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Cabin Boy (1994) — Budget, $10 million. Box office, $3.6 million. This was part of a bad year for Tim Burton, with both Ed Wood and Cabin Boy (which he produced) both flopping at the box office (though the former film was vindicated later). It's also the only movie that writer Adam Resnick directed, and it scorched his movie career. He wouldn't write another cinematic screenplay until 2000. It also didn't do Chris Elliott's movie career any favors, either.
Caddyshack II (1988) — Budget, $20 million. Box office, $11,798,302. None of the cast of the first Caddyshack, barring Chevy Chase and Rodney Dangerfield (who spearheaded this film's development) would appear in the sequel, and Dangerfield himself dropped out due to Executive Meddling over its planned Lighter and Softer tone. This movie sunk director Allan Arkush's career for 6 years and co-writer Pj Torokvei's for 8, and the other writer, Harold Ramis, didn't write a screenplay that was not attached to an animated or Ghostbusters film until Groundhog Day.
Cadence (1990) — Budget, $8.5 million. Box office, $2,070,871. This military drama is notable as Martin Sheen's directorial debut, and with him co-starring with his sons, Ramon Estevez and Charlie Sheen. A limited release and lukewarm reviews doomed it to a poor reception.
The Call of the Wild (2020) — Budget, $125-150 million. Box office, $62,342,368 (domestic), $110,954,519 (worldwide). This version of the classic novel directed by Lilo & Stitch and How to Train Your Dragon writer-director Chris Sanders (in his live-action and solo directorial debut), and the first film from the newly renamed 20th Century Studios, received mixed reviews, with most critics questioning the decision to make Harrison Ford's canine co-star (and all the film's animals) all CGI rather than use some live animals or just make an animated feature. This creative decision was also its financial downfall, as it ballooned the budget. In spite of holding well against fellow CGI-live action hybrid Sonic the Hedgehog in its opening weekend, the arrival of Onward led to a steep dropoff before the COVID-19 Pandemic ended its box office window early.
The Campaign (2012) — Budget, $95 million. Box office, $86,907,746 (domestic), $104,907,746 (worldwide). This film about two buffoons running for Congressman scored on par with Will Ferrell's other hits, but the huge budget and lack of appeal outside outside America harmed it.
Campus Man (1987) — Budget, $4.9 million. Box office, $989,528.
Canadian Bacon (1995) — Budget, $11 million. Box office, $178,104. Little wonder it's Michael Moore's only theatrical foray outside the documentary genre to date (admittedly, he has done more than almost anyone to make nonfiction films profitable). This and Mallrats led to threats by Universal and PolyGram higher-ups to shut down Gramercy Pictures; it soldiered on until 2000.
Cannery Row (1982) — Budget, $11.3 million. Box office, $5,301,539. This film version of the John Steinbeck novel (and its sequel, Sweet Thursday) was the directorial debut of screenwriter David S. Ward. After its lackluster financial reception, Ward stuck to only screenwriting until Major League. It is also known for being the film that caused Raquel Welch to sue MGM for wrongful firing after she was abruptly sacked from it. (She was cast as the female lead, which Debra Winger took over.) Welch won the suit, but she ended up getting blackballed from Hollywood as a result of the lawsuit.
Can't Stop the Music (1980) — Budget, $20 million. Box office, $2 million. Effectively destroyed the Village People and the directing career of Nancy Walker right away, as well as putting a major setback in Caitlyn Jenner's career and signifying that disco was dead as a mainstream genre. Being released on exactly the same day as The Blues Brothers was not the wisest move. Along with Xanadu, Can't Stop the Music inspired the creation of the Razzies, with the latter winning the inaugural Worst Picture award. The man who produced this film, Allan Carr, never recovered from it, delivering a few more critical bombs over the '80s and eventually masterminding the infamous opening number to the 1989 Oscars with Snow White and Rob Lowe; this event was ripped into pieces and bits by critics and brought Snow White supremo Disney down on the Academy and Carr like a load of bricks, crushing him for good at that point.
Capitalism: A Love Story (2009) — Budget, $20 million. Box office, $14,363,397 (domestic), $17.4 million (worldwide). This got some decent reviews from critics, but it didn't do well enough to make back its budget, and put a severe dent in Michael Moore's career; the controversial documentary director would wait 6 years to release his next movie.
Captain Corelli's Mandolin (2001) — Budget, $57 million. Box office, $25,543,895 (domestic), $62,112,895 (worldwide). Was a bit of a setback for director John Madden, who didn't get his next directing credit until 2005. Screenwriter Shawn Slovo, meanwhile, didn't get her next credit until 2006.
Captain Ron (1992) — Budget, $24 million. Box office, $22,518,097. Director Thom Eberhardt didn't work on another cinematically released movie for 15 years.
Captive Hearts (1987) — Budget, unknown. Box office, $73,757. This romantic drama set in World War II had a limited release spanning 41 theaters. This was the penultimate theatrical film for director Paul Almond; his final film, The Dance Goes On, came out five years later.
Captive State (2019) — Budget, $25 million. Box office, $8,594,383.
Car 54, Where Are You? (1994) — Budget, $10.7 million. Box office, $1,238,080. This earned a severe backlash from Rosie O'Donnell, who advised people not to rent it. It was also shot in 1990, but edited over the years, which removed the musical numbers.
Caravans (1978) — Budget, $14 million. Box office, $3,930,501. This was shredded by critics and the original novel's author, James A. Michener, as a laughably bad Cliché Storm. Director James Fargo had much better luck when Every Which Way but Loose was released the next month.
The Care Bears: Adventure in Wonderland (1987) — Budget, $5 million. Box office, $2,608,000 (domestic), $6,000,000 (worldwide). The film's failure began the death of the franchise and caused a fourth film, Care Bears Nutcracker Suite, to air as a television special. No more Care Bears movies were made until Journey to Joke-a-lot in 2004 and none were released theatrically until Oopsy Does It in 2007.
Carpool (1996) — Budget, $17 million. Box office, $3,325,651. One of the 3 career-halting films with Tom Arnold released that year, and the penultimate major film from long-time director Arthur Hiller. His next movie, Burn Hollywood Burn, which he infamously took the "Alan Smithee" moniker for in a failed attempt to distance himself from the movie, killed both the name and his filmmaking career (he did one movie with Jon Bon Jovi after that, and that's it).
Carry On at Your Convenience (1971) — Budget, unknown. Box office, £220,000. This entry in the Carry On series was its first flop. A big factor was its portrayal of the working class as lazy and stupid, which alienated its working class fanbase, who boycotted the film.
Carry On Columbus (1992) — Budget, £2,500,000. Box office, £1.6,000,000. While it outperformed the other two Columbus films, it failed to recoup its budget. This was an ill-advised to revive the series that proved to be its final death knell.
Case 39 (2010) — Budget, $26 million. Box office, $13,261,851 (domestic), $28,189,979 (worldwide). Following its completion in early 2007, this movie's domestic premiere was delayed twice before premiering in 2010. It's the most recent American picture from director Christian Alvart, who has mainly focused on German media since. It also marked the end of Renée Zellweger's toplining career.
Casino Jack (2010) — Budget, $12.5 million. Box office, $1.1 million. This was the final film from director George Hickenlooper since he died before it opened, and writer Norman Snider hasn't done another movie.
Casualties of War (1989) - Budget, $22.5 million. Box office, $18.7 million. A Vietnam War drama from Brian De Palma, boasting the intriguing star duo of Michael J. Fox and Sean Penn, this was the first film Dawn Steel greenlit during her tenure as president of Columbia Pictures. It opened to great critical reception but an apathetic audience one. It's best remembered for being John C. Reilly's film debut and John Leguizamo's first major role.
Catch a Fire (2006) — Budget, $14 million. Box office, $5.7 million. Got good reviews, but was a critical hit to director Phillip Noyce, producer Robyn Slovo, and screenwriter Shawn Slovo's careers. Noyce did not direct his next film until 2010, Robyn didn't produce her next film until 2011 with Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, and her sister Shawn did not write her next film until 2013.
Catch And Release (2007) — Budget, $25 million. Box office, $16,158,487. The only film directed by Susannah Grant, who went back to screenwriting after this. It was delayed by nearly a year.
Cat Person (2023) — Budget, $12 million. Box office, $352,093. This adaptation of Kristen Roupenian's viral short story from The New Yorker debuted at Sundance to extremely mixed reaction, centered on some controversial Adaptation Expansion elements added by director Susanna Fogel and screenwriter Michelle Ashford (including a wild Plot Twist not in the original story). Even so, Netflix offered to pick up the film for streaming, but for a reported $5 million pricetag that would've ensured the film's backers would lose money (but Netflix's high profile would've still guaranteed the film an audience). They said no and pursued a theatrical release, but offers from Bleecker Street and Open Road Films were rejected in favor of one from the more arthouse-oriented Rialto Pictures. Rialto opened it in a very limited release (4 theaters) in October, but expanded it to 26 theaters later, clearly still hoping that the short story's fame and the film's well-regarded stars (Emilia Jones and Nicholas Braun) could generate some buzz that would enable a wider release. But reviews were lukewarm and it never found its audience. After Rialto pulled it back to just 3 theaters, it earned a mere $37—yes, double digits, implying that it sold around three tickets nationwide in four days—over Thanksgiving weekend, leading Rialto to finally dump it onto lower-tier streaming services at the start of December (Spectrum Cable's on-demand service, and Hoopla, the free streaming platform aimed at library patrons).
Cats (2019) — Budget, $95 million (production costs), $196 million (total costs). Box office, $27,166,770 (domestic), $73,695,985 (worldwide). Tom Hooper’s star-studded adaptation of the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical was doomed the moment its first trailer dropped, thanks to its "digital fur technology" that was widely mocked for turning the cast into bizarre CGI cat-human-hybrids. The film was Christmas Rushed to such an extent that its first prints had unfinished effects, leading Universal, in an unprecedented move, to issue new prints to fix these effects mere days after the movie's release. This wasn't enough to save Cats, which was declawed by critics tearing it apart and the family crowd being alienated by its bizarre sexual undertones. The film made only $6.6 million on opening weekend, one of the worst in box office history for a wide-release film. Opening the same day as Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker certainly didn't help, as well as facing strong runs from Jumanji: The Next Level and Frozen II. Universal was confident the film could overcome this weak start^note but Cats lacked audience enthusiasm, falling from 3,380 theaters to 146 within a month. The end result was a $113 million loss for Universal, which they felt all the more with the subsequent bombing of Dolittle just a month later.
Cats Don't Dance (1997) — Budget, $32 million. Box office, $3,566,637. It fell through the cracks after Warner Bros. bought Turner just before the movie was released, and proceeded to not promote it at all. Helmer and animator Mark Dindal saw a blowback to his career that has yet to go away, especially with his involvement in Disney's Chicken Little a decade later, which WAS a success but disliked by critics and was the last nail in CEO Michael Eisner's coffin.
Cattle Annie and Little Britches (1981) — Budget, $5.1 million. Box office, $534,816. This Western was released around the time that the genre was starting to die at the box office. Universal gave up on the film after a disappointing run in the Southwestern United States and only played it in a certain amount of theatres to fulfill contractual obligations.
The Caveman's Valentine (2001) — Budget, $13.5 million. Box office, $687,194. Its release topped out at 59 theaters. Director Kasi Lemmons wouldn't return to the director's chair until 2007's Talk to Me.
Cecil B. Demented (2000) — Budget, $10 million. Box office, $1,961,544. Part of a 2000/2001 slate that put production company Artisan Entertainment on life support; they would rebound the next year before being absorbed by Lionsgate. John Waters also had to wait 4 years before attempting to write another screenplay.
Celebrity (1998) — Budget, $12 million. Box office, $5,078,660. This was not one of Woody Allen's better received films ^noteits Rottentomatoes score is 41% but it didn't stop him one bit.
Celtic Pride (1996) — Budget, Unknown. Box office, $9,255,027. Was a serious blow to the film careers of its stars Dan Aykroyd, Daniel Stern, and Damon Wayans. It also temporarily halted the film career of its writer, Judd Apatow, who focused on television after Celtic Pride flopped and didn't return to the big screen until The 40-Year-Old Virgin nine years later.
Chairman of the Board (1998) — Budget, $7 million. Box office, $306,715. This is Carrot Top's only starring theatrical release, and every film directed by Alex Zamm between this and 2014 were Direct to Video and Made for TV Movies. Not only that, Norm Macdonald infamously roasted the film on Late Night with Conan O'Brien during O'Brien's interview with one of the film's stars Courtney Thorne-Smith as she attempted to promote the film.
The Chamber (1996) — Budget, $50 million. Box office, $22,540,359. This John Grisham adaptation was trashed by critics and lasted at least three weeks in theaters. Screenwriter William Goldman and Grisham had nothing nice to say about the film. After some minor hits with The Firm, The Pelican Brief, and A Time to Kill, Grisham agreed to do a film adaptation of The Chamber before the book was even complete, and the screenplay wasn't even finished by the time filming started. He later said he'd never do that again thanks to the performance of this film, though with this basically being a Genre-Killer for his books being adapted to the silver screen, this is kind of a moot point. Fortunately for him, his career as a novelist was unaffected by this film's failure.
Chances Are (1989) — Budget, $16 million. Box office, $16,278,590. Best known nowadays for its Breakaway Pop Hit, "After All" by Cher and Peter Cetera.
Chaos Walking (2021) — Budget, $100 million. Box office, $26 million. Initially planned for a March 2019 release, a notoriously Troubled Production, delayed reshoots, and executive disinterest at Lionsgate caused this to get pushed two years later. The film ended up getting dumped during the coronavirus pandemic with Invisible Advertising, and its box office performance over the first three weeks was so poor that the studio almost immediately wrote it off as a financial loss. One of the biggest bombs ever, this set Lionsgate off to very shaky start to the 2020s that saw it recede from its prominence in the prior decade.
Chaplin (1992) — Budget, $31 million. Box office, $9.5 million. This is the final project co-writer Bryan Forbes worked on; he retired after this. It's also one of three 1992 bombs that set William Goldman's cinematic career back by 5 years. This did OK with critics and earned Robert Downey Jr. a lot of acclaim, including an Oscar nomination, for portraying Charlie Chaplin.
Charlie Bartlett (2007) — Budget, $12 million. Box office, $5,254,980. This was delayed by six months due to MGM's financial problems and a crowded schedule. Its release was delayed so last minute that ads were still running by the time the old date came about. This was the directorial debut of Jon Poll and his only film until the just announced Responsible Adults.
Charlie St. Cloud (2010) — Budget, $44 million. Box office, $31,162,545 (domestic), $48,190,704 (worldwide). This sent director Burr Steers's cinematic career into remission for six years. The movie didn't do much to help boost Kim Basinger's post-Oscar career, who essentially appears as Zac Efron's mom in a fleeting, paycheck cameo.
Charlie's Angels (2019) — Budget, $48 million. Box office, $17,803,077 (domestic), $70,346,915 (worldwide). Writer/producer/director/co-star Elizabeth Banks' continuation of both the '70s TV series and the film duology from the early 2000s received mixed reviews and had an opening weekend of a mere $8.3 million, getting run over by Ford V Ferrari and holdover Midway. The third consecutive attempted franchise revival in three weeks to bomb at the box office, after Terminator: Dark Fate and The Shining sequel Doctor Sleep.
Charlotte Gray (2001) — Budget, $20 million. Box office, $5.3 million. The movie's failure caused production studio Film 4 to undergo massive changes, laying off most of its staff and replacing their head director.
The Chase (1966) — Budget, $5.7 million. Box office, $2.3 million. The film version of Horton Foote's play and novel got respectful reviews, but it was derided for its muddled script and overblown acting. This was Lillian Hellman's final screenplay, while it marked the beginning of the end for producer Sam Spiegel. Its failure also kept Marlon Brando down the A-List until The Godfather.
Chasers (1994) — Budget, $15 million. Box office, $1,596,687. This was the last feature film directed by Dennis Hopper.
Chasing Liberty (2004) — Budget, $23 million. Box office, $12,313,323. This was released the same year as First Daughter, both romantic comedies about the daughter of the US President. This one got slightly better reviews and box office results than its rival.
Chasing Mavericks (2012) — Budget, $20 million. Box office, $6,003,386. It would be 4 years before director Michael Apted worked on another theatrical film of any kind. This was also Curtis Hanson's last directed film before his death four years later.
Che! (1969) — Budget, $5,160,000. Box office, $2.5 million (U.S. rentals). This biopic of Cuban revolutionary Che Guevara was lambasted for, among other things, the baffling casting of Omar Sharif in the title role, along with that of Jack Palance as Fidel Castro and for being a soulless cash grab. Producer and writers Sy Bartlett and Michael Wilson didn't do any more movies before their deaths at the end of The '70s, and it set Robert Loggia's career back by five years.
Che (2008) — Budget, $58 million. Box office, $40.9 million. This interpretation of Che Guevara's life was a two-part double feature, and the two parts together form a 4-hour long movie. While it did eventually turn a profit and got good reviews (even getting star Benicio del Toro the Best Actor award when it premiered at Cannes), in the end, director Steven Soderbergh wishes he had never made this film. Writer Peter Buchman's career wound up in Development Hell, and star Benicio del Toro, who was also a producer, produced only one other movie, The Wolfman, to date.
Checking Out (1988) — Budget, $4-6 million. Box office, $30,877.
Cheri (2009) — Budget, $23 million. Box office, $9,366,227. This film version of Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette's novel got a mixed reception from critics and topped out at 191 theaters.
Cherry 2000 (1988) - Budget, $10 million. Box office, $14,000. An early starring role for Melanie Griffith, this sat on The Shelf of Movie Languishment for two years as its Genre Mashup (post-apocalyptic sci-fi/comedy) left Orion Pictures stumped on how to market it. It ultimately got a limited theatrical release to capitalize on the buzz from Griffith's role in Working Girl, but performed miserably and quickly left for the video store shelves. Griffith considers this as the least favorite of her movies. Later gained a small following thanks to cable showings and a Cult Soundtrack from Basil Poledouris.
Child 44 (2015) — Budget, $50 million. Box office, $12.9 million. Based on a real-life Soviet murder case, this was banned in Russia and its territories likely for presenting its legal system in a poor light. American critics didn't think highly of it either when it opened in a limited release with Invisible Advertising.
Children of Men (2006) — Budget, $76 million. Box office, $69,959,751. This was a highly Acclaimed Flop whose limited release tapped out at 1,524 theaters. Fortunately for director/writer Alfonso Cuarón, his next film would have the box office to match its critical acclaim.
Chill Factor (1999) — Budget, $34-70 million. Box office, $11,263,966. This was director Hugh Johnson's only cinematic directorial effort, and the film receiving a sub-zero reception from critics and the box office put his career on ice until The Chronicles of Riddick (2004), where he returned to being a cinematographer. Stars Skeet Ulrich and Cuba Gooding Jr. both took massive hits to their careers, with Ulrich subsequently being relegated to TV and direct-to-DVD.
China Moon (1994) — Budget, $15 million. Box office, $3,038,499. Wrapped in 1991, it was one of several films to be pushed back due to Orion Pictures' bankruptcy.
A Chinese Ghost Story (1987) — Budget, $5,600,000. Box office, $2,395,120. This second film version of a story from Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio, after 1960's The Enchanting Shadow, became a smash hit and Cult Classic across Asia, but it was kept out of mainland China until 2011. It still led to two sequels getting made.
The Chipmunk Adventure (1987) — Budget, Unknown, but the Samuel Goldwyn Company spent $17 million on the advertising campaign. Box office, $6,804,312. This was the first feature film starring Alvin and the Chipmunks, and the last for 20 years.
CHiPs (2017) — Budget, $25 million. Box office, $18,600,152 (domestic), $25,500,152 (worldwide). This comedic film version of the '70s TV show was lambasted by critics for relying too much on lowbrow jokes. Its opening weekend saw it smashed by an array of newcomers and holdovers.
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968) — Budget, $10 million. Box office, $7.5 million (rentals). This adaptation of the novel from Ian Fleming was the last time James Bond supremo Albert R. Broccoli dealt with something other than the Bond franchise, and was the last major film project for director Ken Hughes, who was coming off of being involved with the Bond spoof version of Casino Royale the year prior. The Sherman Brothers didn't deal with anything not related to Disney again for another 4 years. Went on to become a beloved childhood classic on video.
A Chorus Line (1985) — Budget, $25 million. Box office, $14,202,899. The film version of the long-running musical didn't live up to the one singular sensation of its Broadway counterpart. A few common complaints by critics included awkward staging of the numbers and the Romantic Plot Tumor which turned one of the show's subplots into the main one.
A Christmas Carol (2009) — Budget, $175-$200 million. Box office, $137,855,863 (domestic), $325 million (worldwide). Robert Zemeckis's 3D motion-capture version of the Dickens classic received mixed reviews, with many critics calling it out as a case of style over substance. Its low performance led to Disney shuttering ImageMovers Digital the following year, only allowing them to finish an even bigger flop, and the resignation of Mark Zoradi, president of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Group and its head of worldwide marketing.
Christmas Carol: The Movie (2001) — Budget, £6 million/$12 million. Box office, $2,436,389. This animated adaption of the classic titular story, despite its All-Star Cast, was generally panned for its poor animation and bizarre storytelling choices. On the other hand, the song Kate Winslet recorded and released for the movie, "What If", was a top ten hit in several European countries that is far better remembered than the film it came from.
Christmas Eve (2015) — Budget, Unknown. Box office, $91,302. Despite having big names like Patrick Stewart, Jon Heder, and Larry King as a producer, this movie joined the prestigious 0% club on Rotten Tomatoes and didn't make it to 6-digit gross due to having too many elevator scenes. King's career in movies may be over after this.
Christopher Columbus: The Discovery (1992) — Budget, $45 million. Box office, $8,251,071. The Creator Breakdown behind the scenes led to the split of the Salkind producing duo, who never did a film together again.
The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (2008) — Budget, $225 million (not counting marketing costs of $175 million), $400 million (counting them). Box office, $141,621,490 (domestic), $419,651,413 (worldwide). This was the second highest grossing film of the year for Disney behind Pixar's classic WALL•E, but the film not being able to make up the budget in the United States (partly due to OK reviews instead of good ones, partly because it was sandwiched between the starting Marvel Cinematic Universe film Iron Man and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull), along with it barely exceeding the combined costs overall, still made it a failure. Producer Mark Johnson felt this didn't have the magic of the original 2005 film, and the loss led to a budgetary feud that got Disney to drop the franchise altogether; Walden Media did a Channel Hop to Fox for the third film, which had its budget and marketing reduced considerably and removed Andrew Adamson from the directing chair (he was replaced by The World Is Not Enough director Michael Apted). The Voyage of the Dawn Treader managed to break even by cutting down on the budget but still didn't perform to expectations, and a sequel or reboot to the series has been stuck in Development Hell for over a decade.
The Chronicles of Riddick (2004) — Budget, $105 million. Box office, $57,761,012 (domestic), $115,772,733 (worldwide). Did well on home media, though, but it would be 9 years before another theatrical film featuring Vin Diesel's Riddick. (Diesel also would not produce another film until Fast & Furious in 2009.) As for director David Twohy, he did not direct or write until 2009.
Chu Chu and the Philly Flash (1981) — Budget, $7 million. Box office, $100,000 (rentals). This Carol Burnett/Alan Arkin comedy was the last feature film directed by David Lowell Rich, who was relegated to directing TV movies for the rest of his career. It was also the only theatrical film written by Barbara Dana, who was Arkin's wife at the time.
The Chumscrubber (2005) — Budget, $10 million. Box office, $351,401. Its domestic release topped out at 28 theaters and fizzled out after two weeks. Its UK release was even worse, as it was pulled after a single weekend with a gross of $185.
Cimarron (1931) — Budget, $1,433,000. Box office, $1,383,000. It was released in the early years of the Great Depression and it couldn't recoup its high budget for the time. It was a critical smash and it became the first Western to win the Oscar for Best Picture, though modern assessment hasn't been kind, with it frequently appearing on lists of the worst Best Picture winners.
- Cimarron (1960) — Budget, $5,421,000. Box office, $4,825,000. Unlike the 1931 version, this film wasn't received favorably by contemporary critics or audiences.
Cinderella Man (2005) — Budget, $88 million. Box office, $61,649,911 (domestic), $108,539,911 (worldwide). This biopic of boxer Jim Braddock received raves from critics but was lambasted by boxing experts and the family of Max Baer for his Historical Villain Upgrade. It received such a knockout that AMC and Cinemark offered a money-back guarantee to dissatisfied filmgoers who saw the film; it didn't help. The decision to release the film in the summer, a season typically reserved for blockbusters, did it no favors, either.
Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant (2009) — Budget, $40 million. Box office, $39,232,113. This Compressed Adaptation of the first three novels of The Saga of Darren Shan ended up staking the intended film series after one installment.
Citizen Kane (1941) — Budget, $839,727. Box office, $1.6 million. The film's lead character as played by Orson Welles was based off of William Randolph Hearst, and said portrayal enraged Hearst. Hearst ultimately banned all of his holdings from even mentioning the film and banned a multitude of movie theaters from showing it both to make the film fail and to avoid the Streisand Effect (plus World War II had cut off the European market, which hurt three other RKO Pictures films — Pinocchio, Fantasia, and Bambi, in that order). Hearst's gambit worked, much to Welles and RKO's chagrin, and even though the film earned several Oscar nominations (and one win for its Screenplay), it faded into obscurity for a while until it got a revival in 1956. Citizen Kane is now considered one of the all-time classics of cinema and a prime example of an Acclaimed Flop, alongside the three animated Disney films and It's a Wonderful Life.
City by the Sea (2002) — Budget, $40 million. Box office, $29,413,996. Writer Ken Hixon didn't write another screenplay for 8 years. Part of another string of failures for Franchise Pictures.
City Hall (1996) — Budget, $40 million. Box office, $20,340,204. This was New York politician Kenneth Lipper's first and only screenplay and the first of three films he produced. His co-writer, Nicholas Pileggi, wouldn't write another film until the TV movie Kings of South Beach. The first of three consecutive flops for director Harold Becker.
City of Ember (2008) — Budget, $55 million. Box office, $17,929,684. Any plans to adapt the original novel's sequels were shut off when this adaptation flopped. Director Gil Kenan wouldn't direct another film until the Poltergeist remake in 2015. This was also the first lead role for Saoirse Ronan, who would go on to star in multiple bombs as a young actress.
City of Ghosts (2002) — Budget, $17.5 million. Box office, $1.2 million. The first and only feature film written and directed by Matt Dillon.
City of Joy (1992) — Budget, $27 million. Box office, $14,683,921. One of several lifelong busts for Allied Filmmakers; its widest release was in 919 theaters and its reception was mixed. Roland Joffe's next film as director was his career-tainting bust The Scarlet Letter.
The City of Your Final Destination (2010) — Budget, $8.3 million. Box office, $1.4 million. This film was completed by 2007 but did not see general release until 2010. In addition, production company Merchant Ivory's "short-changing" of the cast and crew led to lawsuits against the firm from star Anthony Hopkins and singer Suzy Malick. The film's final implosion made it the final theatrical film for writer Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, who died in 2013, and the last film to credit producer James Ivory until 2017. Merchant Ivory also would not release another film until 2017.
City Slickers II: The Legend of Curly's Gold (1994) — Budget, $40 million. Box office, $43,622,150. This sequel to City Slickers fell short of its predecessor both critically and financially, releasing among a glut of comedies that year. Part of a string of bombs for Billy Crystal, while director Paul Weiland, whom had also directed the notorious Leonard Part 6, has since kept to a low profile outside of a handful of productions in Europe and the UK.
A Civil Action (1998) — Budget, $60 million. Box office, $56,709,981. Steven Zailian's first directed film since Searching for Bobby Fischer was a critical hit and it got Robert Duvall an Oscar nomination, but it died in a crowded Holiday season. Zailian's next directed film was the critical and financial disaster All the King's Men.

Cl - Co

The Claim (2000) — Budget, $20 million. Box office, $1.4 million. Its widest release was in 29 theaters.
The Clan of the Cave Bear (1986) — Budget, $15 million. Box office, $1,953,732. The film version of Jean M. Auel's novel killed off plans to adapt its sequels with its failure. The second feature film directed by cinematographer Michael Chapman, who would stick to that profession until 1995's The Viking Sagas, his last film as director.
Clara's Heart (1988) — Budget, Unknown, but MTM Enterprises put up $5 million of the film's budget. Box office, $5,194,491. This family drama was an attempt to capture lightning in a bottle by giving Whoopi Goldberg her first serious role since The Color Purple (1985). Although the performances of Goldberg and newcomer Neil Patrick Harris were praised (the latter received a Golden Globe nomination for his performance), reviews were mixed and the film ended up performing poorly at the box office. Robert Mulligan directed one more film after this. It was also the last feature film produced by MTM.
Clay Pigeons (1998) — Budget, $8 million. Box office, $1.8 million-2.2 million. Director David Dobkin didn't direct for 5 years until Shanghai Knights.
Clean and Sober (1988) — Budget, Unknown. Box office, $8,674,093. This was the directorial debut of Glenn Gordon Caron and the first dramatic role for Michael Keaton. Critics gave it mixed reviews, who generally felt the film's premise, about a recovering drug addict, was "perhaps too grim." Keaton's performance inspired producer Jon Peters to cast him in Batman after Peters saw an early screening.
Clean Slate (1994) — Budget, $18 million. Box office, $7,355,425. This wasn't received well by critics, and it was part of a string of flops that year for Dana Carvey that would help convince him to take a hiatus from the big screen (another factor was raising his family).
Cleopatra (1963) — Budget, $44 million. Box office, $57,777,778. This was the highest grossing film of 1963. However, 20th Century Fox only got roughly half the film's box office take (the rest went to the theaters), and since $44 million was an exorbitant price tag in 1963's dollars (equivalent to $325.6 million in The New '10s), they nearly went bankrupt and had to sell off parts of its huge backlot (which turned the remnants of the sold parts to what became known as Century City). Fox was only saved when Julie Andrews's The Sound of Music became a success. Cleopatra’s legendarily Troubled Production and ultimate failure were decisive moments in the Fall of the Studio System, only turning a profit for the studio in the 1990s thanks to home video sales. Cleopatra would be the last time director and co-writer Joseph Mankiewicz would be associated with Fox, and he only wrote one more film 4 years later, though Mankiewicz would continue to direct until 1972, when he retired (he hated Cleopatra and had tried to get his name off the credits). This is also the last film to involve producer Walter Wanger, who died 5 years later, and killed the Sword and Sandal genre's A-level until Gladiator in 2000.
Clifford (1994) — Budget, $19 million. Box office, $7,411,659. This was left on The Shelf of Movie Languishment for nearly three years due to Orion Pictures' bankruptcy problems. The end result was mauled by critics and it embarrassed the writers William Porter and Steven Kampmann so much that they used pseudonyms, Jay Dee Rock and Bobby von Hayes. While Porter hasn't written another film, Kampmann would wait six years before his next script, the TV movie Special Delivery.
Clockers (1995) — Budget, $25 million. Box office, $13,071,518. This Spike Lee film opened at number two behind To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar, but quickly fell through.
Cloud Atlas (2012) — Budget, $102 million. Box office, $27,108,272 (domestic), $129,787,143 (worldwide). The film version of David Mitchell's novel, directed by The Wachowskis and Tom Tykwer, alienated potential audiences with its massive length and six different storylines. It didn't help that it received criticism from Asians (and Halle Berry) for the decision to have some of the actors, Berry included, play in Yellowface.
Club Dread (2004) — Budget, $8.5 million. Box office, $7,565,807.
Club Paradise (1986) — Budget, $15 million. Box office, $12,308,521. Harold Ramis didn't direct again until Groundhog Day in 1993. It was also the final film for co-star Adolph Caesar, who died a few months before its release.
Clue (1985) — Budget, $15 million. Box office, $14,643,997. This adaptation of the board game annoyed critics and confounded audiences with its Multiple Endings gimmick - each showing of the movie would have one of three possible endings. The home video releases feature all three endings back-to-back. It later became a Cult Classic, though Hollywood wouldn't attempt another movie based off a (real-life) board game until Battleship. A remake of this film has been lingering in Development Hell for about a decade.
Cobb (1994) — Budget, Unknown. Box office, $1,007,583. This biopic of baseball player Ty Cobb was based on the now-discredited book by Al Stump. It had a mixed reception from critics, who praised Tommy Lee Jones's performance as Cobb but felt his character's unpleasant personality made the film unbearable, and never left a limited release.
The Cobbler (2015) — Budget, $10 million. Box office, $1.2 million. One of several major busts for Adam Sandler in 2015 alongside Pixels.
Code Name: The Cleaner (2007) — Budget, $20 million. Box office, $10,337,477. This film's bombing cleaned the clock of director Les Mayfield; he has never directed another movie since. It was also one of the last independent releases of New Line Cinema before The Golden Compass got them swallowed by Warner by the end of the year.
Cohen and Tate (1988) — Budget, Unknown. Box office, $64,227 (domestic). This was Eric Red's first directing job, and is part of a string of flops for him.
Cold Creek Manor (2003) — Budget, $45 million. Box office, $29,119,434. This marked the final straw in the career of director Mike Figgis, as he hasn't helmed a mainstream film since.
Cold Heaven (1992) — Budget, $4.5 million. Box office, $17,163. Nicolas Roeg's religious thriller was filmed in 1989 but was shelved for a few years due to the bankruptcy of the film's production company. Hemdale subsequently picked up the rights and dumped the film into a very limited release.
The Cold Light of Day (2012) — Budget, $20 million. Box office, $16.9 million. This finished off the directing career of Mabrouk El Merchi when it crawled away from theaters after four weeks.
Cold Pursuit (2019) — Budget, $60 million. Box office, $32,138,862 (domestic), $76,419,755 (worldwide). This English remake of the Norwegian film In Order of Disappearance, both directed by Hans Peter Moland, was generally liked by critics, but it fell through the ice in a crowded marketplace. Liam Neeson didn't help the film's publicity when he related in an interview how he tried to avenge a friend's rape by looking for a black man to fight, kicking off a long apology tour that only made things worse.
Collateral Damage (2002) — Budget, $85 million. Box office, $78,382,433. One of many films pushed back after the 9/11 attacks to avoid people thinking it was reminscent of said event, mostly due to its terrorism theme. Didn't help its cause.
College (2008) — Budget, $7 million. Box office, $6,265,483. The directorial debut of Deb Hagan was given a universal lashing by critics and lurked around in theaters for 10 weeks.
Collide (2017) — Budget, $21.5 million. Box office, $4.8 million. According to Box Office Mojo, this movie holds the Medal of Dishonor for biggest theater drop at a colossal 87.3% during its second weekend, which dethroned the previous record held by 2005's Undiscovered.
Colombiana (2011) — Budget, $40 million. Box office, $36,665,854 (domestic), $60,965,854 (worldwide). This was a Star-Derailing Role for Zoe Saldaña as a leading lady, though she survived overall thanks to Star Trek (2009) and Guardians of the Galaxy (2014).
Color of Night (1994) — Budget, $40 million. Box office, $46.7 million. There was an exceptional amount of behind-the-scenes drama that engulfed both this erotic thriller's production crew and distributor Disney, who released it through Hollywood Pictures. Director Richard Rush and producer Andrew Vajna's headbutting led to Vajna firing Rush and cutting 18 minutes of footage, sparking Director's Guild intervention and contributing to Rush suffering a heart attack that left him bedridden for four months. In addition, Color of Night was part of a particularly bad month for Disney^note. Rush never got involved with another theatrical film ever again, but the film was Vindicated by History after the release of a director's cut on home video, where it became one of the most-rented films of 1995.
The Color Purple (2023) — Budget, $90-100 million. Box office, $67.5 million. Despite mostly positive reviews and a strong Christmas Day opening, this film suffered a steep drop-off at the box office, with over a third of its total gross coming in that opening day. The drop-off could be explained by audiences being confused by a marketing campaign that mostly hid that the film was a musical (specifically, an adaptation of the Broadway show rather than a straight remake of the original film); alternatively, audiences may have had their fill of musicals from the much more successful Wonka, also released by Warner Bros less than two weeks prior. The Color Purple also barely received a release outside of the United States, making close to 90% of its total gross in North America, and heavily underperformed on the awards circuit after being expected to compete for major accolades.
Colossal (2017) - Budget, $14 million. Box office, $3 million (domestically), $4.5 million (worldwide). In spite of great reviews for being an innovative Genre Mashup piece, a limited release (its peak was 327 theaters) prevented the movie from making monstruous numbers.
Come See the Paradise (1990) — Budget, $17.5 million. Box office, $947,360. It got decent reviews, but it was dumped into only 97 theaters. It's now best known as the focus of a 2014 UCLA study which identified it as the most obvious Oscar Bait in history ^noteIt received no nominations.. Director Alan Parker had better luck the next year with The Commitments.
Commandments (1997) — Budget, $6 million. Box office, $548,567. A heavy critical panning ensured this romantic dramedy would die out in a limited release.
The Company (2003) — Budget, $15 million. Box office, $6,401,690. A passion project for star Neve Campbell, this drama about a young ballerina opened to good reviews, but never got a very wide release. It proved to be director Robert Altman's penultimate film, and he took a three-year hiatus before making his last film.
Company Business (1991) — Budget, $18 million. Box office, $1,501,785. This Cold War thriller came out during the final months of the Soviet Union's existence. Mikhail Baryshinikov hated the film so much he refused to promote it; between this and the same year's The Cabinet of Dr. Ramirez, he wouldn't take up acting until the final season of Sex and the City. Director/Writer Nicholas Meyer rebounded a few months later with Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country and Gene Hackman did so next year with Unforgiven.
Company Man (2000) — Budget, $16 million. Box office, $146,193. Peter Askin's directorial debut; his next credit came seven years later for the documentary Trumbo. His co-director, Douglas McGrath, made Nicholas Nickleby two years later.
Communion (1989) — Budget, $5 million (estimated). Box office, $1.9 million. Based on the controversial book by Whitley Strieber about a strange experience he had, Strieber lambasted the movie as "making him look crazy". It is the last theatrical film that director Phillippe Mora has done to date.
Conan the Barbarian (2011) — Budget, $90 million. Box office, $48,795,021. Slayed an attempt by Lionsgate to revive the Conan movies for The New '10s; they announced that this film would not be canon and the next one would return to Arnold Schwarzenegger, though that sequel has gone silent. Screenwriting duo Thomas Dean Donnelly and Joshua Oppenheimer have had zero screenplays credited to them since this film, and it dented Jason Momoa's move into cinema before his starring role in Aquaman (2018) resuscitated it.
The Concorde... Airport '79 (1979) — Budget, $14 million. Box office, $13 million. Critics and audiences agreed that this fourth film in the Airport series was a laughably bad sequel and its reception grounded the franchise permanently. The Disaster Movie genre was also crippled the following year by Airplane!, which spoofed this franchise.
Concussion (2015) — Budget, $35 million. Box office, $34,255,169 (domestic), $40,705,403 (worldwide). A film criticizing the most financially successful sports league in the United States unsurprisingly did not have a huge audience turnout. It did receive good reviews, though.
The Condemned (2007) — Budget, $20 million. Box office, $8,642,858. One of many WWE Films to appear on this list, this film closed after 4 weeks and lost its makers $15,700,000. Main protagonist Steve Austin has wisely stuck to wrestling (and wrestling podcasts) ever since.
Condorman (1981) — Budget, $14 million. Box office, $2.5 million (rentals). This superhero/spy spoof tanked with critics and audiences and was a key factor in Disney CEO Ron Miller losing his job a few years later. This was one of two duds that year for director Charles Jarrott, the other being The Amateur, that kept him off screen for five years. Star Michael Crawford stayed afloat with the title role in Barnum, but he wouldn't be in a movie until a voice role in Once Upon a Forest. This has since become a Cult Classic.
Coneheads (1993) - Budget, $30 million. Box office, $21,274,717. This put director Steve Barron's studio film career on shakey ground before it was torpedoed by The Adventures of Pinocchio three years later.
Confessions of a Dangerous Mind (2002) — Budget, $30 million. Box office, $16,007,718 (domestic), $33,013,805 (worldwide). Got pretty good reviews from critics, but George Clooney would wait another 3 years before sitting back in the director's chair, and this is one of the last times game show professional Chuck Barris, who worked with the film that was based on his CIA "autobiography" and is the creator of The Newlywed Game/The Dating Game/The Gong Show, would deal with media not related to novels and print.
Confidence (2003) — Budget, $15 million. Box office, $12,251,640 (domestic), $23,014,206 (worldwide). It got decent reviews despite the middling box office.
Connie and Carla (2004) — Budget, $27 million. Box office, $11,341,016. Critics gave this comedy a mixed reception while audiences were more favorable. It would be five years before Nia Vardalos would write another film.
The Conqueror (1956) — Budget, $6 million. Box office, $4.5 million (domestic), $9 million (worldwide). This infamous movie was the straw that broke RKO Pictures' back after spending nearly a decade crumbling under the erratic leadership of Howard Hughes. The film wound up getting mocked for casting John Wayne as Genghis Khan. The Conqueror derailed the careers of a handful of Hollywood heavyweights including Hughes, though Wayne wasn't one of those careers, and the filming location, which was downwind of a nuclear test site, may have killed several of the crew including Wayne (most of the people involved with the film died of cancer, which radiation can cause). Hughes, who produced this, quickly bought up all prints of the film for up to $12 million and refused to let them resurface and see the light of day again until after he died, at which point Universal got the film rights; this movie also exacerbated his obsessive-compulsive disorder.
Conquest (1937) — Budget, $2,732,000. Box office, $2,141,000. Recorded loss, $1,397,000. This biopic of Countess Marie Walewska, the mistress of Napoléon Bonaparte, was MGM's biggest bomb at the time. This was a Star-Derailing Role for Greta Garbo, who played Walewska, who was labeled "box-office poison" the following year and made only two films before her retirement in 1941.
The Conspirator (2011) — Budget, $25 million. Box office, $15,478,800. Its widest release was in 849 theaters. Robert Redford directed only one more film after this.
The Contender (2000) — Budget, $20 million. Box office, $17,872,723 (domestic), $22,361,811 (worldwide). This political drama was released during the 2000 election and was hit with its own scandal when Gary Oldman accused director Rod Lurie of re-editing the film to make his Republican senator character less sympathetic. Nevertheless, the film was critically acclaimed, particularly for the performances of Joan Allen and Jeff Bridges.
Conviction (2010) — Budget, $12.5 million. Box office, $11.1 million. While director Tony Goldwyn has maintained a steady acting career, the only things he directed after this one flopped are some episodes of various TV shows, including eight for Scandal, where he plays President Fitzgerald Grant III. It did get decent reviews, though.
Cookie's Fortune (1999) — Budget, $10 million. Box office, $10.9 million. This was Chris O'Donnell's first film since Batman & Robin two years earlier. He made two more films before taking a temporary hiatus from the big screen (which had more to do with his new family than anything) and subsequently going into TV. It was also another Acclaimed Flop for Robert Altman.
Cool as Ice (1991) — Budget, $6 million. Box office, $1.1 million. Was seen as one of the factors of Vanilla Ice's popularity downfall. David Kellogg wouldn't direct another film until Inspector Gadget (1999).
Cool World (1992) — Budget, $28 million. Box office, $14,110,589. Director Ralph Bakshi was so dismayed by the film's reception and Executive Meddling (which included star Kim Basinger bowdlerizing the movie to show for sick hospital children even though that was not the intention of Bakshi at all) that he eventually retired from filmmaking. Cool World was also one of a few flops in the early '90s that melted the A-list career of Basinger and Gabriel Byrne, and film helmer Frank Mancuso's career was downgraded to B-level status ever since. The two men who rewrote the film into what it became without Bakshi's knowledge, Michael Grais and Mark Victor, saw their cinematic careers erased until 2000 rolled in, and they never wrote again. Only Brad Pitt and the veteran cartoon voice actors made it out alive. It would be another quarter-century before another original adult animated movie, Sausage Party, would be made.
Cooties (2014) — Budget, Unknown. Box office, $55,749 (domestic), $260,542-348,091 (worldwide). Only showed on 29 screens in the U.S. and got a steep 77% drop from its first weekend to its second, as well as a reduction to 20 screens. It was also streamed on-demand right away, and some markets had it go Direct to Video.
Cop Out (2010) — Budget, $37 million. Box office, $44,875,481 (domestic), $55,439,786 (worldwide). Director Kevin Smith put the blame on the movie's derision on star Bruce Willis a la Hudson Hawk, while praising co-star Tracy Morgan. Smith got a demotion to the B-list of directors when the movie underwhelmed, and the brothers Mark and Robb Cullen, who wrote the movie, would be stuck in Hollywood Limbo until 2016.
Cops and Robbersons (1994) — Budget, Unknown. Box office, $11,391,093. The first of two films released in 1994 directed by Michael Ritchie to flop, followed by The Scout. This film (and City Slickers 2) also put the kibosh on the career comeback of Jack Palance just two years after his Oscar win. He stuck exclusively to TV movies after this until his death in 2006. It also didn't do Chevy Chase any favors.
The Core (2003) — Budget, $60 million. Box office, $31,186,986 (domestic), $73,498,611 (worldwide). Critics joked about this film being extremely implausible in its science. Director Jon Amiel wouldn't helm another movie until the end of the decade (Creation), and star Aaron Eckhart hates the movie, and claims to have once personally talked a video store customer out of renting it.
The Corruptor (1999) — Budget, $25 million. Box office, $24,493,601. Director James Foley waited four years to make his next movie after this action thriller was beaten at the box office after eight weeks.
Cosmopolis (2012) — Budget, $20.5 million. Box office, $6.1 million. Its limited release topped out at 65 theaters and ended after seven weeks. The critics still gave it respectful reviews, though.
The Cotton Club (1984) — Budget, $58 million. Box office, $25,928,721. Suffered an epically Troubled Production, including the gangland-style execution of a would-be backer and a budget-skyrocketing war of egos between producer Robert Evans and director Francis Ford Coppola, both of whose careers were already in trouble from other box office disappointments.
The Country Bears (2002) — Budget, $35 million. Box office, $18,012,097. This not only put a dent in Haley Joel Osment's career (he did have the role of Sora in Kingdom Hearts that came out the same year as this film to offset the damage; that game and Lilo & Stitch were really the only two bright spots for The Walt Disney Company that year), but also led to Christopher Walken to not try for another role in a Disney-branded film until the Jungle Book remake in 2016 (he earned a Razzie nom for this movie). This is also one of a handful of attempts by Disney to turn their theme park attractions into movie franchises; their next one, Pirates of the Caribbean, DID succeed in becoming a franchise but it wasn't enough to save Michael Eisner's fading career at Disney. Don Henley, who provided the singing voice for one of the bears, also mostly steered clear of the movies after being in this one as well, and this was the last theatrical role Galaxy Quest alumni Daryl Mitchell took for a few years (he had been paralyzed from the waist down in a motorcycle accident).
Coupe de Ville (1990) — Budget, Unknown. Box office, $715,983. Joe Roth didn't direct another film for 11 years, though he had a successful career as a movie producer to fall back on. This was also the first produced script for Mike Binder, who would become a director in his own right.
The Covenant (2023) - Budget, $55 million. Box office, $21.6 million. Part of a rough run for both Guy Ritchie, coming out just a few months after Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre, and for Jake Gyllenhaal in non-MCU roles. Part of this film's underperformance might have to do with the subject matter of the U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan and the return to power of the Taliban, as the Gerard Butler vehicle Kandahar released a few weeks later with a similar premise did even worse.
The Cowboy Way (1994) — Budget, $35 million. Box office, $20,280,016. Gregg Champion hasn’t directed a feature film since this one. (His next movie went straight to video, and has worked on television afterwards.)
Cowboys & Aliens (2011) — Budget, $163 million. Box office, $100,240,551 (domestic), $174,822,325 (worldwide). Director Jon Favreau didn't direct another film with a nine-figure budget until he helmed Disney's acclaimed remake of The Jungle Book; co-producer Scott Mitchell Rosenberg, who is a Marvel alumnus and the founder of Malibu Comics and Platinum Studios, has not had his name or Platinum's name attached to any film since thanks to this and Dylan Dog: Dead of Night; and actor Noah Ringer, who had the dishonor of playing Avatar Aang in The Last Airbender, hasn't been a visible actor since. This failure led the Walt Disney Studios to rethink their investment in their own fantasy/western The Lone Ranger, but despite reports of them cancelling the film, Disney proceeded with production, and The Lone Ranger would bomb even harder, sending the science fiction/western genre to Mars.

Cp - Cz

Crackers (1984) — Budget, $12 million. Box office, $129,268.
Cradle Will Rock (1999) — Budget, $36 million. Box office, $2,903,404. The film got good reviews, but it still put Tim Robbins' cinematic directing/writing career to sleep. His future directing credits are on TV and he wrote one TV movie 10 years later.
Crank: High Voltage (2009) — Budget, $20 million. Box office, $13,684,249 (domestic), $34,560,577 (worldwide). There have been talks of a third Crank movie, however.
Crash (1996) — Budget, $9 million. Box office, $2 million. The film version of JG Ballard's novel proved as controversial as its source material for its graphic depictions of sex, so much so that some right-wing groups tried to get it banned in the UK (it managed to get banned in only one borough of London). It polarized critics and audiences and its extremely limited release did it no favors.
Crazy in Alabama (1999) — Budget, $15 million. Box office, $2,005,840 (domestic). This was the first of two attempts by Spanish sensation Antonio Banderas to create a directing career for himself, and the film starred his then-wife Melanie Griffith. This film's failure ended those dreams right away, and the only other directorial effort from Banderas is a Spanish-only film in 2006. This movie also did serious damage to the career of producer Debra Hill, since she didn't make another movie for 6 years, right before she died.
Crazy People (1990) — Budget, $18 million. Box office, $13.2 million. The movie suffered from various setbacks during production, including its two leads walking off as filming started and the studio having the reshoot with two replacements, as well as TWO directors getting replaced. The movie confused a lot of critics and the bizarre promotional material turned off audiences. It's the only film credit to date by director Barry L. Young, and the last film written by Mitch Markowitz.
Creation (2009) — Budget, 10 million British Pounds Sterling (roughly $15.5 million). Box office, 341,323 U.S. Dollars (domestic), $896,298 (worldwide). This was the last movie that Jon Amiel directed, but he has fared well on television.
The Crew (2000) — Budget, $25 million. Box office, $13,105,853. The last theatrical film directed by Michael Dinner, who maintains steady work in TV as of 2017.
Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989) — Budget, $19 million. Box office, $18,254,702. This movie did succeed in becoming an Acclaimed Flop, so it didn't hurt its helmers' careers much at all.
Crimewave (1985) — Budget, $3 million. Box office, $5,101. Yes, you read that right. In America this early movie from director Sam Raimi was released to theaters in only two states, Alaska and Kansas, in order to obtain quick television rights. Star and co-producer Bruce Campbell likes to say "The movie wasn't released, it escaped."
Criminal (2016) — Budget, $31.5 million. Box office, $14,703,497 (domestic), $32,618,497 (worldwide). The film's weak performance with critics and audiences could imprison further ideas of director Ariel Vromen directing further non-documentary features. It's also not good news for the producers, and is the final film written by Douglas Cook, who died the year before, with his partner, David Weisberg, being on the bubble as well.
Crimson Peak (2015) — Budget, $55 million. Box office, $31,090,320 (domestic), $74,048,222 (worldwide). This was a victim of Misaimed Merchandising as Universal promoted it as a straight horror film instead of the Gothic Romance Guillermo del Toro intended.
Criss Cross (1992) — Budget, $14 million. Box office, $3,052,738.
Cristiada (2012) — Budget, $12 million. Box office, $9,622,846. This iced over director Dean Wright and writer Michael James Love's careers.
Critical Care (1997) — Budget, $12 million. Box office, $221,193. Its widest release was 34 theaters.
Crooked Arrows (2012) — Budget, $13 million. Box office, $1,832,541. Director Steve Rash and writer Brad Riddell's careers have yet to get out of the woods after this.
Crossing Over (2009) — Budget, $20 million. Box office, $3,529,869. This sat on The Shelf of Movie Languishment for two years before it was sent to die in a limited release. Wayne Kramer directed only one more film, Pawn Shop Chronicles, after this.
Crossing The Bridge (1992) — Budget, Unknown. Box office, $479,676. Blamable on the film topping out at 235 theaters.
Crossroads (1986) — Budget, Unknown. Box office, $5,839,031.
The Crucible (1996) — Budget, $25 million. Box office, $7,343,144. The film version of Arthur Miller's play was an Acclaimed Flop which never expanded beyond 344 theaters.
Cry-Baby (1990) — Budget, $12 million. Box office, $8.2 million. Was almost an end to John Waters' directing career (it DID lead to an end to Rachel Talalay's producing career for 7 years; the next film she produced, The Borrowers, finished the job this film started).
Cry Freedom (1987) — Budget, $29 million. Box office, $5,899,797. Richard Attenborough's film about the death of anti-apartheid activist Steve Biko and his friendship with journalist Donald Woods was an Acclaimed Flop that never left limited release. It was Denzel Washington's Star-Making Role and the source of his first Oscar nomination.
A Cure for Wellness (2017) — Budget, $40 million. Box office, $26,536,570. Only two weeks into its American release, it experienced the second biggest theater drop in history during its third weekend. The film was the second major bomb in a row for producer/writer/director Gore Verbinski after The Lone Ranger, and he has not directed since.
Curious George (2006) — Budget, $50 million. Box office, $58,360,760 (domestic), $69,834,815 (worldwide). Its failure was another blow to theatrical traditional animation; however, it was well-reviewed by critics, and became popular with audiences when it hit DVD, enough to later earn two direct-to-DVD sequels and a TV series. Meanwhile, Jack Johnson's "Upside Down" became a Breakaway Pop Hit.
The Current War (2019) — Budget, $30 million. Box office, $5.9 million (domestic), $10.8 million (worldwide). This was placed on The Shelf of Movie Languishment due to the collapse of its original distributor, The Weinstein Company, and its tepid response at the Toronto International Film Festival. It was re-edited for its eventual release. The end result was greeted with a better critical response than the original cut, but audiences weren't interested, going to holdovers such as Maleficent: Mistress of Evil and Joker.
The Curse (1987) - Budget, $4 million. Box office, $1.9 million. This adaptation of H. P. Lovecraft's The Colour Out of Space didn't set the box office on fire, but it did spawn two In Name Only sequels. David Keith, who made his directorial debut here, primarly went back to acting after this, directing only two more films.
The Curse of the Jade Scorpion (2001) — Budget, $33 million. Box office, $18,914,307. Almost killed Woody Allen's career until Match Point, revived it.
Curse of the Pink Panther (1983) — Budget, $11 million. Box office, $4,491,986. A failed attempt to continue The Pink Panther series without Peter Sellers, Curse also marked the final film for David Niven. This and Trail of the Pink Panther put the series in remission for ten years.
Cursed (2005) — Budget, $38 million. Box office, $29,621,722. This was hit with massive Executive Meddling that forced it to undergo numerous reshoots and rewrites. Director Wes Craven and writer Kevin Williamson considered it their biggest regret and the critics were more than happy to rip it apart once it finally premiered.
Cutters Way (1981) — Budget, $5 million. Box office, $1,729,274. Originally released under the title Cutter and Bone, the film initially played in only seven theaters in New York City and was pulled after a week. United Artists transferred marketing duties to its art-house division, which retitled the film Cutter's Way and re-released it to much better results.
Cutthroat Island (1995) — Budget, $98 million. Box office, $18,517,322. After adjusting for inflation, it's the biggest confirmed box office bomb of all time.^note It bankrupted Carolco Pictures, fully derailed the careers of Geena Davis and Matthew Modine and the former's marriage with director Renny Harlin (whose career was also badly damaged), and destroyed the entire swashbuckling adventure genre. (It also seems that any pirate movie without the Pirates of the Caribbean name is destined to fail.) Only composer John Debney's career survived.
Cyrano (2021) - Budget, $30 million. Total worldwide gross, $6.4 million. The failure was attributed to the COVID-impacted theatrical marketplace, a very last minute Release Date Change that moved the film's wide release back from December 2021 to February 2022, and Invisible Advertising that tried to hide that the film was a musical.

Box Office Bomb / C

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