracker in 3D
  83. ^ Onward
  84. ^ Osmosis Jones
  85. ^ Pan
  86. ^ Peter Pan
  87. ^ Poseidon
  88. ^ The Postman
  89. ^ The Promise
  90. ^ R.I.P.D.
  91. ^ Red Planet
  92. ^ Rise of the Guardians
  93. ^ Robin Hood
  94. ^ Sahara
  95. ^ Seventh Son
  96. ^ Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas
  97. ^ Soldier
  98. ^ A Sound of Thunder
  99. ^ Space Jam: A New Legacy
  100. ^ Speed Racer
  101. ^ Sphere
  102. ^ Stealth
  103. ^ Strange World
  104. ^ The Suicide Squad
  105. ^ Supernova
  106. ^ Tenet
  107. ^ Terminator: Dark Fate
  108. ^ Titan A.E.
  109. ^ Tomorrowland
  110. ^ Town & Country
  111. ^ Transformers: The Last Knight
  112. ^ Treasure Planet
  113. ^ Turning Red
  114. ^ Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets
  115. ^ West Side Story
  116. ^ Windtalkers
  117. ^ Wish
  118. ^ The Wolfman
  119. ^ Wonder Woman 1984
  120. ^ A Wrinkle in Time
  121. ^ XXX: State of the Union
  122. ^ Zoom

Bibliography

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