Box Office Bomb cleanup

harryhenry It's either real or it's a dream Since: Jan, 2012

It's either real or it's a dream

#1: Aug 6th 2022 at 6:13:11 AM

Spinning off from this ATT discussion, the page for Box Office Bomb has seen plenty of misuse since the standard for what a "bomb" is isn't always clear, and just "not making a profit" isn't enough. This thread is the place to bring examples and figure out if they could be called a box-office bomb or not.

harryhenry It's either real or it's a dream Since: Jan, 2012

It's either real or it's a dream

#2: Aug 6th 2022 at 6:20:55 AM

Here's one example I pointed out in ATT, on Trivia.The Wizard Of Oz:

Box Office Bomb: Believe it or not, this classic film was a bust. Budget, $2.8 million (not counting marketing costs), $4.2 million (counting them). Box office, $2,048,000 (domestic), $3,017,000 (worldwide). It couldn't make up the budget domestically and got MGM hit with a $1,145,000 loss over the film. The fact that World War II started mere days after the film hit theaters likely didn't help (WWII is partially responsible for derailing Disney's Pinocchio a few months later). Thankfully, the studio and director Victor Fleming had the distribution rights to Gone with the Wind, which Fleming also directed, to fall back on. It has since recovered. The film was reissued in 1949 and started to make a profit from that point on, but the original box office performance may explain why MGM made no additional films based on the Oz books.

That's certainly a loss, but I'm not sure if it could be called a bomb? This

video by Oz historian John Fricke goes into more detail, noting that it was still in the top grossing films of 1939.

laserviking42 from End-World Since: Oct, 2015 Relationship Status: You're a beautiful woman, probably

#3: Aug 6th 2022 at 10:26:48 AM

I'm going to say that's misuse, the combined domestic and international take did recoup the budget. Also, counting re-releases and home video sales, it is quite financially successful.

I'll start batch posting some entries later today.

I didn't choose the troping life, the troping life chose me

Arctimon Since: Nov, 2009

#4: Aug 6th 2022 at 10:36:55 AM

Nothing this since I commented about it on the original query:

Just as a note, movie industry standards are that anything less than double production cost is a bomb and actuall success is triple the budget. Cutting examples that made a bit over production isn't actually valid.

I can't corroborate any of this information here. I don't think there's a singular definition of what a bomb constitutes, so we may have to go on a case-by-case basis.

There are a lot of examples where the gross barely misses the budget, and even if we were to put any other criteria aside, that should disqualify it as a bomb (like Battle of Britain or Batman: Mask of the Phantasm).

EDIT: Adding that things like the School Ties example (Budget, $18 million. Box office, $14,715,067) are zero context and the difference between budget and gross isn't enough to designate it a bomb.

Edited by Arctimon on Aug 6th 2022 at 1:40:06 PM

laserviking42 from End-World Since: Oct, 2015 Relationship Status: You're a beautiful woman, probably

#5: Aug 6th 2022 at 10:44:28 AM

We have the trope description from Box Office Bomb page:

A Box Office Bomb (or less severely, a flop) is a movie for which production and marketing cost greatly exceeds its gross revenue, ergo fails to turn a profit for the studio behind the film. While in the press the two terms have some crossover, a flop may be applied to all disappointing results, but a bomb is outright failure costing studios millions. With today's budgets, you can even see losses in the hundred-million range.

Under the definition we have, barely missing the mark wouldn't count. Nowadays I have noticed the big movie studios seem to want their films to be huge tentpole events that can start a franchise, but to me, that is not a bomb.

I didn't choose the troping life, the troping life chose me

laserviking42 from End-World Since: Oct, 2015 Relationship Status: You're a beautiful woman, probably

#6: Aug 6th 2022 at 11:00:37 AM

Okay, starting from the beginning. I'm marking cut for anything that made its money back worldwide (even if just barely).

I'm also noticing a lot of natter on some of these:

2 Bits (1995) — Budget, Unknown. Box office, $26,282. This was a personal project for screenwriter Joseph Stefano and its pathetic limited release^note made him retire from the film industry.no budget info and the release is way too small for bomb status, cut
3 Generations (2017) — Budget, Unknown, but The Weinstein Company paid $6 million for distribution rights. Box office, $68,852 (domestic), $443,962 (worldwide). This was intended to be released in September 2015 as About Ray but it got put in The Shelf of Movie Languishment with a week to go before its release after a lukewarm screening at the Toronto International Film Festival. It didn't help that the film already faced controversy for casting Elle Fanning as its trans male main character. The filmmakers used the delay to re-edit the film which was greeted with scorn upon release. It had a limited release of three weeks and went to DVD a few weeks after that.keep
3 Ninjas Kick Back (1994) — Budget, $20 million. Box office, $11,798,854. This sequel to 3 Ninjas fell short of its budget and got a worse critical reception than its predecessor. However, it sold well on home video.keep
- 3 Ninjas Knuckle Up (1995) — Budget, unknown. Box office, $407,618. This was actually shot before its predecessor. but was held back due to distribution issues. This was also the final film directed by Shin Sang-Ok, credited as Simon Sheen.keep, fix indentation
- 3 Ninjas: High Noon at Mega Mountain (1998) — Budget, unknown. Box office, $375,805. This franchise-killing installment was dumped in 120 theaters with Invisible Advertising. This was also Victor Wong's final film.no budget info, cut
3:10 to Yuma (2007) — Budget, $55 million. Box office, $53,606,916 (domestic), $70,016,220 (worldwide). The remake of the 1957 Western was an Acclaimed Flop.worldwide made its money, cut
The 6th Day (2000) — Budget, $82 million. Box office, $34,604,280 (domestic), $96,085,477 (worldwide). Part of a series of busts that derailed Arnold Schwarzenegger's career. Director Roger Spottiswoode also didn't recover, with Ripley Under Ground being his only high-profile production ever since.made its budget back worldwide, cut
8 Million Ways to Die (1986) — Budget, $18 million. Box office, $1,305,114. This was the final film that Hal Ashby directed, and he died two years after its release.keep
9/11 (2017) — Budget, Unknown. Box office, $120,500. The movie was roasted on the stake by critics, with Charlie Sheen's truther antics only adding fuel to the fire.no budget info, cut
9½ Weeks (1986) — Budget, $17 million. Box office, $6,735,922 (original theatrical release tally only). The film's initial failure in U.S. cinemas got offset by several critics championing the film and it being hugely successful in Europe. (It managed to play at a Paris cinema for 5 years straight.) Eventually both a sequel and prequel were made in the late-90s, both Direct to Video.if it became hugely successful, not an example, cut
10 Years (2012) — Budget, Unknown, however; Box Office, $203,373. This debuted at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2011 and had its general release the following year. Its theatrical release lasted for four weeks and topped out at 63 theaters.no budget info, cut
12 Angry Men (1957) — Budget, $340,000. Box office, $1 million (rentals). This film was dwarfed by color films released then, but was acclaimed by critics and is generally considered one of the most important films ever made.made its money back, cut
12 Rounds (2009) — Budget, $22 million. Box office, $18,184,083. The sequels to this movie went Direct to Video when the original failed to perform.I'm iffy on this one, prob okay
13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi (2016) — Budget, $50 million (production only). Box office, $52,853,219 (domestic), $68,489,240 (worldwide). Given the topic this film deals with (the 2012 terrorist attack on an American diplomatic compound in Benghazi that killed the country's ambassador, Christopher Stevens, along with several service members), politics unsurprisingly played a part in some part of how it got received, despite the film never physically naming President Barack Obama OR then-Secretary of State and later presidential candidate Hillary Clinton at all during its runtime. Middling reviews and tough competition (it opened alongside Ride Along 2, with The Force Awakens and The Revenant already dominating the landscape) didn't help either. This is the first of two box office underperformers for director/producer Michael Bay in 2016; it was followed by Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows about five months later, which also came during a corporate feud at the maker of both movies, Paramount, that derailed boss Philippe Dauman's career with the firm. The failure of the films brought Bay back to the Transformers Film Series, directing Transformers: The Last Knight.a lot of text for a film that made its money back worldwide, cut
The 13th Warrior (1999) — Budget, $85 million (not counting marketing costs), $160 million (counting them). Box office, $61,698,899. The film version of Michael Crichton's Eaters of the Dead suffered a massively Troubled Production due to Executive Meddling which caused numerous reshoots. The end result was critically panned, was buried under fellow Buena Vista release The Sixth Sense on opening weekend and when adjusted for inflation, became one of the biggest bombs - if not the biggest - of all time. Barely a career was spared. Despite the success of The Thomas Crown Affair the previous month, director John McTiernan's career flatlined with this and his next films, Rollerball and Basic. Crichton, who also took over as director near the end, never produced another film again, while screenwriters William Wisher and Warren Lewis barely found work again. The film also led to Omar Sharif briefly retiring from acting. Disney chief Joe Roth was sent packing at the end of the year due to this, several other critical busts, and Roth allegedly not getting along with CEO Michael Eisner.keep
15 Minutes (2001) — Budget, $42 million. Box office, $24,403,552 (domestic), $56,359,980 (worldwide). John Herzfield didn't direct another feature film for six years, and it took 13 years for him to write another screenplay for a theatrical film.made its money back worldwide, cut
16 Blocks (2006) — Budget, $55 million. Box office, $36,895,141 (domestic), $65,664,721 (worldwide). This was the last film Richard Donner ever directed before his death in 2021.made its money back worldwide, cut
20th Century Women (2016) — Budget, $7 million. Box office, $5,553,068 (domestic), $5,716,856 (worldwide). Definitely an Acclaimed Flop that didn't get the buzz it needed, and struggled its way out of limited release. It still received an Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay, and two Golden Globe nominations (Best Picture and Best Actress for Annette Bening, Musical or Comedy).confusing wording, if the worldwide doesn't include domestic, then cut, otherwise keep
21 Bridges (2019) — Budget, $33 million. Box office, $28,539,757 (domestic), $48,939,757 (worldwide). This cop thriller had two big names from the Marvel Cinematic Universe involved; it was headlined by King T'challa himself, Chadwick Boseman (in what would sadly end up being his last starring role before his untimely death the following year), and produced by prolific series directors Joe & Anthony Russo, fresh off the new all-time box office champ, Avengers: Endgame. But in spite of this, the movie was delayed twice from February to September to November, and when it did come out, critics deemed it to be So Okay, It's Average, and was iced at the box office by Frozen II.made its money back worldwide, cut
28 Days (2000) — Budget, $43 million. Box office, $37,170,488 (domestic), $62,198,945 (worldwide). It opened at number two behind Rules of Engagement and dropped down soon after, likely due to its generally negative reviews. Screenwriter Susannah Grant, whose other, more successful film that year, Erin Brockovich, opened around the same time, didn't write again until 2005's In Her Shoes. Star Sandra Bullock considers this an Old Shame.made its money back worldwide, cut
30 Minutes or Less (2011) — Budget, $28 million. Box office, $40,547,440. Ruben Fleischer's follow-up to Zombieland failed to match the same critical and commercial success of his predecessor.made its money back worldwide, cut
The 33 (2015) — Budget, $26 million. Box office, $24.9 million. This dramatization of the 2010 Copiapo mining accident and the subsequent rescue of the thirty-three trapped miners received a lukewarm response from critics but an A- on Cinemascore. This was one of two busts, the other being the Point Break remake, that crippled Alcon Entertainment. It was also the last film score completed by James Horner, who died in a plane crash five months earlier (his work on The Magnificent Seven was completed by Simon Franglen).keep
47 Ronin (2013) — Budget, $175 million (not counting marketing and editing costs), $225 million (counting them). Box office, $38,362,475 (domestic), $150,962,475 (worldwide). As a result of rising costs during filming and editing, Universal pulled the director Carl Rinsch from the film and had their executives complete the movie. Adding insult to injury, the studio then wrote down the initial budget's costs... before the film got released in the U.S. Rinsch hasn't directed another full-length film since.keep
50 to 1 (2014) — Budget, $10 million. Box office, $1,064,454. It only topped out at 133 theaters but its theatrical release was an impressively long 29 weeks.keep
The 51st State (2001) — Budget, $27 million. Box office, $14.4 million. Screenwriter Stel Pavlov never did another film, but became a novelist. Director Ronny Yu would recover with Freddy vs. Jason.kee[
54 (1998) — Budget, $13 million. Box office, $16.8 million. Mark Christopher wouldn't direct again for 7 years, and it's the only serious role that Mike Myers took. All this, ironically, after extensive reshoots imposed by Miramax to make the film more "commercial" (including the jettisoning of a love affair between the two male leads, played by Ryan Phillipe and Breckin Meyer); a Director's Cut released in 2015 made up for it.made its money back, cut
55 Days at Peking (1963) Budget and Box office, $10 million. The film version of Noel Gerson's novel suffered a long Troubled Production and its cataclysmic failure, joined with The Fall of the Roman Empire, helped kill off producer Samuel Benston's company.doesn't break down the figures properly, cut unless someone can fix
88 Minutes (2008) — Budget, $30 million. Box office, $17,213,467 (domestic), $32,593,385 (worldwide). This was filmed in 2005 but it was shelved until its international release in 2007 and a US release in 2008. The end result was universally reviled by critics and faded away after five weeks. Between this and that year's Righteous Kill also starring Al Pacino, director Jon Avnet wouldn't direct another film until 2017.made its money back worldwide, cut
90 Minutes in Heaven (2015) — Budget, $5 million. Box office, $4.8 million. This was the first (and only) film by Giving Films, a sister company of Family Christian Stores and was marketed to Christian moviegoers. This was overshadowed by the runaway success of War Room, which targeted the same demographic, and left the mortal plane of theaters after its seventh weekend. As for Giving Films, this was the company's only film released prior to its parent company collapsing in early 2017. Also, not helping this film was a controversy surrounding the similarly-themed book The Boy Who Came Back From Heaven, where that book (much like the film and book of 90 Minutes in Heaven, told of someone who had been declared dead only to come back after seeing Heaven) was shredded by a number of Christians including the child who was at the center of the book, Alex Malarkey, before his father eventually admitted the entire story was a fraud.too much natter, and while it lost money, it didn't lose millions, cut
187 (1997) - Budget, $23 million. Box office, $5,727,130. This school gang drama, which marked the first time Samuel L. Jackson received top billing for a role, was heavily slammed at the time for its racial stereotyping and over-the-top depictions of violence, and doing little to stand out from other recent school gang films. It didn't do any favors for director Kevin Reynolds' career, having just come off of the infamous bomb Waterworld, and 187 would be the last film he directed until The Count of Monte Cristo five years later.keep
The 355 (2022) - Budget, $40-75 million. Box office, $14,570,455 (domestic), $26,718,043 (worldwide). A spy film with all-female leads that was a passion project for star/producer Jessica Chastain, but a troubled pre-production phase and sitting two-and-a-half years on The Shelf of Movie Languishment led to it releasing in January 2022, as audiences were already occupied with the box-office juggernaut of Spider-Man: No Way Home. Combined with receiving apathetic reviews from critics, The 355 failed to make an impact. The second bomb in a row for Chastain and co-writer/director Simon Kinberg after Dark Phoenix, but its lackluster reception didn't stop Chastain from winning an Oscar for The Eyes of Tammy Faye a few months later.keep
1492: Conquest of Paradise (1992) — Budget, $47 million. Box office, $11,089,907. This was one of several films released in 1992 to coincide with the 500th Anniversary of Christopher Columbus' journey to the Americas. One such film, Alexander and Ilya Salkind's Christopher Columbus: The Discovery, was going to be directed by Ridley Scott, who dropped out of that film and made 1492 instead. This led to the Salkinds suing the producers of 1492, which they lost because this film was developed first. Was nearly a Creator Killer for Scott, who didn't direct another movie for four years.keep
1776 (1972) — Budget, $6 million. Box office, $2.8 million (rentals). This adaptation of the hit Broadway musical about America's independence was only a success at New York's Radio City Music Hall and flopped everywhere else as movie musicals were no longer in vogue. This was legendary movie mogul Jack Warner's last film; he notoriously cut out the number "Cool Considerate Men" under pressure from Richard Nixon. Said number was later reinstated for a LaserDisc release in 1992 and was fully restored for the DVD and Blu-Ray releases.keep
1941 (1979) — Budget, $35 million. Box office, $31,755,742 (domestic), $92 million (worldwide). Steven Spielberg's Epic World War II comedy was panned by critics for its cartoonish comedy, excessive slapstick and Random Events Plot, with a few declaring it one of the worst films ever made. Its failure was one of several flops that helped bring about the end of New Hollywood and Spielberg, along with screenwriters Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale, viewed this film as a needed humbling experience. Spielberg immediately bounced back with Raiders of the Lost Ark, while Zemekis and Gale also recovered thanks to Romancing the Stone.made its money back worldwide, cut
2010: The Year We Make Contact (1984) — Budget, $28 million. Box office, $40.4 million (domestic). Peter Hyams's adaptation of 2010: Odyssey Two, Arthur C. Clarke's sequel novel to 2001: A Space Odyssey, was deemed serviceable but not living up to its predecessor, and struggled by opening alongside Beverly Hills Cop (but still beat Dune (1984) and Starman, which came out the following week).made its money back worldwide, cut
3000 Miles to Graceland (2001) — Budget, $62 million. Box office, $18,720,175. Stars Kurt Russell and Kevin Costner squabbled over this heist film's tone and were allowed to edit their own cuts to show to audiences (Costner's version mostly won out). Critics largely viewed the film as a poor attempt to emulate the style of Quentin Tarantino. Its failure was a factor in Franchise Pictures dying out by the end of the decade, and helped to end Russell as a leading Hollywood actor.keep
The 5,000 Fingers Of Dr. T (1953) — Budget, $2.75 million. Box office, $1 million. A combination of the film's troubled production and horrible critical and financial reception scared Dr. Seuss, who wrote the film as his only live-action credit, out of the film industry for life (though he did later have some success in television).keep

I didn't choose the troping life, the troping life chose me

Hello83433 (Lucky 7) Relationship Status: Complex: I'm real, they are imaginary

#7: Aug 6th 2022 at 12:17:57 PM

Regarding 20th Century Women, the two cites I generally use for box office numbers have differing amounts for worldwide profit(neither of which are $5.7 mil), but both say the movie made its money back so it's a cut.

Box Office Mojo: $7,214,806
The Numbers: $9,353,729

Edited by Hello83433 on Aug 6th 2022 at 3:18:48 PM

CSP Cleanup Thread | All that I ask for ... is diamonds and dance floors

Hello83433 (Lucky 7) Relationship Status: Complex: I'm real, they are imaginary

#8: Aug 6th 2022 at 12:18:24 PM

Edited by Hello83433 on Aug 6th 2022 at 3:18:37 PM

CSP Cleanup Thread | All that I ask for ... is diamonds and dance floors

laserviking42 from End-World Since: Oct, 2015 Relationship Status: You're a beautiful woman, probably

#9: Aug 6th 2022 at 3:50:58 PM

Okay, cut those examples, moving on:

Aa-Ai

Abandon (2002) — Budget, $25 million. Box office, $12,302,319. Screenwriter Stephen Gaghan's directorial debut was derided by critics for its messy plot. His next directorial film, Syriana, fared much better with critics.kee[
Abduction (2011) — Budget, $35 million. Box office, $28,087,155 (domestic), $82,087,155 (worldwide). Killed Taylor Lautner's leading man career before it even started, relegating him to Adam Sandler movies, the role of Jacob in the Twilight film series, and loads of Direct to Video movies. This also proved to be the final film John Singleton directed prior to his untimely death in 2019.made its money worldwide, cut
Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter (2012) — Budget, $69 million. Box office, $37,519,139 (domestic), $116,471,580 (worldwide). Released the same year as Steven Spielberg's Lincoln film. One of several 2012 busts to have Tim Burton credited, and director Timur Bekmanbetov didn't direct again for another 4 years.made its money worldwide, cut
Absolute Beginners (1986) — Budget, £8.4 million. Box office, £1.8 million. Along with Revolution and The Mission, this put a huge dent into Goldcrest Films' prospects. While the film derailed the leading man career of Eddie O'Connell, female lead Patsy Kensit came out unscathed. The title track by David Bowie became a Breakaway Pop Hit, however.keep
The Abyss (1989) — Budget, $43-47 million. Box office, $54,461,047 (domestic), $90 million plus 98 dollars (worldwide). This is the only film directed by James Cameron to bomb in the domestic box office. A Troubled Production which leads Ed Harris and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio refuse to discuss for the bad memories (the former nearly drowned in a scene), and Cameron himself had Creator Backlash, declaring it the worst production he's been involved with, specially as Executive Meddling cut a crucial climactic moment (Cameron reinstated that climax and several other scenes for a Special Edition LaserDisc a few years later). Still, it got great reviews, won the Oscar for Best Visual Effects, and Cameron would bounce back with Terminator 2: Judgment Day two years later.made its money worldwide, cut
Accidental Love (2015) — Budget, $26 million. Box office, $4,500. This film's director, David O. Russell, asked to be credited as "Stephen Greene", an alternative to the retired Alan Smithee alias. The film's Troubled Production (principal photography ended in 2008) and critical panning killed it in the limited run arena.keep
Across the Universe (2007) (2007) — Budget, $70.8 million. Box office, $29.4 million. Got mixed reviews for being a Jukebox Musical based on The Beatles. Julie Taymor's subsequent film credits were based off of Shakespeare plays, with her first non-Shakespeare film being The Glorias in 2020. It and DreamWorks Animation/Aardman's Flushed Away also dealt serious damage to the careers of writers Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais.keep
Action Point (2018) — Budget, $19 million. Box office, $5,059,608 (domestic). This was the lowest-grossing opening weekend of Johnny Knoxville's film career. Paramount quickly pulled the plug on this film after less than two weeks.keep
Ad Astra (2019) — Budget, $80-100 million. Box office, $50,188,370 (domestic), $127,175,922 (worldwide). James Gray's sci-fi thriller received great reviews, but audiences didn't think of it very highly. Part of a nasty string of flops from 20th Century Fox after Disney absorbed the studio (though they were merely distributing the film for Regency Enterprises).made its money worldwide, cut
Adrift (2018) — Budget, $35 million. Box office, $31,445,012 (domestic), $52,045,012 (worldwide).made its money worldwide, cut
The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1988) — Budget, $46.63 million. Box office, $8,083,123. This film's implosion, along with the severe financial failure of Ishtar and to a lesser extent other movies such as Leonard Part 6, led to Columbia merging with Tristar and Coca-Cola selling their whole film business to Sony. It didn't help that it was greenlit by David Puttnam during his short-lived tenure as president of Columbia Pictures. Columbia's new management made only 117 prints for the American market, which is unusual for a film of this budget. The film also did not get production company Allied Filmmakers off to the start they would have hoped for, with most of their following films failing critically, commercially, or both. That said, this is one of their Acclaimed Flops, having a 92% on Rotten Tomatoes.keep
The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension (1984) — Budget $17 million. Box office, $6.3 million. Despite a stellar cast, this oddball film failed in theaters. It would later become a Cult Classic on home video however, but any attempts to make a sequel have been squandered due to legal issues.keep
The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland (1999) — Budget, $17 million. Box office, $11,683,047. Both this and Muppets from Space caused The Jim Henson Company and Sony Pictures to dissolve their "Jim Henson Pictures" joint venture; the Henson Company eventually sold their Muppet franchise to Disney in 2004 (with the Sesame Street Muppets going to Sesame Workshop in 2001), while Sony would not form another family-oriented label until 2002. Despite this, a third Sesame Street film is currently in development at Warner Bros., who distributed the first one, Follow That Bird, in 1985. It is also the only film to be directed by Gary Halvorson, who would eventually stick to directing for television afterwards. The film did so poorly because it was aimed at preschoolers, who are not allowed at movie theaters in some countries and some parents may find the theater experience too overwhelming for children that young, even for tame films such as this one. However, it was a huge bestseller on home video.keep
The Adventures of Ford Fairlane (1990) — Budget, $20 million. Box office, $21.4 million. Star Andrew "Dice" Clay claimed it was pulled from theaters early due to pressures from the "politically correct". The triple-Razzie winning and critically panned film became popular in Hungary, Spain, and Norway, however.made its money worldwide, cut
The Adventures of Mark Twain (1985) — Budget, $1.5 million. Box office, $849,915. It got glowing reviews from critics but a very limited release in only seven cities. It only got its widest release early the next year to coincide with the arrival of Halley's Comet (the real Mark Twain was born shortly after the Comet reached perihelion in 1835 and died when it next did so in 1910). This was the first release by Atlantic Releasing's Clubhouse Pictures label, which sputtered in 1989.keep
The Adventures of Pinocchio (1996) — Budget, $25 million. Box office, $15,094,530. A Truer to the Text version of the original novel than Disney's version, though critics didn't think highly of it. It also brought an end to Steve Barron’s studio directing career. It managed to get a Direct to Video sequel, The New Adventures of Pinocchio, three years later.keep
The Adventures of Pluto Nash (2002) — Budget, $100–120 million. Box office, $7,103,973. Yeah, you read that right. It sat on the shelf for ages because everyone knew it was a catastrophe. The eventual atomic implosion of the film ensnared the careers of director Ron Underwood and co-producer Martin Bregman; Bregman produced one more lower profile movie and Underwood directed two more, with the latter moving to TV. Eddie Murphy himself disowned it, as did co-star Alec Baldwin, and it was one of three flops in 2002 that severely impacted Murphy's career.keep
The Adventures of Rocky & Bullwinkle (2000) — Budget, $76 million (not counting marketing costs), $98.6 million (counting them). Box office, $35,134,820. This take on the Jay Ward cartoon series has the dishonor of being the biggest animation/live-action hybrid bomb in history. Its failure along with that of Dudley Do-Right killed off plans for a Mr. Peabody & Sherman Live-Action Adaptation; that project was later rebooted instead as a CGI adaptation at DreamWorks Animation, and that ended up underperforming as well (although unlike Rocky and Bullwinkle and Dudley Do-Right, it at least made back its budget). This movie also flattened the cinematic careers of director Des McAnuff and Boris and Natasha players Jason Alexander and Rene Russo; Alexander considers this as an Old Shame, and Russo appeared in several more failures before retiring from acting in 2005, and it would take the first Thor movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe to get her back into movie-making. The Rocky and Bullwinkle duo's helper in the film, Piper Perabo, also got a B-list demotion, but she has continued acting.keep
The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl (2005) — Budget, $50 million. Box office, $39,177,541 (domestic), $69,425,966 (worldwide). Its 3D gimmick was the biggest sore spot for critics. That it came out during a packed part of the summer did it no favors. Also, Miramax apparently lost a chunk of change in a court settlement that came about when they were sued by a professional wrestler who performed at the time under the ring name Shark Boy, a lawsuit which no doubt got him more money than he ever got his entire time in TNA.made its money worldwide, cut
The Adventures of the American Rabbit (1986) — Budget, Unknown. Box office, $1,268,443. Based on an idea by pop artist Stewart Moscowitz, the only time he ever got involved in a movie. Critics took the film to task for its sloppy script. This was one of several busts for Atlantic Releasing's Clubhouse Pictures label, which sputtered three years later.no budget figures, cut
Æon Flux (2005) — Budget, $62 million. Box office, $52,304,001. The film version of the MTV cartoon series suffered from Executive Meddling in post-production. It became an Old Shame for series creator Peter Chung and director Karyn Kusama.keep
The Affair of the Necklace (2001) — Budget, $30 million. Box office, $471,210. It topped out at 40 theaters. The critics lambasted the film for Hilary Swank's miscasting but praised the elaborate sets and costumes.keep
The Affairs of Dobie Gillis (1953) — Budget, $470,000. Box office, $423,000 (domestic), $577,000 (worldwide). According to MGM studio records, the film resulted in a $131,000 write-down. The franchise would later see much more success with the television series The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis.made its money worldwide, cut
After Dark, My Sweet (1990) — Budget, $6 million. Box office, $2,678,414. An Acclaimed Flop.keep, perhaps comment out as it is low on context
After Earth (2013) — Budget, $130 million. Box office, $60,522,097 (domestic), $243,843,127 (worldwide). Another nail in M. Night Shyamalan's coffin, a nasty setback to the careers of Will and Jaden Smith, and a decent-sized blow to the theatrical career of screenwriter Gary Whitta, whose next job was early story for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and otherwise has yet to get his next own screenplay into theaters. Shyamalan broke out of that coffin with his next two films, but both have only 7 figure budgets.made its money worldwide, cut
After the Sunset (2004) — Budget, $60 million. Box office, $28,331,233 (domestic), $61,347,797 (worldwide). It opened at number three against The Polar Express and The Incredibles and faded out pretty quickly.made its money worldwide, cut
Against the Ropes (2004) — Budget, $39 million. Box office, $6,614,280. Charles S. Dutton's directorial debut was ko'd after seven weeks. It also served no favors to revive Meg Ryan's career.keep
The Age of Innocence (1993) — Budget, $34 million. Box office, $32,255,440. Martin Scorsese's film of the Edith Wharton novel was a critical darling whose release topped out at 834 theaters.it lost money, but not sure if reaches the "greatly exceeds" part, thoughts?
Agent Cody Banks 2: Destination London (2004) — Budget, $26 million. Box office, $23,630,159 (domestic), $28,818,995 (worldwide). Killed off the Agent Cody Banks series after just two assignments, and its main star Frankie Muniz didn't have an A-grade cinematic career afterwards, especially when his Fox sitcom Malcolm in the Middle ended in 2006. After this and Seed of Chucky, the Love Interest in the movie, Hannah Spearritt, did not appear on the silver screen again until 2012, and Cody Banks discharged director Kevin Allen from the cinemas until 2013; co-writer Harald Zwart didn't have an English film credit again until 2009.made its money worldwide, cut
Agora (2009) — Budget, $70 million. Box office, $39,041,505. This epic about Hypatia, a philosopher in the Roman Empire who was murdered by Christian fanatics after standing up to them, was a huge hit in its native Spain but lack of interest overseas led to it losing money. Its U.S. distributor buried the film in 17 theaters, perceived to be out of fear of offending the self-proclaimed "anti-PC" Christian Right, though the Vatican did approve the film. Spanish-Chilean director/writer Alejandro Amenabar didn't make another film for 6 years.keep
Ain't Them Bodies Saints (2013) — Budget, $4 million. Box office, $1,031,243. Still is an Acclaimed Flop and put director David Lowery on the map, getting him hired by Disney for their Pete's Dragon reimagining (which also underperformed, but not as badly).keep
Airheads (1994) — Budget, $11.2 million. Box office, $5,751,882.keep, maybe expand a little?

I didn't choose the troping life, the troping life chose me

Hello83433 (Lucky 7) Relationship Status: Complex: I'm real, they are imaginary

#10: Aug 6th 2022 at 4:56:31 PM

For the borderline cases, I'd say cut. After all, the trope is Box Office Bomb, not Flop, so even if it didn't make back its budget, if it was close, it can't be a bomb.

CSP Cleanup Thread | All that I ask for ... is diamonds and dance floors

themayorofsimpleton Now a lurker. Thanks for everything. | he/him from Elsewhere (Experienced, Not Yet Jaded) Relationship Status: Abstaining

Now a lurker. Thanks for everything. | he/him

#11: Aug 6th 2022 at 4:57:04 PM

Agreed.

TRS Queue | Works That Require Cleanup of Complaining | Troper Wall

laserviking42 from End-World Since: Oct, 2015 Relationship Status: You're a beautiful woman, probably

#12: Aug 6th 2022 at 5:28:28 PM

Okay, I've cut all those. I'm thinking that if a film loses in the range of 1-2 million, it shouldn't count as a bomb.

Also, I think we may need to put a note in the trope description emphasizing that bombs (lost alot of money) are not the same as flops (did not perform as expected).

Anyways:

Al-Am

The Alamo (1960) — Budget, $12 million. Box office, $20 million. This was one of the top grossing films of 1960 but it didn't make back its then record budget. It was even worse for star John Wayne, who made his directorial debut here ^note, who put up quite a bit of the budget and was forced to sell his investment to United Artists. The film was notorious for its over-zealous Oscar campaigning by co-star Chill Wills, who was nominated for his supporting role, which pissed off Wayne and likely turned away voters ^note. Wayne would not direct again until the more financially successful The Green Berets (which he actually co-directed).'''the description states it made more than its budget, but the text says it did not ... without clarification, I would cut it]]
The Alamo (2004) — Budget, $145 million. Box office, $25,819,961. One of a handful of flops in 2004 that ultimately helped end Disney CEO Michael Eisner's long run at the company. While liked by several Texas critics and Ebert & Roeper, this movie also derailed director/writer John Lee Hancock's career; he wasn't credited on anything again until the end of the decade with 2009's The Blind Side, and didn't direct another Disney movie until Saving Mr. Banks in 2013. This was the first writing/story job for Leslie Bohem in seven years after 1997's Dante's Peak, and he would have to wait another seven for his next story job.keep
Alamo Bay (1985) — Budget, $5 million. Box office, $380,970.keep
An Alan Smithee Film: Burn Hollywood Burn (1998) — Budget, $10 million. Box office (get ready to faint), $52,850. The winner of six Golden Raspberry Awards, one of which was for Worst Picture of 1998. It also killed Arthur Hiller's direction career (he knew the movie was so bad, he asked the crew to be credited as Smithee. It didn't help, and he got the alias retired as well; he did one movie with Jon Bon Jovi after that, and that's it). This film was also the third and last blow to screenwriter Joe Eszterhas, following Showgirls and Jade (the former of which also has a Worst Picture Razzie), and it's also part of a series of busts that convinced maker Disney to discontinue Hollywood Pictures, which was the brand they released this film under, as well as being the final nail in Cinergi Pictures' coffin after they started on the wrong foot with Medicine Man and Super Mario Bros. in the early 90's. Finally, it and Dudley Do-Right derailed the cinematic career of Alan Smithee actor Eric Idle, who has not appeared in a live-action film in the 21st century apart from cameos.keep
Albino Alligator (1997) — Budget, $6 million. Box office, $339,379. Kevin Spacey's directorial debut; he wouldn't occupy the director's chair again until 2004's Beyond the Sea.'keep
Alex & Emma (2003) — Budget, $30 million. Box office, $15,368,897. Part of a string of busts for Rob Reiner. It was heavily-panned by critics and played itself out after eight weeks.keep
Alex Cross (2012) — Budget, $35 million. Box office, $34,588,412. A failed attempt to reboot the James Patterson character with Tyler Perry in the title role. Its financial takedown shot down a planned sequel.lost less than a million, cut
Alex Rider: Operation Stormbreaker (2006) — Budget, $40 million. Box office, $23,937,870. This intended first film of the Alex Rider novels was its only cinematic outing.keep
Alex L'Ariete (2000) — Budget, €3 million. Box office, €1,900. Champion skier Alberto Tomba's only acting role (aside from cameos as himself in other works).keep
Alexander (2004) — Budget, $155 million (not counting marketing costs), $201.2 million (counting them). Box office, $34,297,191 (domestic), $167,298,192 (worldwide). The film was not well-received in the U.S. and put a bit of a dent in Oliver Stone's career; he re-edited the movie for DVD three times.i don't think this falls into the "greatly exceeds" category, cut
Alfie (2004) — Budget, $60 million. Box office, $35,150,546. A remake of the Michael Caine movie that critics felt didn't live up to the original. Director Charles Shyer wouldn't make another film for eight years.keep
Ali (2001) — Budget, $107 million. Box office, $87,713,825. It was an Acclaimed Flop, especially for Will Smith's Oscar-nominated performance as Muhammad Ali, but it was TKO'd by the eight week mark.borderline ... thoughts?
Alice (1990) — Budget, $12 million. Box office, $7,331,647. Yet another Acclaimed Flop from Woody Allen.keep
Alice in Wonderland (1951) — Budget, $3 million. Box office, $2.4 million (domestic). This ultimately didn't even dent Disney's emerging animation empire, but convinced Walt to never reissue the film in his lifetime, instead airing it on TV. Like Fantasia, the film was vindicated by the counterculture during the '60s, which prompted Disney to theatrically reissue the film in 1974 and 1981.again, did not lose alot, cut
Alice Through the Looking Glass (2016) — Budget, $170 million (not counting marketing costs), $320 million (counting them). Box office, $77,041,381 (domestic), $299,457,024 (worldwide). Compared with the previous Tim Burton Alice in Wonderland film (which broke a billion dollars; Burton only produced Through the Looking Glass, with The Muppets director James Bobin taking over) and the other live-action adaptation of a Disney Animated Classic released two months prior, this movie received toxic reviews from critics and opened second at the box office behind X-Men: Apocalypse (which got better reviews, but not by much), pulling in far less in opening weekend ($26 million, compared to the first movie's $116 million). One of the early Summer Bomb Busters of 2016. Part of a string of flops for star Johnny Depp, and this one came up in the wake of his divorce from Amber Heard, who got a restraining order against him after she accused him of being an alcoholic and abusive, with bruised images of her showing up on the internet to back it up. This is the second of two fairy tale Sequelitis implosions for producer Joe Roth within months, with The Huntsman: Winter's War also sinking (ironically against Disney). This is also sadly the final film role for Alan Rickman, who had died earlier in the year.made its money worldwide, cut
Alien: Resurrection (1997) — Budget, $75 million. Box office, $47,795,658 (domestic), $161,376,068 (worldwide). This Alien film got some Executive Meddling that earned disapproval from writer Joss Whedon, and the mixed reception resulted in there being no new standalone films in the series until 2012's Prometheus; Alien vs. Predator was released during the hiatus. Director Jean-Pierre Jeunet did not do another film on American soil until 2013, and it did critical damage to the career of producer Gordon Carroll, who only did AVP before he died.made its money worldwide, cut
- Alien: Covenant (2017) — Budget, $97 million. Box office, $73,842,907 (domestic), $232,461,524 (worldwide). The film came out just two weeks after Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, and while it opened atop the box office, the $36 million earnings were still well below expectations. It sank like a stone in its second week, grossing a mere $10 million, facing competition with Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales. Its 71% drop is the second worst in history for a film playing on more than 3,700 screens. It's also part of a very bad string for Michael Fassbender.made its money worldwide, cut
Aliens in the Attic (2009) — Budget, $45 million. Box office, $25,200,412 (domestic), $57,881,056 (worldwide). This was supposed to be released in January but was shelved until July for reasons unknown. This is director John Schultz's penultimate film to get a theatrical release.made its money worldwide, cut
All Dogs Go to Heaven (1989) — Budget, $13 million (production costs); $28 million (counting prints and advertising costs). Box office, $27,100,027. Don Bluth's animated film had the misfortune to come out on the same day as The Little Mermaid, and critics were, for the most part, not supportive of it. The film was rather successful on home video, and a small franchise was built around it, but it ultimately began a downward spiral in Bluth's career that he wouldn't recover from until Anastasia.not enough of a loss, cut
All Eyez on Me (2017) — Budget, $40 million. Box office, $44,922,302 (domestic), $54.9 million (worldwide). This biopic of Tupac Shakur had a very turbulent Development Hell before it finally began production in December 2015. The film opened on June 16th, Shakur's birthday, and performed far above expectations to place at number three behind Cars 3 and Wonder Woman (2017). But it dropped a massive 78% on its next weekend and was gone soon after. Critics gave it scathing reviews but audiences loved it.made its money worldwide, cut
All Good Things (2010) — Budget, $20 million. Box office, $873,617. Documentary filmmaker Andrew Jarecki's narrative film debut was loosely based on the life of accused murderer Robert Durst. It was shoved to a limited release after it spent over a year on The Shelf of Movie Languishment. Jarecki documented the real Durst for his next film as director, The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst.keep
All I See is You (2017) — Budget, $30 million. Box office, $217,644 (domestic). Open Road Films buried this drama in a limited release with Invisible Advertising after delaying it for months. This was the company's last film before they were quietly rebranded as Global Road Entertainment, which occurred only three days after its release to boot. Part of a very gloomy year for the company as well.keep
All Is Lost (2013) — Budget, $8 million. Box office, $6 million (domestic), $13 million (worldwide). Lionsgate sent it adrift in limited release with Invisible Advertising despite glowing reviews, in particular for Robert Redford's performance, likely to focus their resources on The Hunger Games: Catching Fire.made its money worldwide, cut
All Night Long (1981) — Budget, $15 million. Box office, $4,454,295 (domestic), $10 million (worldwide). This was the third and final theatrical movie made by Jean-Claude Tramont, and according to several biographies, his wife Sue Mengers lost her job as Barbra Streisand's agent when she had suggested her for the movie.not enough of a loss
All the King's Men (2006) — Budget, $55 million. Box office, $9,450,897. This adaptation of the novel was heavily panned by critics and imprisoned the directing career of Steven Zaillian in Hollywood jail for 10 years; the next time he would try to direct, it would be a TV mini-series (he is still a force in Hollywood as a writer and producer, though).kee[
All the Money in the World (2017) — Budget, $50 million. Box office, $25,113,707 (domestic), $53,913,707 (worldwide). Early controversy emerged when Kevin Spacey found himself embroiled in a sex abuse scandal. With only a month to go before its theatrical release, director Ridley Scott reshot all of Spacey's scenes with Christopher Plummer. Though it didn't save the film at the box office, Plummer was nominated for a Golden Globe and an Oscar.made its money worldwide, cut
All the Pretty Horses (2000) — Budget, $57 million. Box office, $18,133,495. Billy Bob Thornton's directorial followup to Sling Blade was this adaptation of a Cormac McCarthy novel. Thornton got into conflicts with Miramax over the length of the movie and the musical score. The end result was generally panned by critics and faded from view pretty quickly even after getting a few awards nominations.keep
All the Queen's Men (2001) — Budget, $15 million. Box office, $23,662. One of the biggest bombs in history percentage-wise, earning a -99.92% return on the budget. This movie confirmed the derailing of Friends star Matt LeBlanc's cinematic prospects; after Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle in 2003, the conclusion of Friends in 2004, and the weak performance of Friends spinoff Joey in the mid 2000's, LeBlanc took a 4-year leave from acting (he would eventually move on to Top Gear). The film's failure also beheaded the producing career of Phil Alden Robinson and several other factors in the early 2000's led to him not getting any credits for the rest of the decade. Writer David Schneider also would not write another film until 2017.keep
Allan Quatermain and the Lost City of Gold (1986) — Budget, unknown. Box office, $3,751,699. Cannon Films shot this back-to-back with its prequel, 1985's King Solomon's Mines. Its US opening in January 1987 began a long, humiliating year for the company.unknown budget, especially considering Cannon was well known for spending pocket change on films, cut
Allied (2016) — Budget, $85 million. Box office, $40,098,064 (domestic), $119,520,023 (worldwide). This World War II drama suffered from mixed reviews, a brutal holiday season and the alleged affair between stars Brad Pitt and Marion Cotillard that led to his separation from Angelina Jolie right around its release. ^note The second of three commercial failures in a row for Robert Zemeckis.made its money worldwide, cut
Almost an Angel (1990) — Budget, $25 million. Box office, $6,939,946. John Cornell wouldn't direct another film again after this movie flopped.keep
Almost Famous (2000) — Budget, $60 million. Box office, $47,383,689. A highly Acclaimed Flop that got Cameron Crowe an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay.no international numbers, and I've rarely heard of this movie being considered a bomb, thoughts?
Almost Heroes (1998) — Budget, $30 million. Box office, $6,136,856. Chris Farley's last starring role was delayed from release for a year due to the Turner/Time Warner merger and finally opened five months after Farley's passing. Director Christopher Guest rebounded two years later with Best in Show.keep
Aloha (2015) — Budget, $37 million. Box office, $26,250,020. An ugly blot on director/writer/producer Cameron Crowe's career, and part of an unsatisfactory year for distributor Sony. Accusations of whitewashing really didn't help matters, with Emma Stone being cast as the one-quarter Chinese and one-quarter Hawaiian Allison Ng; she views this role as an Old Shame because of those reasons.keep
Alone in the Dark (2005) — Budget, $20 million. Box office, $10,442,808. Credited with destroying the reputation of video game movies beyond their already bad reputation and turning director Uwe Boll into the signature punchline for bad movies in general (he would make a sequel to this, but he only produced that one and it was released Direct to Video by Universal). Alone in the Dark is also the film that slapped Christian Slater and Tara Reid into the B-list of celebrities, especially after Reid's botched plastic surgery/liposuction (though she was fortunate enough to get the Sharknado TV movie series in due time). The Alone in the Dark video game franchise also never saw the heights it was at before this film was made.keep
Alone Yet Not Alone (2013) — Budget, $7 million. Box office, $887,851. It received a very limited release that September, which led to an Oscar nomination for its title song, only for it to be revoked a few weeks later when it was revealed co-composer Bruce Broughton violated campaign protocols to get it nominated. It received a wide release in June 2014, where it was promptly buried in theaters.keep
Alpha (2018) — Budget, $51 million. Box office, $35,829,745 (domestic), $98,217,052 (worldwide). It was enjoyed by critics, but was mis-marketed as a family film and was released on the same day as Crazy Rich Asians.made its money worldwide, cut
The Alphabet Killer (2008) — Budget, $2 million. Box office, $106,596. Was released in only two theaters worldwide and due to poor reviews, proved to be a Star-Derailing Role for star Eliza Dushku's film career.keep
Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip (2015) — Budget, $90 million (not counting marketing costs). Box office, $85,643,880 (domestic), $232,287,225 (worldwide). While the previous three Chipmunks films did well at the box office (although they all had a poor critical reception), 20th Century Fox, originally planning a December 23rd release for the fourth installment of the series, decided to cash in on counter-programming by bumping it up to a downright suicidal Dec. 18th date, putting it in direct competition with the highly anticipated Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens from former longtime partner Lucasfilm, who disassociated themselves from Fox after being bought by Disney. The Road Chip didn't stand a chance — The Force Awakens proceeded to utterly demolish it at the box office, raking in a record-breaking $100 million on opening day alone and over $1 billion worldwide just barely after its first week, making it the highest-grossing film of the 2010s (at least until Avengers: Endgame stole that title). The Road Chip crashed and burned at a meager $14,287,159 on the same weekend, limping to $47,539,910 the same week, then $64,050,442 worldwide. On top of that, The Force Awakens was universally lauded by critics as a true-to-form comeback for the Star Wars franchise, while The Road Chip was utterly eviscerated by critics. The film's resounding failure brought the Chipmunks film series to an end, being the second negative business-changing bust of the year for Fox after the attempted Fantastic Four reboot.made its money worldwide, cut
The Amateur (1981) — Budget, $10 million. Box office, $6.8 million. Director Charles Jarrott wouldn't direct another theatrical movie for five years.keep
Amazon Women on the Moon (1987) — Budget, $5 million. Box office, $500,000. A Spiritual Successor to co-director John Landis' The Kentucky Fried Movie, this time teaming him with four other directors. Critics felt the Mood Whiplash between the sketches was its biggest weakness, but it's since become a Cult Classic.keep
Ambulance (2022) —Budget, $40 million. Box office, $22,309,115 (domestic), $51,309,115 (worldwide). This Foreign Remake of the 2005 Danish film Ambulancen is one of Michael Bay’s better-received films at 69% on Rotten Tomatoes, but conversely, this is the usually Critic-Proof director’s worst performing film. Opening on the same day as Sonic the Hedgehog 2, later competition from Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore and The Bad Guys, and a mere 17-day theater-to-VOD window didn’t help matters.made its money worldwide, cut
Amelia (2009) — Budget, $40 million. Box office, $19,642,013. Hilary Swank's first film from her production company, 2S Films, was this biopic of Amelia Earhart. Its general panning by critics did neither her career or said company any favors.keep
Amen (2002) - Budget: €15,700,000. Box office: €11,217,610.keep
American Anthem (1986) — Budget, $7 million. Box office, $4,845,724. An attempt to make a star out of Olympic athlete Mitch Gaylord did no favors for him. It also derailed director Albert Magnoli's career, who waited seven years before his next film, Street Knight, and received a universal panning from critics such as Siskel & Ebert.keep
An American Carol (2008) — Budget, $20 million. Box office, $7,013,191. The bust of a movie that parodied the American Left in general, and Michael Moore in particular, was released during America's election year to ensure that Barack Obama wouldn't become President. (We all know how that turned out.) The film received unanimously negative reviews; some critics had to go out of their way to clarify that they were panning the film's quality after being accused by the producers of having a liberal bias, while right-wing columnist Michael Brendan Doherty accused the filmmakers of "insulting conservatives" for expecting them to laugh at the film's toilet humor (an excerpt of his review is the front quote of Offending the Creator's Own). It didn't help that a test screening in Texas was by and large underwhelming, with some audiences not realizing it was a comedy. It also put David Zucker's career in Hell; he wasn't credited on another film until the fifth Scary Movie, and has yet to return to the director's booth. It's also the final live-action role for Dennis Hopper; he died in 2010.keep
American Dreamz (2006) — Budget, $17 million. Box office, $16,458,459. Paul Weitz's “cultural satire” of the Second Bush Administration years received mixed reviews which felt its satirical points weren't effective.not enough of a loss, cut
American Flyers (1985) — Budget, Unknown. Box office, $1,420,355. This bicycling drama never went past a limited release. Screenwriter Steve Tesich only wrote one more theatrical film, the same year's Eleni, before he stuck to playwriting for the rest of his life.unknown budget, cut
American Me (1992) — Budget, $16 million. Box office, $13,086,430.not enough of a loss, cut
American Outlaws (2001) — Budget, $35 million. Box office, $13,342,790. Les Mayfield didn't direct again for another 4 years, and co-writer Roderick Taylor didn't write another screenplay for 6.keep
American Ultra (2015) — Budget, $28 million. Box office, $15,470,118. The first of two flops for writer Max Landis, the other being Victor Frankenstein.keep
El Americano: The Movie (2016) — Budget. $4 million. Box office, $331,349. The first Mexican-American animated film started production in January 2011 and it didn't see release until exactly five years later. This caused some controversy in Mexico over its family-unfriendly content, which initially got it a B rating from the RTC before it was downgraded to an AA. The end result debuted far, far below expectations at the box-office and it went straight-to-video in the US.keep
Amityville 3-D (1983) — Budget, Unknown. Box office, $6,333,135. This installment in the Amityville movies was burned down by critics and crushed the cinematic 3D movie until the end of the 2000's, as well as being part of a chain of busts that ended the long main career of director Richard Fleischer. Future Amityville movies were sent Direct To Cable until the 2005 remake.unknown budget, cut
Amityville: The Awakening (2017) — Budget, Unknown. Box office, $742 (domestic), $7.7 million (worldwide). This Amityville Horror sequel was buried in a limited release with Invisible Advertising after The Weinstein Company's Dimension Films put it on The Shelf of Movie Languishment for nearly three years. It was released a few months earlier internationally and on Google Play beginning a few weeks before its US theatrical release. Its scathing critical reception and audience apathy, not to mention it being released not long after the Harvey Weinstein scandal, ensured its paltry intake on opening weekend. It also proved to be the final release from TWC altogether before the scandal drove them to bankruptcy a few months later.budget is unknown, but i'd say keep for the super low numbers, thoughts?
Amos & Andrew (1993) - Budget: $17 million. Gross: $9.7 million. Critics disliked the film about a black man being shot up by cops being played for laughs. This would be the only time E. Max Frye, who's best known for writing the Cult Classic Something Wild, would sit in the director's chair.keep

I didn't choose the troping life, the troping life chose me

Hello83433 (Lucky 7) Relationship Status: Complex: I'm real, they are imaginary

#13: Aug 6th 2022 at 5:52:21 PM

Yeah, we can note that movies do flop, but we are only documenting cases of complete failure to perform.

CSP Cleanup Thread | All that I ask for ... is diamonds and dance floors

badtothebaritone (Life not ruined yet) Relationship Status: Snooping as usual

#14: Aug 6th 2022 at 6:07:56 PM

Would it be better to make our "bomb" criteria proportional to the movie's budget? Or are we already adjusting for inflation?

Hello83433 (Lucky 7) Relationship Status: Complex: I'm real, they are imaginary

#15: Aug 6th 2022 at 6:31:01 PM

re The Alamo: The Numbers says it only grossed $7.9 million, so that tracks.

CSP Cleanup Thread | All that I ask for ... is diamonds and dance floors

harryhenry It's either real or it's a dream Since: Jan, 2012

It's either real or it's a dream

#16: Aug 6th 2022 at 9:14:26 PM

Keeping it proportional to the budget is probably the fairest, since what counts as a flop or a bomb is always changing due to inflation and current events.

laserviking42 from End-World Since: Oct, 2015 Relationship Status: You're a beautiful woman, probably

#17: Aug 6th 2022 at 9:27:03 PM

Okay, I've adjusted The Alamo entry and left it in, cut the rest.

I'm recommending cut for anything that seems close-ish to the budget, proportionally. If there are earlier cuts that should be reversed, let me know (or just slide it back in/out).

Onwards, the last of the As:

An-Az

Analyze That (2002) — Budget, $60 million. Box office, $55,003,135. This sequel to Analyze This fell short of the critical and financial success of the original. Any ideas of a third film were gunned down after this installment fell apart.not big enough for bomb, cut
And God Created Woman (1988) — Budget, $5 million. Box office, $1,717,376. It sent director Roger Vadim's theatrical career into "the fiery pit" (he's only done TV movies since) and got him chastised by Roger Ebert for remaking his original 50's classic and having little in common with it.keep
And So It Goes (2014) — Budget, $30 million. Box office, $25,312,387. The second of three busts for distributor Clarius Entertainment, and one of several flops for director Rob Reiner.not big enough for bomb, cut
Andy Hardy Comes Home (1958) — Budget, $313,000. Box office, $610,000. (The studio posted a loss of $5000, which means the budget probably does not include advertising.) This final entry in the Andy Hardy film series, released 12 years after the last one, was meant to revive it, but the disappointing gross dashed any hopes of further sequels.loss of 5k not enough for bomb, cut
Angel Eyes (2001) — Budget, $38 million. Box office, $29,715,606. One of several films produced by Franchise Pictures and its finances were investigated in the lawsuit that brought down the company. Its weak reviews and opening against Shrek did it no good.keep
Angela's Ashes (1999) — Budget, $25 million. Box office, $13,042,112. The penultimate film directed by Alan Parker.keep
Angels & Demons (2009) — Budget, $150 million. Box office, $133,375,846 (domestic), $485,930,816 (worldwide). The critics liked it better than The Da Vinci Code even if the final gross fell short of the previous film. It took seven years before a sequel emerged with Inferno.made its money worldwide, cut
Animal Factory (2000) — Budget, Unknown. Box office, $43,805. Despite strong reviews, this movie failed to even make it to $50,000 gross.I'm iffy on this one, thoughts?
Anna (2019) — Budget, $30 million. Box office, $30,918,726. Critics unfavorably compared this Luc Besson thriller to his earlier Nikita, though audiences who saw it were more forgiving.without more info, doesn't appear to be a loss, cut
Anna and the King (1999) — Budget, $75 million. Box office, $39,263,420 (domestic), $113,996,937 (worldwide). This historical drama based on Anna Leonowens and her time in the Siamese court was intended to be more historically respectful than The King and I, though it still got banned in Thailand. The critics were mixed, though they liked it far better than the animated film of The King and I released earlier that year.made its money worldwide, cut
Annapolis (2006) — Budget, $26 million. Box office, $17,496,992. The box-office of this movie and several others prompted Disney to cut back on its film slate. It did perform well on DVD, though.I'm inclined to cut this, since Disney has historically made money on video sales for movies like this
Annie (1982) — Budget, $50 million. Box office, $57 million. This film was one of three theatrical victims of ET The Extraterrestrial (Blade Runner and The Thing were the others) despite being the 10th highest grossing film of the year, and it, along with the financial failure of Pennies from Heaven and the general failure of Heartbeeps, forced noted diva Bernadette Peters off the silver screen until 1989. Annie was successfully Vindicated by Video, however, and still was able to revive interest in the classic show, later resulting in a made-for-TV sequel in 1995 and a remake in 2014.no loss, cut
Annihilation (2018) — Budget, $40 million. Box office, $32,732,301 (domestic), $10,338,614 (China). The film was only released in North American and Chinese theaters, being released direct-to-Netflix everywhere else. What really didn't help was Paramount releasing this a week after the mega-hit that was Black Panther.made its money worldwide, cut
Anomalisa (2015) — Budget, $8 million. Box office, $5,531,455. It received glowing reviews and became the first R-rated film to be nominated for the Best Animated Film Oscar, but it was only in 573 theaters.keep
Anonymous (2011) — Budget, $30 million. Box office, $15,395,087. Roland Emmerich's historical drama was based on the theory that William Shakespeare did not author his own plays. General audiences and history buffs were alienated by the film's portrayal of Shakespeare as a buffoonish murderous fraud and its egregious historical misinformation. It didn't help that its wide release was abruptly cancelled, and it topped out at 513 theaters. It was the first in a line of box office disappointments for Emmerich that continues to this day as of this writing.keep
Another Stakeout (1993) — Budget, $30 million. Box office, $20,208,496. This sequel to 1987's Stakeout achieved neither the critical nor financial success of its predecessor. Roger Ebert was one of its few defenders. Part of a string of flops for director John Badham.keep
Another Woman (1988) — Budget, $10 million. Box office, $1,562,749. Didn't stop Woody Allen a bit.keep
Another You (1991) — Budget, $17 million. Box office, $2,865,916. It ranks among the top ten widely released films for having the biggest second weekend drop at the box office, dropping 78.1% from $1,537,965 to $334,836. Gene Wilder never appeared in another theatrically-released film again. This was also Richard Pryor's final film in a leading role ^note, being released four years after he revealed that he had been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, and his physical deterioration is evident in this film.keep
The Ant Bully (2006) — Budget, $50 million. Box office, $28,142,535 (domestic), $55,181,129 (worldwide). Got decent reviews but was also panned by The Arizona Republic for trying the "animated insect movie" after Pixar and Dream Works had taken their own dips in the pool eight years earlier. Director John A. Davis' directing career was stomped flat by this film's failure, and most dramatically, animation studio DNA Productions would cease to exist shortly after.made its money worldwide, cut
Anthropoid (2016) — Budget, $9 million. Box office, $5 million. It only saw release in 452 theaters and it kept losing theaters until its sixth and final week.keep
Anything Else (2003) — Budget, $18 million. Box office, $13,585,075. There was no Hollywood ending for Woody Allen when this bomb rolled into theaters; after it and Hollywood Ending the year prior, he would not do a movie where he took acting, producing AND directing credits again until 2012, though he remained in business during this time. The film didn't do Jason Biggs' film career any favors, either.i don't think this is enough of a loss ... thoughts?
Anywhere But Here (1999) — Budget, $23 million. Box office, $18,670,401 (domestic), $23,631,929 (worldwide). Somewhat positive reviews couldn't help in a stacked month with hits ranging from Pokémon: The First Movie to Sleepy Hollow.made its money worldwide, cut
The Apparition (2012) — Budget, $17 million. Box office, $9,627,492. The last horror film Warner Bros. released by itself before it started using New Line Cinema for that purpose. The film was panned by critics and audiences alike and faced competition from the better-received The Possession by Lionsgate.keep
Approaching the Unknown (2016) — Budget, $1.3 million. Box office, $10,232. It only ran in eleven theaters for one week.keep
Apt Pupil (1998) — Budget, $14 million. Box office, $8,863,193. This adaptation of the Stephen King story received mixed reviews for its murky presentation of its disturbing content.keep
Arctic Dogs (2019) — Budget, $50 million. Box office, $5,801,249 (domestic), $9,841,678 (worldwide). Yes, less than one-fifth of its budget! This British-American-Canadian animated film with an All-Star Cast was hit with a number of delays and was Not Screened for Critics before its November 1 release to 2,844 theaters, during a slow period for family films three weeks before the release of Frozen II. It ended up having one of the worst opening weekends of all time at just $2,901,335. Some articles tried pinning its failure on lead star Jeremy Renner's recent abuse allegations, but the more plausible reasons are a lack of marketing and poor critical reception. Entertainment Studios, the film's distributor, has not released another film since this one.keep
An Arctic Tale (2007) — Budget, $10 million. Box office, $1,858,064. Its widest release was in 227 theaters. The critics generally liked it, but they didn't care for the cutesy narration.keep
Arlington Road (1999) — Budget, $31 million. Box office, $24,756,177 (domestic), $41,067,311 (worldwide). Sony's Screen Gems arm acquired the distribution rights to this film after its intended distributor PolyGram merged with Seagram's. The film's trailer spoiled the ending, which probably didn't help its chances at the box office.made its money worldwide, cut
Army of Darkness (1992) — Budget, $11 million. Box office, $11,502,976 (domestic), $21,502,976 (worldwide). The third film in the Evil Dead series debuted in Asia in October of 1992 and in the US in February of 1993. Before that, it was caught in the crossfire over producer Dino de Laurentiis's lawsuit with Universal over the rights to the character of Hannibal Lecter and had to sit on The Shelf of Movie Languishment for a while. Even after that lawsuit, the film still faced Executive Meddling over its Downer Ending, which was reshot for the US release. The end result was still liked by critics, though not to the same extent as its predecessors, with its most common criticism being its embrace of slapstick humor. Over time, it became a certified Cult Classic.made its money worldwide, cut
Around the World in 80 Days (2004) — Budget, $110 million. Box office, $72,178,895. One of a handful of flops in 2004 that ultimately helped end Disney CEO Michael Eisner's long run at the company after he picked up this independently-financed production after Paramount dropped it. Fortunately for Jackie Chan, it didn't slow down his career much. This movie ended the cinematic career of David Titcher and is the last non-Happy Madison/Adam Sandler production in the cinemas to involve Frank Coraci. This was also the last appearance by Arnold Schwarzenegger in a movie prior to him taking office as Governor of California.keep
The Arrival (1996) — Budget, $25 million. Box office, $14 million. This Alien Invasion thriller was crushed by the anticipation for Independence Day, which opened a little over a month after it did. The critics liked this film slightly more than its bigger, louder rival, though, and it performed much better overseas and on video, which led to a Direct to Video sequel.keep
The Art of War (2000) — Budget, $60 million. Box office, $40,400,425. This film's failure didn't stop two sequels from being made, but it did send them Direct to DVD.keep
Arthur (2011) — Budget, $40 million. Box office, $33,035,397 (domestic), $45,735,397 (worldwide). This remake of the Dudley Moore film was seen as unnecessary by critics and bottomed out after four weeks. This is the first feature film by director Jason Winer, who's stuck to TV ever since. Russell Brand's leading man days were numbered after this film, and he considers it an Old Shame.made its money worldwide, cut
Arthur and the Invisibles (2006) — Budget, $86 million. Box office, $15,132,763 (domestic), $107,944,236 (worldwide). It was a success in its native country, France, but its American underperformance exiled its sequels straight-to-DVD in the States.made its money worldwide, cut
Arthur Christmas (2011) — Budget, $100 million. Box office, $46,462,469 (domestic), $147,419,472 (worldwide). This was released amidst a mass of family films during a busy holiday season and it barely made an impression at the box office. It became Vindicated by Cable in later years.made its money worldwide, cut
Aspen Extreme (1993) — Budget, $14 million. Box office, $8,041,048. The first and only feature film directed by Patrick Harsburgh.keep
Assassination Nation (2018) — Budget, $7 million. Box office, $2.5 million. This ultra-violent satire received respectful reviews, which praised its style, but called out its muddled screenplay and bleakness. It was run out of town after a month in theaters.keep
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007) — Budget, $30 million. Box office, $15,001,776. Director Andrew Dominik's cinematic career was chased off the big screen for 5 years.keep
Assassins (1995) — Budget, at least $50 million^note. Box office, $30,303,072 (domestic), $83,303,072 (worldwide). The first script sold by The Wachowskis, who unsuccessfully tried to get their names off the film once they saw the direction it was being taken, as both director Richard Donner and star Sylvester Stallone heavily rewrote their script prior to filming. Stallone, who also starred in Judge Dredd that year, saw his career struggle before returning to respectability with Rocky Balboa.made its money worldwide, cut
Assassin's Creed (2016) — Budget, $125 million. Box office, $54,647,948 (domestic), $241,362,598 (worldwide). The film faced very heavy competition with Rogue One, which came out a week before, and grossed a mere $10 million on its opening week. It continued the perception that Video Game Movies Suck, and is a part of a very bad string for Michael Fassbender.made its money worldwide, cut
Assault on Precinct 13 (2005) — Budget, $30 million. Box office, $20,040,895 (domestic), $35,294,470 (worldwide). This remake of the 1976 movie opened at number five in a weekend lead by Are We There Yet? and quickly fell flat. Director Jean-Francois Richet fared better with his next film, Mesrine, which earned him the Caesar Award for Best Director.made its money worldwide, cut
The Assignment (2016) - Budget, $3 million. Box office, $206,393. This action movie's premise, about a hitman who gets an unwilling Easy Sex Change, angered trans rights activists, who boycotted the film, while critics felt it was a mess. Its limited release did it no favors.keep
The Associate (1996) — Budget, Unknown. Box office, $12,844,057. Helped take Whoopi Goldberg off the A-List.keep
Astro Boy (2009) — Budget, $65 million. Box office, $39,886,986. The losses of the film sucked producer Imagi Studios into a black hole of debt.keep
The Astronaut's Wife (1999) — Budget, $80 million. Box office, $10,672,566 (domestic), $19,598,588 (worldwide). This movie becoming one of the biggest critical and commercial bombs of 1999 resulted in the career of Rand Ravich burning on reentry; he only had one more film after this, and then he plummeted to the C-list of Hollywood producers.keep
Asura (2018) — Budget, $113.5 million. Box office, $7.1 million. The directorial debut of stunt coordinator Peng Zhang was China's most expensive film. It was meant to start a trilogy, but it bombed so disastrously that it was pulled from theaters after a single weekend.keep
The A-Team (2010) — Budget, $110 million. Box office, $77,222,099 (domestic), $177,238,796 (worldwide). Sadly, this adaptation of the 80s TV series was the final film released during producer Stephen J. Cannell's life (he received posthumous credits on 21 and 22 Jump Street). Another one of the producers, Iain Smith, didn't have a major film billing until Mad Max: Fury Road, writer/actor Brian Bloom didn't deal with major league cinema again, and The A-Team series has yet to return to action outside of the video game LEGO Dimensions (a game driven in part by nostalgia franchises of The '80s, which may be a damning compliment for the A-Team).made its money worldwide, cut
At Close Range (1986) — Budget, $6.5 million (estimated). Box office, $2,347,000. In spite of being an Acclaimed Flop.keep
At First Sight (1999) — Budget, $40 million. Box office, $22,365,133. This was the one and only screenplay by Steve Levitt. Part of a string of busts for Val Kilmer and Mira Sorvino.keep
At Long Last Love (1975) — Budget, $6 million. Box office, $1.5 million. The film received such bad reviews director Peter Bogdanovich published a full page apology letter in several newspapers. The film tarnished leading lady Cybill Shepherd's movie career and made her a laughingstock in Hollywood until Moonlighting a decade later. A studio editor recut the film on his own time in 1979. 32 years after that, Bogdanovich saw this cut and liked it so much he released a Director's Cut Blu-Ray to better reviews in 2013, 38 years after premiering in theaters.keep
At Play in the Fields of the Lord (1991) — Budget, $36 million. Box office, $1,345,903. Director Hector Babenco's last English-language film; he returned to Brazil to continue his career, and even then took eight years to make another film. It also hasn't been available on video in the United States past VHS.keep
Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001) — Budget, $120 million. Box office, $84,056,472 (domestic), $186,053,725 (worldwide). This Disney film was released in the wake of the premiere of DreamWorks' Shrek, which had a few Take Thats at Disney and its head (and DreamWorks co-founder Jeffrey Katzenberg's former boss) Michael Eisner. The commercial failure of Atlantis was one factor that led to Disney ousting Eisner a few years later. It also earned the worst reviews from audiences for any film in the Disney Animated Canon since The Black Cauldron (at least up to that point). Atlantis along with the poor reception of Pearl Harbor led to Disney Studios chairman and Disney Animation alumni Peter Schneider to step down as chairman of Walt Disney Studios to form his own theatre production company, and it also sunk the mainstream careers of Beauty and the Beast and The Hunchback of Notre Dame directors Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise, and broke up the power duo when Trousdale jumped to Shrek producer DWA in two years. There would be a brief reprise for theatrical 2D animation with Lilo & Stitch the next year, but after that, theatrical 2D animation would begin fading out at both Disney and DreamWorks.made its money worldwide, cut
Atlas Shrugged Parts I, II, and III (2011/2012/2014) — Budget, roughly $10 million/$10 million/$5 million. Box Office, roughly $4 million/$3 million/$800,000. Commentators found it impossible not to comment on the irony of the adaptation of a famous libertarian/"Objectivist" work being rejected by the movie free-market, and then its producers plowing forward with both a sequel and Part III — using Kickstarter, of all things, which just adds to the irony.keep
Attack the Block (2011) — Budget, $13 million. Box office, $1,024,175 (US box office), $5,824,175 (worldwide). Its US release was hit with Invisible Advertising and an extremely limited release despite testing positively there. It has since become a Cult Classic.keep
Australia (2008) — Budget, $130 million. Box office, $49,554,002 (domestic), $211,342,221 (worldwide). This held the number one spot in Australia for two weeks but it only got as far as number four on its second week in the U.S. Baz Luhrmann wouldn't direct another film until The Great Gatsby (2013).made its money worldwide, cut
Avalon (1990) — Budget, $20 million. Box office, $15,740,796.keep
The Avengers (1998) — Budget, $60 million. Box office, $23,384,939. The last of three career-zapping bombs for director Jeremiah Chechik, and one of two Star Derailing Roles for star Uma Thurman, with her role as Poison Ivy in Batman & Robin being the other. Chechik didn't direct another film until 2013, and Thurman fell into limbo before clawing her way back up with the Kill Bill films in 2003. Both this and The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen 5 years later also convinced ex-James Bond Sean Connery (who played the Big Bad in this film) to retire from acting. The British Avengers television franchise (which has nothing to do with Marvel) has since been banished to audio plays by Big Finish in the 2010's.keep
Avenging Angelo (2002) — Budget, $17 million (allegedly).^note Box office, sadly, $824,597. This was the first film starring Sylvester Stallone to go Direct to Video in most countries, including North America. This was Anthony Quinn's final film role, released a year after his death. It also served Madeleine Stowe's film career no favors either.keep
The Aviator (2004) — Budget, $110 million. Box office, $102,610,330 (domestic), $213,741,459 (worldwide). While this is regarded as one of the greatest films of 2004, controversy arose over producer Charles Evans Jr's involvement, which wasn't helped by him forcing himself into a producers' photo at the Producers Guild of America Awards. Evans hasn't really been involved with Hollywood since. This helped John Logan's career out somewhat after he "helped" crash Star Trek: Nemesis along with two other movies, but it would still be a few years before he got back in the Hollywood swing of things.made its money worldwide, cut
An Awfully Big Adventure (1995) — Budget, $4 million. Box office, $259,724. It was only in 12 theaters in the US. Alan Rickman blamed its underperformance on it being considered a Tough Act to Follow for director Mike Newell and star Hugh Grant's last film Four Weddings and a Funeral.keep
A-X-L (2018) Budget, $10 million. Box office, $6,501,381 (domestic), $8,467,697 (worldwide). This, along with Show Dogs and Hotel Artemis, proved to be a Creator Killer for Global Road.made its money worldwide, cut

Edited by laserviking42 on Aug 6th 2022 at 12:28:49 PM

I didn't choose the troping life, the troping life chose me

harryhenry It's either real or it's a dream Since: Jan, 2012

It's either real or it's a dream

#18: Aug 6th 2022 at 10:52:10 PM

Just cut all of the ones suggested, and I notice that a lot of these examples only count as a bomb if you just take in the domestic earnings. Unless it's like what happened with The Golden Compass (where New Line Cinema gave away the international rights for a film that ultimately flopped domestically but did great overseas, thus not seeing any profit), that certainly shouldn't count.

Edited by harryhenry on Aug 6th 2022 at 10:53:31 AM

Hello83433 (Lucky 7) Relationship Status: Complex: I'm real, they are imaginary

#19: Aug 7th 2022 at 12:46:00 AM

I'm going through and cutlisting wicks, some of which aren't on the BOB page. I came across this and wondering if it should be cut since it provides no figures? It also says not severe so I'm wondering just how badly it actually did.

Ang Henerasyong Sumuko Sa Love: The film failed to make a splash in the box office, but it's not a severe case. Movies of this nature tend to do poorly at the Philippine box office, particularly without A-listers in the cast list.

CSP Cleanup Thread | All that I ask for ... is diamonds and dance floors

Camassia Since: Jul, 2014 Relationship Status: Halfway to Pon Farr

#20: Aug 7th 2022 at 11:28:28 AM

I'm a bit late to this, but regarding Almost Famous, that box office number is global, according to The Numbers. So it really was a flop.

laserviking42 from End-World Since: Oct, 2015 Relationship Status: You're a beautiful woman, probably

#21: Aug 7th 2022 at 12:02:53 PM

I left Almost Famous on the page, anything I'm iffy about I'll just leave.

I'll get to the next batch probably tonight sometime.

I didn't choose the troping life, the troping life chose me

laserviking42 from End-World Since: Oct, 2015 Relationship Status: You're a beautiful woman, probably

#22: Aug 7th 2022 at 7:31:08 PM

Onwards and upwards:

B-Ba

The Baader Meinhof Complex (Der Baader Meinhof Komplex, 2008) — Budget, 13.5 million euros/$19.7 million. Box office, $16,498,827. Still was critically acclaimed and earned a Best Foreign Language Film Oscar nomination, but Uli Edel would wait a while to make another theatrical film.made its money, cut
Babar: The Movie (1989) — Budget, Unknown. Box office, $1,305,187. Nelvana had to rely on home video sales to recoup the loss.no info on budget, cut
Babe: Pig in the City (1998) — Budget, $90 million. Box office, $69,131,860. Director George Miller wouldn't return to live-action films of any sort until 2015. Its own box office failure would end the Babe franchise after two films.keep
Babes in Toyland (1961) - Budget, $3 million (before marketing). Box office, $4.6 million (domestic rentals). Disney's version of the Victor Herbert operetta was its first live-action musical. It was a critical and financial disappointment for the studio, who learned from the film's mistakes when it made its next live-action musical.made its money back, cut
Babylon A.D. (2008) — Budget, $70 million. Box office, $22,532,572 (domestic), $72,108,608 (worldwide). Critics tore into this sci-fi film for its derivative script and limp action sequences, and any box office hopes were dashed when it was released against Tropic Thunder and The Dark Knight. This was a severe blow to the career of director Mathieu Kassovitz, who has not had a major presence in Hollywood cinema since. Kassovitz disowned the final version of this film due to rampant Executive Meddling and resulting troubles on the production, and released a documentary in 2011 covering the whole experience.made its money back worldwide, cut
Baby's Day Out (1994) — Budget, $48 million. Box office, $16,827,402. After this film's implosion and the mixed reception to director Patrick Read Johnson's next movie, Angus, Johnson would not direct another cinematic movie until 2007. He did executive produce Dragonheart in 1996, though. It still managed to break box-office records in India, and led to a Bollywood remake, Sisindri, released a year later.keep
The Bachelor (1999) — Budget, $21 million. Box office, $21,760,240 (domestic), $36,911,617 (worldwide). This remake of Seven Chances was universally panned by critics and fell flat at the box office after debuting at number three. Chris O'Donnell made one more film, Vertical Limit, before his temporary hiatus from the big screen (which had more to do with his family than anything).made its money back worldwide, cut
Bad Company (1995) — Budget, Unknown. Box office, $3,674,841. This thriller debuted to an apathetic critical reception and a limited release topping out at 302 theaters. Damian Harris didn't direct another film until 2000's Mercy.keep
Bad Company (2002) — Budget, $70 million. Box office, $65,977,295. This was pushed back from December of 2001 as its plot, which involved terrorists plotting to blow up New York's Grand Central Station, was close to the events of 9/11. Even eerier, this was the last major movie to film in the former World Trade Center. Its new release date didn't help.not enough of a loss, cut
Bad Girls (1994) — Budget, $25-35 million. Box office, $15,240,435. Originally directed by Tamra Davis, this was penned as a much more serious action movie; After 20th Century Fox was disappointed with the original shoots, they replaced her with Jonathan Kaplan, who rewrote the script and turned it into more of a romantic satirical yarn. This angered several of the actresses on set, specifically Drew Barrymore, who threatened to quit during it and refused to promote the film upon release. While the movie had a decent opening weekend it dropped hard the following week, and was eventually out of theaters in less than a month.keep
The Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans (2009) — Budget, $25 million. Box office, $10,589,102. Its widest release was only 96 theaters. It was well received critically though.keep
Bad Medicine (1985) — Budget, $8 million. Box office, $2,685,453.keep
Bad Moon (1996) — Budget, $7 million. Box office, $1,060,024. Part of a string of box office underperformers for director Eric Red, and this one caused his cinematic career to black out until 2008. This also ended Michael Pare's career as a theatrical lead, mostly doing small roles or starring in direct-to-video films.keep
The Bad News Bears (2005) — Budget, $35 million. Box office, $34,252,847. This failed remake of the 1976 sports comedy followed two other kid sports comedy duds that summer, Kicking and Screaming and Rebound.not enough of a loss
Bad Santa 2 (2016) — Budget, $26 million. Box office, $23,229,371. This film got hit hard by Sequelitis and was buried under higher-profile films such as Moana and Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them during the busy Thanksgiving weekend. The film's failure could be the ultimate lump of coal in director Mark Waters and co-producer Andrew Gunn's Christmas stockings as far as their Hollywood careers are concerned.not enough of a loss, cut
Bad Times at the El Royale (2018) — Budget, $32 million. Box office, $17,839,115 (domestic), $31,808,900 (worldwide). Drew Goddard's first directed film since The Cabin in the Woods got decent critical reviews, but it still flatlined when faced with holdovers Venom and A Star Is Born.made its money back worldwide, cut
Bailey's Billion$ (2005) — Budget, $9 million. Box office, $45,000. This was kicked out of 37 theaters after its opening weekend. Director/Producer David Devine's career stalled after its burial; his only credits since are on the TV shows Across the River to Motor City and The Madcap Learning Adventure.keep
Bait (2000) — Budget, $35 million. Box office, $15.4 million. It nearly ended Jamie Foxx's leading career, as he wouldn't lead again in a theatrical film for four years, but winning an Oscar for portraying Ray Charles in Ray revived his career. Director Antoine Fuqua saw better success the following year with Training Day.keep
Ballerina (2016) - Budget, $30 million. Box office, $24,702,560 (domestic), $106,127,278 (worldwide). It made money in the rest of the world, but its 2017 American release by The Weinstein Company under the title Leap! was a financial disappointment and was completely overshadowed by the tie-in single "Cut to the Feeling", whose promotion barely mentioned the movie at all. Its underperformance killed TWC's new family label Mizchief after only one movie, along with the Harvey Weinstein sexual abuse scandal that eventually brought down the entire company, which caused the US distribution rights to move to Lionsgate for its home media release.made its money back worldwide, cut
Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever (2002) — Budget, $70–90 million. Box office, $19,924,033. Critics thrashed this actioner as inept and amaturish in both action and plot, gifting it with the rare 0% from Rotten Tomatoes. This was the only major attempt by Thai filmmaker Wych Kaosayananda, who credited himself as "Kaos", to break into the American cinema market. He returned to Thailand when the movie imploded and wasn't heard from again for another 10 years. TV showrunner Peter Lenkov also never tried to write another cinematic film (his writings for this film are uncredited). Stars Antonio Banderas and Lucy Liu also had their cinematic careers severely wounded; Banderas had better luck with his role as Puss in Boots in the Shrek series, while Liu stuck around for Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle and Kill Bill before heading to television.keep
Balto (1995) — Budget, $31 million. Box office, $11.3 million. It notably killed off Amblimation and caused a planned animated adaptation of Cats to be scuttled (though Amblin themselves would hold on to the rights long enough to co-produce the eventual live-action adaptation), prompting the chain of events that would form DreamWorks. Home video releases were supposedly profitable enough to produce two sequels, however.keep
Bambi (1942) — Budget, $858,000 (not counting marketing costs), $1.7 million (counting them). Box office, $1.64 million (original theatrical release tally only); $267,447,150 (worldwide after re-releases). The outbreak of World War II hurt this film badly, and, along with Pinocchio and Fantasias initial disappointing releases, and a bitter strike from Disney's animators resulted in Walt Disney having to make package films for the remainder of the 40s until Cinderella brought full-length animation back to mainstream. It's also one of a handful of RKO Pictures-distributed flops in the early 40's that dealt damage to the studio. Bambi has since been considered one of Walt's best, along with Pinocchio and Fantasia.not enough of a loss'
Bamboozled (2000) — Budget, $10 million. Box office, $2,463,650. This Spike Lee film was given a limited release due to its controversial subject matter. This was given a mixed reception from contemporary critics, many of whom felt Lee's satire was too heavy-handed to be effective. Later became Vindicated by History by The New '10s, as its examination of how the media portrays black people proved prescient in the face of later controversies.keep
Bandits (2001) — Budget, $75 million. Box office, $67,631,903. Coming out a month after 9\11, it ended up as an Acclaimed Flop that earned its stars several awards nominations, including a Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild nomination for Cate Blanchett.iffy on this one if its enough of a loss
Bandslam (2009) — Budget, $20 million. Box office, $12,225,023. Critics adored this coming-of-age dramedy, but it was immensely mismarketed as a Lighter and Fluffier musical comedy.keep
Bangkok Dangerous (2008) — Budget, $45 million. Box office, $42,487,390. An English remake of the Pang Brothers' own Thai film; it was also their last film in English. It debuted at number one with $7 million in September, making it the lowest number one debut since Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star.keep
Baptists at Our Barbecue (2004) — Budget, $500,000. Box office, $173,306. Another dud for Halestorm Entertainment.keep
Barb Wire (1996) — Budget, $9 million. Box Office, $3,793,614. This film suffered from being labeled a Hotter and Sexier clone of Casablanca. Pamela Anderson would not have a starring role in a motion picture again for many years, and copyright holder Dark Horse Comics has refused any more adaptations of the Barb Wire series. It also had the misfortune of taking Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie with it due to the fact that distributor Gramercy Pictures threw the marketing towards Barb Wire.keep
The Barbarians (1987) — Budget, $4 million. Box office, $800,000. Influential director Ruggero Deodato didn't last long in Hollywood after this.keep
Barbarosa (1982) — Budget, $11 million. Box office, $1,736,123. Originally slated for release in August 1981, Universal picked up the distribution rights after its intended distributor Associated Film Distribution went under. Even though the critics adored it (it currently has a Hundred Percent Adoration Rating on Rotten Tomatoes), Universal initially opened the film in the Southern United States with a half-hearted marketing campaign, and after poor box-office returns, dumped the film onto second-run houses and drive-in double features. After rejecting an offer to sell the film to United Artists Classics, Universal ultimately gave the film a proper release in New York and Los Angeles, but it was too little too late.keep
Barney's Great Adventure (1998) — Budget, $15 million. Box office, $12 million. This film, along with an earlier string of box office failures, led PolyGram to sell out their film division, and eventually themselves, to Seagram, who placed the PolyGram name under Universal a year later. The movie also ended the idea of any more Barney and Friends movies (by that point the show was already a snark target from shows such as Animaniacs), and stomped the cinematic career of director Steve Gomer into a pancake; he never dealt with Barney again and has only directed episodes for TV network dramas and comedies since.not enough of a loss, cut
Barney's Version (2010) — Budget, $30 million. Box office, $8,455,457. This only played in 281 theaters despite great reviews and a Golden Globe for Paul Giamatti.keep
Barton Fink (1991) — Budget, $9 million. Box office, $6 million. The Coen Brothers' satire of Horrible Hollywood won the prestigous Palme D'Or by a unanimous vote and was a critical hit which never left a limited release.not enough of a loss, cut
Baseketball (1998) — Budget, $25 million. Box office, $7,027,290. Began the slow but steady decline of director David Zucker, whose only hits ever since were Scary Movie 3 and 4, and Trey Parker and Matt Stone wouldn't star in anything they didn't write/direct themselves after this, at least until Trey was cast as the villain in 2017's Despicable Me 3.keep
Basic (2003) — Budget, $50 million. Box office, $42,792,561. Even though reviews were largely negative, the box office failure of this film has been credited to the 2003 US invasion of Iraq, which dominated headlines and television screens at the time of its release. John McTiernan has directed no films since this feature, especially since McTiernan went to prison after this film for his role in the Anthony Pellicano wiretapping scandal.not enough of a loss
Basic Instinct 2 (2006) — Budget, $70 million. Box office, $38,629,478. The critical panning of both this film and Catwoman (2004) began the derailment of star Sharon Stone's career. It ended Michael Caton-Jones' directing career (he hated the filming experience), signaled the end of Mario Kassar and Andrew Vajna's C2 Pictures label, and concluded ideas of a Basic Instinct film series, with a third film getting canned^note. It was even dubbed by the Razzies in the 2007 Razzie Awards ceremony as "Basically, It Stinks, Too", and is credited for being the final nail in the coffin for the Erotic Thriller genre, at least for mainstream cinema.keep
Basmati Blues (2017) — Budget, unknown. Box office, $15,650. It only had a limited release and simultaneously premiered on video on demand. Its premise, about a scientist in India who tries to stop a shady business deal from ruining local farmers, also caused controversy for its Mighty Whitey undertones.limited release of a super small film w/no budget figures, I say cut
Batman & Robin (1997) — Budget, $160 million (sans marketing). Box office, $107,353,792 (domestic), $238.2 million (worldwide). Joel Schumacher's infamous installment in the Batman film franchise was the highest-grossing film Warner Bros. released that year but reported a loss after prints and advertising (including a $125 million marketing campaign) is taken into an account. The film helped derail the careers of Alicia Silverstone and Uma Thurman (the latter getting a Career Resurrection in the form of Kill Bill six years later), turned Schumacher into a laughing stock, and any further sequels were scrapped and the franchise was eventually rebooted with the help of Christopher Nolan. This movie's Batman, George Clooney, saw no downturn in regards to his budding movie career, but he regards this film as an Old Shame.made its money back worldwide, cut
Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (1993) — Budget, $6 million. Box office, $5,617,391. This feature was originally supposed to go Direct to Video, but Warner Bros. ordered it made for the theaters. This decision was a double-edged sword; it was critically loved, but didn't make back its budget, which the filmmakers blamed on Warner. It turned a profit when it did make it to video later, and became a major Cult Classic. This is one of only two theatrically released movies Warner/DC vet Alan Burnett worked on (the other being Disney's DuckTales the Movie: Treasure of the Lost Lamp).not enough of a loss, cut
Battle of Britain (1969) — Budget, $14 million. Box office, $13 million. Since this was released at the height of The Vietnam War, people and critics were not in the mood for a war movie, with Roger Ebert giving it a 1 star rating. Its reputation has improved over time, however.not enough of a loss, cut
Battle of the Sexes (2017) — Budget, $25 million. Box office, $17,837,161. Based on the eponymous 1973 tennis match between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs, this found itself struggling upon expanding to wide release even with glowing reviews.keep
Battle of the Year (2013) — Budget, $20 million. Box office, $16,549,477. This narrative version of Benson Lee's documentary Planet B-Boy crashed and burned after five weeks. This resulted in Marc Weinstock, Sony's president of worldwide marketing, losing his job. While critics shredded it for its poor screenplay, audiences gave it an A- on Cinemascore.not enough of a loss
Battlefield Earth (2000) — Budget, $75 million (declared), $44 million (actual). Box office, $29,725,663. The egregious case of Hollywood Accounting involved in the production led to Franchise Pictures being sued into bankruptcy. The infamous film's creation also crippled plans for a sequel about the second half of the book and put John Travolta's career back in jeopardy after his Career Resurrection with Pulp Fiction. Co-stars Barry Pepper and Forest Whitaker and director Roger Christian, who hate this film, also fell off the map (Whitaker would come back with The Last King of Scotland), one of the writers, J.D. Shapiro, criticized Travolta's creative "input" and personally accepted the most recent Golden Raspberry Award this movie got, and Battlefield Earth is also guilty of ruining the chances of any further adaptations of L. Ron Hubbard's work or anything connected to Scientology being taken seriously.keep
Battleship (2012) — Budget, $209 million. Box office, $65 million (domestic), $302.8 million (worldwide). While it was a hit globally, that didn't prevent the U.S. media from pairing up this film with John Carter as one of the big bombs of summer 2012 after it grossed a weak $25.5 million on its opening weekend. This did no favors for Taylor Kitsch, who starred in both this film and Carter.made its money back worldwide, cut
Baywatch (2017) — Budget, $69 million (not counting marketing costs). Box office, $58,060,186 (domestic), $177,856,751 (worldwide). An attempt at an Affectionate Parody that pushed the comedic and fanservice elements of its parent series up a notch (a la the far better-reviewed 21 Jump Street), it was panned by critics for lacking the show's camp factor. Coming out the same weekend as Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales didn't help, being beaten by both that film, and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (the latter in its fourth week). What also didn't help was star Dwayne Johnson mocking the film's negative reviews, which didn't do wonders for the film's PR, though he would bounce back a few months later with Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle.made its money back worldwide, cut

I didn't choose the troping life, the troping life chose me

Hello83433 (Lucky 7) Relationship Status: Complex: I'm real, they are imaginary

#23: Aug 8th 2022 at 12:07:00 PM

re Bandits, there are other entries that were cut for having similar loss figures (~ $7.4 mil), so I'd say toss it.

Maybe a loss of $10 million or more would be a good metric for films w/ budgets between $40 and $100 million?

Edited by Hello83433 on Aug 8th 2022 at 3:07:12 PM

CSP Cleanup Thread | All that I ask for ... is diamonds and dance floors

laserviking42 from End-World Since: Oct, 2015 Relationship Status: You're a beautiful woman, probably

#24: Aug 8th 2022 at 5:50:27 PM

I was thinking more along on the lines of if a movie made more than 50-75% of its budget back.

Also I'm wondering if perhaps we need a trivia trope that delineates flops from bombs. In today's movie business (and prior as well), films that are profitable, but not as profitable as expected, can still be deemed failures and kill off budding franchises.

I didn't choose the troping life, the troping life chose me

Paperfly Buzz from On The Wall Since: Jun, 2022

Buzz

#25: Aug 8th 2022 at 10:26:43 PM

I think that tropes like Stillborn Franchise, Franchise Killer, and Presumed Flop can deal with such examples

Image Pickin' Backlog

Back Top

Total posts: 169