Glowsquid
Since: Jul, 2009
#52: Aug 16th 2022 at 10:19:36 AM
Perhaps I'm too late here but I'm seeing this thread is operating under the principle of "If it makes back its budget, it's not a bomb". There is a distinction between bombs and regular ol' flops, and many of the cuts here are valid, but I feel that's not entirely prudent.
As pointed out by the Zyffyr in the ATT thread linked in the OP, conventional widsom from box office analysts is that a movie needs to make back at least double its budget to break even. There are many reasons for this:
- Marketing budget is never included alongside the movie's and is typical as high or more than the movie's budget
- The box office gross is the raw revenue. Production companies have to split the revenue with theaters, and before the 2010's, theater would progressively get a higher share of the ticket price as a movie stayed in theaters.
- Actor royalties (which is often subject to Hollywood Accounting but still)
- Studios gets less from international gross. In particularly, they only get 25% of China revenue, which is why movies like Warcraft and Terminator Genysis were bp,bs despite making big numbers there.
Something like the 2013 Lone Ranger movie wasn't just a movie that lost a few millions or underwhelmed expectations, it's something that legitimately lost Disney a tremendous amount of money. Cutting it because "Made back its budget, not a bomb!" would be poor analysis.
Edited by Glowsquid on Aug 16th 2022 at 1:42:38 PM
laserviking42
from End-World
Since: Oct, 2015
Relationship Status: You're a beautiful woman, probably
#53: Aug 16th 2022 at 11:21:42 AM
![[up]](https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/smiles/arrow_up.png "[up]"){kind=icon}
Except the Box Office Bomb page has a rather clear definition:
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.
There is a very clear separation between films that did not perform as expected, and films that lost tons of money. Marketing costs are regularly included in the budget numbers provided, and we are still seeing films that break even listed.
Anyways, the W and I sections look good to me. I'll start on C once later on tonight.
Edited by laserviking42 on Aug 16th 2022 at 2:22:54 PM
I didn't choose the troping life, the troping life chose me
#54: Aug 16th 2022 at 11:53:53 AM
CSP Cleanup Thread | All that I ask for ... is diamonds and dance floors
great, here's the second half of W
Wi-Wy
- The Wicked Lady (1983) — Budget, $8 million (estimated). Box office, $724,912. This remake of the 1945 Gainsborough melodrama was shredded by critics and audiences. Its failure killed off plans for a franchise. keep
- Wicked Stepmother (1989) — Budget, $2.5 million (estimated). Box office, $43,749. The film's Troubled Production saw Bette Davis, in her final film, walk off the set after a week due to Creative Differences with director/writer Larry Cohen, though he attributed her departure to her failing health note . Cohen salvaged the film by introducing an Nth Doctor situation in which Davis' character swaps bodies with her on-screen daughter, Barbara Carerra, while the other inhabits the body of a cat. While the film was buried on release, it became a Cult Classic down the line. keep
- The Wicker Man (2006) — Budget, $40 million. Box office, $38,755,073. The creative decisions made in this remake of the 1973 cult classic led to a narmtastic film that critics laughed at. The over-the-top performance of Nicolas Cage, while frequently cited as one of most entertaining aspects of the film, ruined Cage as a respected star and box office draw virtually overnight. Cage would become a common sight in underperforming films and direct-to-video productions throughout the 2000s and 2010s, both due to the effects of this film and needing to pay off tax debts. not enough of a loss, cut
- Wicker Park (2004) — Budget, $30 million. Box office, $21,568,818. This remake of the French film L'Appartment opened on Labor Day weekend and was gone after four weeks. not enough of a loss, cut
- Wide Awake (1998) — Budget, $6 million. Box office, $282,175. If you're wondering why it was that low, it only got shown in less than 30 screens across the country. The movie sat on a shelf for three years before the studio dumped it out with minimal marketing. The film's director bounced back very hard the following year... keep
- Widows (2018) — Budget, $42 million. Box office, $42,402,632 (domestic), $75,984,700 (worldwide). The film version of the ITV series fell short of its budget despite glowing reviews. It didn't help that the marketing made it look more action-packed then it is and it opened in a busy holiday season, including the same weekend's Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald. made its budget back, cut
- The Wild (2006) — Budget, $80 million. Box office, $37,384,046 (domestic), $102,338,515 (worldwide). This solidified Disney's belief that they needed Pixar and John Lasseter. made its money worldwide, cut
- Wild America (1997) — Budget, Unknown. Box office, $7,342,923. This adventure film about wildlife photographer Marty Stouffer and his brothers had the misfortune of premiering the same day as Men in Black. no budget info, cut
- Wild Bill (1995) — Budget, $30 million. Box office, $2,193,982. Director Walter Hill blamed bad marketing for the film's failure, specifically the trailers that the studio put together. keep
- Wild Card (2015) — Budget, $30 million. Box office, $6.7 million. William Goldman's second attempt at adapting his novel Heat, which was filmed by that title in 1986. This was hit with Invisible Advertising (a trailer appeared a month before its release) and had a simultaneous VOD and limited theatrical release. This was Goldman's final film before his death in 2018. keep
- The Wild Party (1975) — Budget, $900,000. Box office, unknown. James Ivory's film version of the James Moncure March poem, itself loosely based on the Fatty Arbuckle scandal, played in Boston and Denver before its rancid critical and audience reception killed its plans for a wider release. Ivory blamed its failure on Executive Meddling which re-edited the film into a mess of Mood Whiplash. no box office information, cut
- Wild Target (2010) — Budget, 5 million pounds sterling. Box office, 2.15 million pounds sterling. Director Jonathan Lynn hasn't had his name attached to any movies since this one. keep
- Wild Wild West (1999) — Budget, $170 million. Box office, $113,804,681 (domestic), $222,104,681 (worldwide). This movie became an Old Shame to the majority of its cast and crew and derailed the credibility of the Science Fiction/Fantasy Westerns for a decade, and Cowboys & Aliens and The Lone Ranger crashed the genre again after that hiatus. made its money worldwide, cut
- Wilder Napalm (1993) — Budget, Unknown. Box office, $84,859. Its widest release was in thirty-five theaters. Part of a string of bombs for director Glenn Gordon Caron. budget unknown, cut
- Willard (2003) — Budget, $20 million. Box office, $8,546,666. This remake of the 1971 horror film fell flat at the box office despite generally good reviews. Glen Morgan directed only one other film, another horror remake, Black Christmas (2006); the trouble he had working on that lead to him sticking to TV. keep
- Willie and Phil (1980) — Budget, $5.5 million. Box office, $4.4 million. This remake/homage to Jules and Jim was one of several flops in the early 80's for Paul Mazursky, who officially recovered with Down and Out in Beverly Hills. not enough of a loss, cut
- Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971) — Budget, $3 million. Box office, $4 million (first release); $21 million (re-release). This film's original production and an uncredited rewrite by David Seltzer when main writer and the creator of the story the film was based on, Roald Dahl, didn't meet a deadline, and the deviations that were made (converting a very minor character named Slugworth into the film's Big Bad and adding the "Fizzy Lifting Drinks" scene) angered Dahl and, along with the film faltering at the box office, shot down the planned sequel, The Great Glass Elevator. This would be the first of many a Roald Dahl adaptation to not initially do well in theaters. Director Mel Stuart and producer David Wolper did not have a serious Hollywood career after this film, and original distributors Paramount Pictures and Quaker Oaks dropped the film into Warner Bros.' hands in 1977. Willy Wonka was Vindicated by Cable and is now considered a cinema classic, with Tim Burton doing his own version in 2005 (this one stuck to Dahl's original plans for the film and eliminated the Sequel Hook). made its money back on initial release, cut
- Wilson (1944) — Budget, $4 million. Box office, unknown. Projected loss, $2 million. This Epic Biopic of Woodrow Wilson was a passion project of Fox head Darryl Zanuck and its failure was a soul-crushing experience for him. It was enough of an Acclaimed Flop to win five Oscars that year. no box office information, cut
- Wimbledon (2004) — Budget, $31 million. Box office, $17,001,133 (domestic), $41,512,007 (worldwide). This film played its last match after six weeks in theaters. made its money worldwide, cut
- Win a Date with Tad Hamilton! (2004) — Budget, $22 million. Box office, $21.2 million. It put a halt to Josh Duhamel's theatrical starring career, though he managed to bounce back with Transformers a few years later. not enough of a loss, cut
- Wind (1992) — Budget, $29 million. Box office, $5,519,569. This is the last movie Jennifer Grey made before her infamous rhinoplasty. keep
- The Wind (1928) — Budget and Box office are unknown, but MGM recorded a loss of $87,000. This was a silent film released just as talkies were introduced. It was the final silent film for star Lillian Gish and director Victor Sjöström and one of the last for MGM. It's since been Vindicated by History as one of the all time greatest silent films. no information on either side, cut
- Windtalkers (2002) — Budget, $115 million. Box office, $77,628,265. This alleged biopic about the WWII Navajo code talkers was roundly criticized for barely touching on this subject and spending more time on Nicolas Cage's character. This turned out to be an expensive flop for the frequently-troubled MGM, and the commercial results of this film and Paycheck the next year ended John Woo's Hollywood career. not enough of a loss, cut
- Wing Commander (1999) — Budget, $30 million. Box office, $11,578,059. A case of Video Game Movies Suck despite having the programmer behind the games, Chris Roberts, directing the movie. It also didn't help that 20th Century Fox rushed the film into theaters to capitalize on Freddie Prinze Jr.'s newfound fame. Wing Commander's failure not only killed Roberts' career for several years, it was also responsible for destroying the actual game franchise (this is one of at least two instances on this list where the main man behind the video game franchise failed to direct a successful movie adaptation of it and saw their careers shelled; the other is Hironobu Sakaguchi and Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within). This movie was also the beginning of a rut that Prinze would be stuck in during the early 2000s. keep
- Winter Kills (1979) — Budget, $6 million. Box office, $1,083,799. This adaptation of the Richard Condon novel was financed by two mob-connected marijuana dealers, Robert Sterling and Leonard Goldberg. The production proved nightmarish as it shut down multiple times due to financial issues, Goldberg was murdered and Sterling was sentenced to prison. The director and cast made The American Success Company in the interim, which was successful enough to finance the rest of the film. Ultimately, Invisible Advertising and Executive Meddling from Avco Embassy Pictures iced the film. A director's cut re-release in 1983 helped turn the film into a Cult Classic. keep
- Winter People (1989) — Budget, Unknown. Box office, $2,023,282. This backwoods soap opera was a slight misstep for director Ted Kotcheff, but he rebounded a few months later when Weekend at Bernie's was released. This was the first film produced by Castle Rock Entertainment, but for unknown reasons, the company is not credited onscreen. This and Cat Chaser later that year prompted Kelly McGillis to retreat from Hollywood. no budget information, cut
- Winter's Tale (2014) — Budget, $60 million. Box office, $31,125,231. Akiva Goldsman's directorial debut was this film version of the Mark Helprin novel. It was a critical and financial fiasco which ultimately left theaters after seven weeks. keep
- Wired (1989) — Budget, $13 million. Box office, $1,089,000 (domestic). Producer Edward Feldman accused backer and talent mogul Michael Ovitz of sabotaging the biography on John Belushi in a 2005 book, and his co-star from The Blues Brothers, Dan Aykroyd, along with preview audiences, was hostile towards the final version of his portrayal, which bombed heavily. The infamously botched portrayal of Belushi zapped the careers of the majority of the crew (journalist Bob Woodward, who is one of the two reporters credited with unveiling the Watergate scandal, was credited, and never dealt with anything not political again), with Feldman and star Michael Chiklis being the only major names to recover. keep
- Wise Guys (1986) — Budget, $13 million. Box office, $8,475,466. not enough of a loss, cut
- The Witches (1990) — Budget, unknown. Box office, $15 million. This finished filming in 1988 but was delayed for over a year due to the acquisition of production company Lorimar Productions by Warner Bros.. This ended up being the last film Lorimar produced before their closure three years later. This is also the last film produced by Jim Henson and the last adaptation of a Roald Dahl work to be produced in his lifetime. It is not, however, the last Acclaimed Flop based on a Dahl work, but with a Hundred Percent Adoration Rating on Rotten Tomatoes, it's probably the most acclaimed. no budget information, cut
- Without Limits (1998) — Budget, $25 million. Box office, $777,423. One of two competing biopics about track runner Steve Prefontaine, preceded a year earlier by Prefontaine, starring Jared Leto. This film blew down Robert Towne's career; he wrote Mission: Impossible II, but didn't direct again until 2006 with Ask the Dust. It did get great reviews. keep
- The Wiz (1978) — Budget, $24 million. Box office, $13,600,000. This film adaptation of the musical rendition of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz was the most expensive musical at the time. It departed significantly from the source material to accommodate Diana Ross's casting as Dorothy, a role she actively campaigned for. Her casting bore the brunt of the film's tepid reviews and the film proved a Star-Derailing Role for her acting career. This also proved to be Michael Jackson's only major film role, though his and Ross's music careers survived. Its failure discouraged major studios from producing films with All-Black casts for a good while; it would be a solid four decades before an All-Black tentpole was attempted again (and actually succeeded big time). It also put a dent in Motown Productions' prospects and they only produced one more film after this. Its soundtrack, particularly the single "Ease on Down the Road", became a smash hit, which helped the film become a Cult Classic later down the road. keep
- Wolfen (1981) — Budget, $17 million. Box office, $10,626,725. The film's failure, along with behind-the-scenes turmoil, caused director Michael Wadleigh to retire from filmaking. not enough of a loss, cut
- The Wolfman (2010) — Budget, $150 million. Box office, $139,789,765. Benicio del Toro has yet to take a producer's job past this film. This was also director Joe Johnson's first film since the Michael Eisner career-ending Hildalgo in 2004, and this could have derailed his career for good had it not been for Captain America: The First Avenger, one of the contenders for the best of the Marvel Cinematic Universe's first phase, coming out the next year (that film also took a lot of traits from another Disney comic book/Michael Eisner film, The Rocketeer, 20 years prior). Both Wolfman and Rocketeer have been Vindicated by Cable, playing often on TV. not enough of a loss, cut
- Wonder Boys (2000) — Budget, $35 million. Box office, $33,426,588. Many blame a bad marketing campaign, alongside an oft-lambasted poster (featuring a full, awkward focus on Michael Douglas' character's face) for the movie's underperformance. However, it was met with glowing reviews, nabbing a few dozen awards, including an Oscar for Bob Dylan's Breakaway Pop Hit "Things have Changed", and has become a Cult Classic. not enough of a loss, cut
- Wonder Park (2019) — Budget, $100 million. Box office, $45,216,793 (domestic), $119,559,110 (worldwide). The film was meant as the start of a planned franchise and the launching-on point to an animated TV series, but the film's disappointing returns and lukewarm reviews make the prospects uncertain. Director Dylan Brown being fired over misconduct allegations also doesn't help future franchise prospects either. made its money worldwide, cut
- Wonder Wheel (2017) — Budget, $25 million. Box office, $15.4 million. This Woody Allen dramedy opened to a mixed-to-negative critical reception and a limited release. It didn't help that it premiered shortly after the Harvey Weinstein scandal broke out, which brought misconduct allegations against Allen back into the public eye. not enough of a loss, cut
- Wonder Woman 1984 (2020) — Budget, $200 million. Box office, $46.5 million (domestic), $166.5 million (worldwide). The COVID-19 Pandemic delayed the movie's release and then ensured it would not be able to make that much money, between not all theaters having reopened and people still unwilling to leave their homes - specially in North America, where it was simultaneously released on Hbo Max. not enough of a loss, cut
- Won't Back Down (2012) — Budget, $19 million. Box office, $5,714,913. This film is notable for having the third worst opening gross for a movie in 2,500+ theaters. keep
- Woo (1998) — Budget, $13 million. Box office, $8,165,984. This was the only wide release to go against Deep Impact on opening weekend and it was far outmatched ($2.5 million vs the latter's $41.1 million). It did far better once it hit home video. not enough of a loss, cut
- Woody Woodpecker (2017) — Budget, unknown but estimated at $10 million. Box office, $15,234,160. This film wasn't even released domestically; all of its earnings came from overseas in South American territories because Universal made the film specifically for that market (where the character is much more popular). supposedly made back its budget, cut
- The Work and the Glory (2004) — Budget, $7,500,000. Box office, $3,347,647. Possibly the most expensive LDS film ever made, the film failed to break even because it didn't play in enough theaters to do so. That didn't stop the producers from making two sequels, possibly amplified by DVD sales. keep
- The Work and the Glory II: American Zion (2005) — Budget, $6.5 million. Box office, $2,025,032. The sequel failed to even outgross its predecessor and this would be the only release from Vineyard Distribution. Again, the producers relied on DVD sales to justify one more sequel. keep
- The Work and the Glory III: A House Divided (2006) — Budget, $6.5 million. Box office, $1,325,092. The lowest grossing film in the series and the final film venture for Utah Jazz owner Larry H. Miller, who would pass away in 2009. keep
- The World's Fastest Indian (2005) — Budget, $25 million. Box office, $18,297,690. The biopic of Burt Munro was New Zealand's highest grossing local film at the time. It had a very small US release at 251 theaters, though it stayed in theaters for 32 weeks. not enough of a loss, cut
- Worth Winning (1989) — Budget, Unknown. Box office, $3,690,400. no budget information, cut
- The Worst Movie Ever! (2011) — Budget, Unknown. Box office, $25,206. This American action comedy film written, produced, directed by, and starring Glenn Berggoetz,
who has made several low-budget films, premiered at just one theater (Los Angeles's Laemmle Sunset 5) on August 19, 2011.note The aptly-titled film sold just one $11 paid admission on its sole Saturday screening on opening weekend, and nobody attended the Friday screening. This film beat Zyzzyx Road as having the lowest-grossing opening weekend for any film ever. The director has stated that the low gross was not a publicity stunt. To date, neither the filmmaker nor the theater owner knows who was the person who bought the first ticket. no budget information, cut
- Wrestling Ernest Hemingway (1993) — Budget, $20 million. Box office, $278,720. keep
- A Wrinkle in Time (2018) — Budget, $103 million (production only), $203 million (marketing included).note Box office, $100,478,608 (domestic), $132,675,864 (worldwide). This long anticipated adaptation of Madeline L'Engle's novel received mixed reviews from critics, many of whom deemed it a case of style over substance, and was trampled by fellow Disney release Black Panther's smash success. Disney projected a loss of $100 million. Either it made back its budget or its not enough of a loss, cut
- Wrong is Right (1982) — Budget, Unknown. Box office, $3,583,513. This satirical adaptation of Charles McCarry's novel The Better Angels was lambasted by critics at the time, but certain elements of its plot became Harsher in Hindsight 20 years later. McCarry, who co-wrote the screenplay with director Richard Brooks, never wrote for the screen again. Brooks only made one more film, Fever Pitch. no budget information, cut
- Wrongfully Accused (1998) — Budget, $30 million. Box office, $9,600,000. Hurt director Pat Proft's theatrical career for a while, though he did rebound five years later with Scary Movie 3. keep
- Wyatt Earp (1994) — Budget, $63 million. Box office, $25,052,000. This movie's existence came about when Kevin Costner disagreed with the director of Tombstone over character writing, and he made this with Warner Bros. (another chapter in the Disney vs Warner rivalry; Disney distributed Tombstone through Hollywood Pictures). Costner tried to pressure other studios to not distribute Tombstone before Disney picked that film up, and it ultimately didn't help much when Tombstone beat Wyatt Earp to theaters and did well critically and financially, whereas the latter got mixed reviews and couldn't make up the budget. This was one of at least three major films that sunk Costner's A-list status in the mid 90's (Waterworld and The Postman were the others). keep
laserviking42
from End-World
Since: Oct, 2015
Relationship Status: You're a beautiful woman, probably
#55: Aug 16th 2022 at 4:43:28 PM
The only one I'd push back on is Windtalkers, since it's less that 75% of the budget, otherwise looks good.
hello86
Since: Sep, 2009
#56: Aug 16th 2022 at 5:44:38 PM
Also, whenever rentals is listed (such as Ice Station Zebra), that's the amount a studio earned from the distribution.
hello86
Since: Sep, 2009
#57: Aug 16th 2022 at 7:22:17 PM
Another case in point, Wilson. I looked it up and it made $2 million in rentals. Again, that's how much it earned for a studio.
hello86
Since: Sep, 2009
#58: Aug 16th 2022 at 7:26:20 PM
Also, looked up The Witches' budget: $11 million.
laserviking42
from End-World
Since: Oct, 2015
Relationship Status: You're a beautiful woman, probably
#59: Aug 16th 2022 at 10:59:34 PM
Alright, on with C:
C
- Cabin Boy (1994) — Budget, $10 million. Box office, $3.6 million. This was part of a bad year for Tim Burton, with both Ed Wood and Cabin Boy (which he produced) both flopping at the box office (though the former film was vindicated later). It's also the only movie that writer Adam Resnick directed, and it scorched his movie career. He wouldn't write another cinematic screenplay until 2000. It also didn't do Chris Elliott's movie career any favors, either.keep
- Caddyshack II (1988) — Budget, $20 million. Box office, $11,798,302. None of the cast of the first Caddyshack, barring Chevy Chase and Rodney Dangerfield (who spearheaded this film's development) would appear in the sequel, and Dangerfield himself dropped out due to Executive Meddling over its planned Lighter and Softer tone. This movie sunk director Allan Arkush's career for 6 years and co-writer Pj Torokvei's for 8, and the other writer, Harold Ramis, didn't write a screenplay that was not attached to an animated or Ghostbusters film until Groundhog Day.keep
- Cadence (1990) — Budget, $8.5 million. Box office, $2,070,871. This military drama is notable as Martin Sheen's directorial debut, and with him co-starring with his sons, Ramon Estevez and Charlie Sheen. A limited release and lukewarm reviews doomed it to a poor reception.keep
- The Call of the Wild (2020) — Budget, $125-150 million. Box office, $62,342,368 (domestic), $110,954,519 (worldwide). This version of the classic novel directed by Lilo & Stitch and How to Train Your Dragon writer-director Chris Sanders (in his live-action and solo directorial debut), and the first film from the newly renamed 20th Century Studios, received mixed reviews, with most critics questioning the decision to make Harrison Ford's canine co-star all CGI. And making all animals in the movie through effects was also its downfall, elevating its budget to the point the chances of breaking even were low, with Disney expected to lose at least $50 million on it — not helped by competition (in spite of holding well against Sonic the Hedgehog in its opening weekend, the arrivals of The Invisible Man and Onward proved too much) and the COVID-19 Pandemic hurting the international (and eventually, the domestic) box office, leading to an early digital release on the night of March 27, 2020.close, but keep I say
- Camelot (1967) — Budget, $13-17 million. Box office, $31,102,578 (gross), $14 million (rentals). The film version of Lerner and Loewe's famous musical was the eleventh-highest grossing film of the year, but its rentals couldn't cover its high cost. Critics took the film to task for, among other reasons, its immense length, its lackluster production values note , and the casting of non-singers Richard Harris and Vanessa Redgrave.made its money, cut
- The Campaign (2012) — Budget, $95 million. Box office, $86,907,746 (domestic), $104,907,746 (worldwide). This film about two buffoons running for Congressman scored on par with Will Ferrell's other hits, but the huge budget and lack of appeal outside outside America harmed it.made its money, cut
- Canadian Bacon (1995) — Budget, $11 million. Box office, $178,104. Little wonder it's Michael Moore's only theatrical foray outside the documentary genre to date (admittedly, he has done more than almost anyone to make nonfiction films profitable). This and Mallrats led to threats by Universal and PolyGram higher-ups to shut down Gramercy Pictures; it soldiered on until 2000.keep
- Cannery Row (1982) — Budget, $11.3 million. Box office, $5,301,539. This film version of the John Steinbeck novel (and its sequel, Sweet Thursday) was the directorial debut of screenwriter David S. Ward. After its lackluster financial reception, Ward stuck to only screenwriting until Major League. It is also known for being the film that caused Raquel Welch to sue MGM for wrongful firing after she was abruptly sacked from it. (She was cast as the female lead, which Debra Winger took over.) Welch won the suit, but she ended up getting blackballed from Hollywood as a result of the lawsuit.keep
- Can't Stop the Music (1980) — Budget, $20 million. Box office, $2 million. Effectively destroyed the Village People and the directing career of Nancy Walker right away, as well as putting a major setback in Caitlyn Jenner's career and signifying that disco was dead as a mainstream genre. Being released on exactly the same day as The Blues Brothers was not the wisest move. Along with Xanadu, Can't Stop the Music inspired the creation of the Razzies, with the latter winning the inaugural Worst Picture award. The man who produced this film, Allan Carr, never recovered from it, delivering a few more critical bombs over the 80's and eventually masterminding the infamous opening number to the 1989 Oscars with Snow White and Rob Lowe; this event was ripped into pieces and bits by critics and brought Snow White supremo Disney down on the Academy and Carr like a load of bricks, crushing him for good at that point.keep
- Capitalism: A Love Story (2009) — Budget, $20 million. Box office, $14,363,397 (domestic), $17.4 million (worldwide). This got some decent reviews from critics, but it didn't do well enough to make back its budget, and put a severe dent in Michael Moore's career; the controversial documentary director would wait 6 years to release his next movie.not enough of a loss, cut
- Captain America (1990) — Budget, $3 million. Box office, $10,173. After completing production, this film was supposed to open in 1990. It did, but only in the United Kingdom, never the U.S.; Columbia/Tristar/Sony eventually had to banish it to a Direct to Video release in 1992.not sure about this one, as it was made solely to keep IP rights, thoughts?
- Captain Corelli's Mandolin (2001) — Budget, $57 million. Box office, $25,543,895 (domestic), $62,112,895 (worldwide). Was a bit of a setback for director John Madden, who didn't get his next directing credit until 2005. Screenwriter Shawn Slovo, meanwhile, didn't get her next credit until 2006.made its money, cut
- Captain Ron (1992) — Budget, $24 million. Box office, $22,518,097. Director Thom Eberhardt didn't work on another cinematically released movie for 15 years.not enough of a loss
- Captive Hearts (1987) — Budget, unknown. Box office, $73,757. This romantic drama set in World War II had a limited release spanning 41 theaters. This was the penultimate theatrical film for director Paul Almond; his final film, The Dance Goes On, came out five years later.no budget info, cut
- Captive State (2019) — Budget, $25 million. Box office, $8,594,383.keep
- Car 54, Where Are You? (1994) — Budget, $10.7 million. Box office, $1,238,080. This earned a severe backlash from Rosie O'Donnell, who advised people not to rent it. It was also shot in 1990, but edited over the years, which removed the musical numbers.keep
- Caravans (1978) — Budget, $14 million. Box office, $3,930,501. This was shredded by critics and the original novel's author, James A. Michener, as a laughably bad Cliché Storm. Director James Fargo had much better luck when Every Which Way but Loose was released the next month.keep
- The Care Bears: Adventure in Wonderland (1987) — Budget, $5 million. Box office, $2,608,000 (domestic), $6,000,000 (worldwide). The film's failure began the death of the franchise and caused a fourth film, Care Bears Nutcracker Suite, to air as a television special. No more Care Bears movies were made until Journey to Joke-a-lot in 2004 and none were released theatrically until Oopsy Does It in 2007.made its money, cut
- Carefree (1938) — Budget, $1,253,000. Box office, $1,731,000. Recorded loss, $68,000. This was Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers' first film since Shall We Dance and their first flop together. Their next film, The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle, would be their last film for RKO.iffy on this one, as it's slight, but these are 1930s numbers
- Carpool (1996) — Budget, $17 million. Box office, $3,325,651. One of the 3 career-halting films with Tom Arnold released that year, and the penultimate major film from long-time director Arthur Hiller. His next movie, Burn Hollywood Burn, which he infamously took the "Alan Smithee" moniker for in a failed attempt to distance himself from the movie, killed both the name and his filmmaking career (he did one movie with Jon Bon Jovi after that, and that's it).keep
- Carry On at Your Convenience (1971) — Budget, unknown. Box office, £220,000. This entry in the Carry On series was its first flop. A big factor was its portrayal of the working class as lazy and stupid, which alienated its working class fanbase, who boycotted the film.no budget info, cut
- Carry On Columbus (1992) — Budget, £2,500,000. Box office, £1.6,000,000. While it outperformed the other two Columbus films, it failed to recoup its budget. This was an ill-advised to revive the series that proved to be its final death knell.keep
- Case 39 (2010) — Budget, $26 million. Box office, $13,261,851 (domestic), $28,189,979 (worldwide). Following its completion in early 2007, this movie's domestic premiere was delayed twice before premiering in 2010. It's the most recent American picture from director Christian Alvart, who has mainly focused on German media since. It also marked the end of Renée Zellweger's toplining career.made its money, cut
- Casino Jack (2010) — Budget, $12.5 million. Box office, $1.1 million. This was the final film from director George Hickenlooper since he died before it opened, and writer Norman Snider hasn't done another movie.keep
- Cassandra's Dream (2008) — Budget, $15 million. Box office, $973,018 (domestic), $22,658,532 (worldwide). This was not one of Woody Allen's best regarded works, but he kept on going and released Vicky Cristina Barcelona to much greater acclaim later that year.keep
- The Castle of Cagliostro (1979) — Budget, 500,000,000 yen ($5 million). Box office, 600,000,000 yen ($6 million). Hayao Miyazaki made his feature film directorial debut with this Lupin III stand-alone feature, which was dismissed by fans of the anime for its Lighter and Softer approach note and the general public for Miyazaki's unknown status at the time. The film found an audience with several international screenings, where it influenced future works like The Great Mouse Detective, and when Miyazaki made a name for himself with Studio Ghibli. It has since been Vindicated by History as not only one of Miyazaki's best films, but one of the best films of the Lupin III franchise.made its money, cut
- Casualties of War (1989) - Budget, $22.5 million. Box office, $18.7 million. This Vietnam War film was the first film Dawn Steel greenlit during her tenure as president of Columbia Pictures. It opened to great critical reception but an apathetic audience one. It's best remembered for being John C. Reilly's film debut and John Leguizamo's first major role.not enough of a loss, cut
- Cat People (1982) — Budget, $12.5 million. Box office, $7 million (domestic), $21 million (worldwide). Paul Schrader's remake of the 1942 horror film ended up overshadowed by its title song co-written and performed by David Bowie.made its money, cut
- Catch a Fire (2006) — Budget, $14 million. Box office, $4,291,965 (domestic). Got good reviews, but was a critical hit to director Phillip Noyce, producer Robyn Slovo, and screenwriter Shawn Slovo's careers. Noyce did not direct his next film until 2010, Robyn didn't produce her next film until 2011 with Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, and her sister Shawn did not write her next film until 2013.keep
- Catch And Release (2007) — Budget, $25 million. Box office, $16,158,487. The only film directed by Susannah Grant, who went back to screenwriting after this. It was delayed by nearly a year.keep
- Catch Me If You Can (1989) — Budget, $800,000. Box office, $3,686 (domestic) $7 million (worldwide). The original studio that was going to distribute the film went bankrupt, and it ended up in the hands of MCA, who dumped it into only several theaters with little promotion. As a result, it had the lowest box office of any theatrical film overall in 1989. Thankfully its international success helped keep director Stephen Sommers in the light. This was the only theatrical film produced by Sterling Entertainment.made its money, cut
- Cats (2019) — Budget, $95 million (production costs), $196 million (total costs). Box office, $27,166,770 (domestic), $73,695,985 (worldwide). Tom Hooper's star-studded adaptation of the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical was doomed the moment its first trailer dropped, thanks to its "digital fur technology" that was widely mocked for turning the cast into bizarre CGI cat-human-hybrids. The film was Christmas Rushed to such an extent that it initially shipped with several unfinished effects, leading Universal, in an unprecedented move, to issue new prints to fix these effects just a couple days after the movie's release, a process unfavourably compared to a video game getting a day-one patch. This wasn't enough to save Cats, which was already declawed by critics tearing it apart and the family crowd being alienated by the film's bizarre current of sexuality despite the PG rating. The film made only $6.6 million on opening weekend — one of the worst opening weekends in box office history for a wide-release film. Opening the same day as the much-hyped Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker certainly didn't help, as well as facing strong runs from Jumanji: The Next Level and Frozen II. Universal was confident the film could overcome this weak start and pull in big holiday numbers similar to how The Greatest Showman had against the previous episode of Star Wars, but Cats lacked the audience enthusiasm that Greatest Showman had, and the movie went from 3,380 theaters to just 146 theaters within a month of its debut, resulting in a $113 million loss for Universal. It also didn't help matters for the studio when they followed up Cats with the subsequent bombing of Dolittle just a month later.keep, but someone should take a chainsaw to this bloated entry
- Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore (2010) — Budget, $85 million. Box office, $43,585,753 (domestic), $112,483,764 (worldwide). The nine-year gap between this sequel and the original movie, the higher budget, it becoming one of the worst reviewed films of 2010, and grossing only half the first film's box office put the Cats and Dogs movies to sleep after two shows, only resurfacing with a cheap Direct to Video threequel a decade later. It also euthanized the writing careers of Ron Friedman and partner Steve Bencich, was one of two 2010 films to deal a serious setback to producer Andrew Lazar, and is one of the last movies produced by Polly Johnsen.made its money, cut
- Cats Don't Dance (1997) — Budget, $32 million. Box office, $3,566,637. It fell through the cracks after Warner Bros. bought Turner just before the movie was released, and proceeded to not promote it at all. Helmer and animator Mark Dindal saw a blowback to his career that has yet to go away, especially with his involvement in Disney's Chicken Little a decade later, which WAS a success but disliked by critics and was the last nail in CEO Michael Eisner's coffin.keep
- Cattle Annie and Little Britches (1981) — Budget, $5.1 million. Box office, $534,816. This Western was released around the time that the genre was starting to die at the box office. Universal gave up on the film after a disappointing run in the Southwestern United States and only played it in a certain amount of theatres to fulfill contractual obligations.keep
- Catwoman (2004) — Budget, $100 million. Box office, $82,102,379. This film was meant to be a spinoff of Batman Returns, but it suffered through Development Hell that led to it not having anything to do with Batman. Halle Berry quit the X-Men franchise to take the role of the titular character and be in this film, only for Catwoman to become one of the biggest critical busts of 2004. Berry personally accepted her Razzie, stating "It was just what my career needed." Said career had to fight its way back. The movie was also a major blow to Big Bad actress Sharon Stone, who followed it up with Basic Instinct 2, setting it back even further. Along with Elektra, this helped keep the superheroine genre barren after films like Supergirl made it that way, and it also ensured director "Pitof" would not helm another major project. Obviously, Berry does not have anything pleasant to say about this film, and neither does early writer John Rogers; both regard the film as an Old Shame. This was DC's first film since 1997, when they released the similarly-reviled Batman & Robin and Steel, and they would have to wait another year for Batman Begins to regain ground in the entertainment industry and thirteen years for Wonder Woman to take another crack at the superheroine genre.borderline, also the entry is way too bloated
- The Cave (2005) — Budget, $25 million. Box office, $15,007,991 (domestic), $33,296,457 (worldwide). This was shredded by critics as a horror movie Cliché Storm and was sent to die on the last weekend of August. Its best foreign market was the UK, where it contended with the similar, and much better received, The Descent.made its money, cut
- The Caveman's Valentine (2001) — Budget, $13.5 million. Box office, $687,194. Its release topped out at 59 theaters. Director Kasi Lemmons wouldn't return to the director's chair until 2007's Talk to Me.keep
- Cecil B. Demented (2000) — Budget, $10 million. Box office, $1,961,544. Part of a 2000/2001 slate that put production company Artisan Entertainment on life support; they would rebound the next year before being absorbed by Lionsgate. John Waters also had to wait 4 years before attempting to write another screenplay.i love this movie, but yeah keep
- Celebrity (1998) — Budget, $12 million. Box office, $5,078,660. This was not one of Woody Allen's better received films note but it didn't stop him one bit.keep
- Celsius 41.11 (2004) — Budget, $1 million. Box office, $93,000. This film was created by Citizens United in response to Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11, which had been released earlier that year and was part of a major political push against President George W. Bush to prevent his reelection. This doc was also released with two other anti-Michael Moore films, at least one of which was better received. As a result, it burned down the career of documentary director Lionel Chetwynd; he's been a very low-key filmmaker since.keep
- Celtic Pride (1996) — Budget, Unknown. Box office, $9,255,027. Was a serious blow to the film careers of its stars, Dan Aykroyd, Daniel Stern, and Damon Wayans. It also temporarily halted the film career of its writer, Judd Apatow, who focused on television after Celtic Pride flopped and didn't return to the big screen until The 40-Year-Old Virgin nine years later.no budget info, cut
- Chain Reaction (1996) — Budget, $55 million. Box office, $21,226,204 (domestic), $60,209,334 worldwide. Morgan Freeman would not get another award-caliber role until Million Dollar Baby in 2004.made its money, cut
- Chairman of the Board (1998) — Budget, $7 million. Box office, $306,715. This is Carrot Top's only starring theatrical release, and every film directed by Alex Zamm between this and 2014 were Direct to Video and Made for TV Movies. Not only that, Norm Macdonald infamously roasted the film on Late Night with Conan O'Brien during O'Brien's interview with one of the film's stars Courtney Thorne-Smith as she attempted to promote the film.keep
- The Chamber (1996) — Budget, $50 million. Box office, $22,540,359. This John Grisham adaptation was trashed by critics and lasted at least three weeks in theaters. Screenwriter William Goldman and Grisham had nothing nice to say about the film. After some minor hits with The Firm, The Pelican Brief, and A Time to Kill, Grisham agreed to do a film adaptation of The Chamber before the book was even complete, and the screenplay wasn't even finished by the time filming started. He later said he'd never do that again thanks to the performance of this film, though with this basically being a Genre-Killer for his books being adapted to the silver screen, this is kind of a moot point. Fortunately for him, his career as a novelist was unaffected by this film's failure.keep
- Chances Are (1989) — Budget, $16 million. Box office, $16,278,590. Best known nowadays for its Breakaway Pop Hit, After All by Cher and Peter Cetera.made its money, cut
- A Change of Seasons (1980) — Budget, $6 million. Box office, $7,270,000 (domestic). The last theatrical film for director Richard Lang, who stuck to TV work for the rest of his career. Noel Black, the director Lang replaced, did one more theatrical film before he too stuck to TV.made its money, cut
- The Change-Up (2011) — Budget, $52 million. Box office, $37,081,475 (domestic), $75,450,437 (worldwide). This and Green Lantern (2011) that year did no favors for Ryan Reynolds.made its money, cut
- Changeling (2008) — Budget, $55 million. Box office, $35,739,802 (domestic), $113,020,256 (worldwide). Clint Eastwood's mystery film was an Acclaimed Flop that earned Angelina Jolie an Oscar nomination for Best Actress.made its money, cut
- Chaos Walking (2021) — Budget, $100 million. Box office, $26 million. Initially planned for a March 2019 release, a notoriously Troubled Production, delayed reshoots, and executive disinterest at Lionsgate caused this to get pushed two years later. The film ended up getting dumped during the coronavirus pandemic with Invisible Advertising, and its box office performance over the first three weeks was so poor that it was reported the studio had already written-off the financial loss.keep
- The Chaperone (2011) — Budget, $3,000,000. Box office, this is real, $14,400. This movie foiled wrestler Triple H's attempts to break into movies.keep
- Chaplin (1992) — Budget, $31 million. Box office, $9.5 million. This is the final project co-writer Bryan Forbes worked on; he retired after this. It's also one of three 1992 bombs that set William Goldman's cinematic career back by 5 years. This did OK with critics and earned Robert Downey Jr. a lot of acclaim, including an Oscar nomination, for portraying Charlie Chaplin.keep
- Chappie (2015) — Budget, $49 million. Box office, $31,569,268 (domestic), $101,069,268 (worldwide). Part of a string of 2015 flops for Sony. Director Neill Blomkamp took 6 years to make another movie.made its money, cut
- Charlie Bartlett (2007) — Budget, $12 million. Box office, $5,254,980. This was delayed by six months due to MGM's financial problems and a crowded schedule. Its release was delayed so last minute that ads were still running by the time the old date came about. This was the directorial debut of Jon Poll and his only film until the just announced Responsible Adults.keep
- Charlie St. Cloud (2010) — Budget, $44 million. Box office, $31,162,545 (domestic), $48,190,704 (worldwide). This sent director Burr Steers's cinematic career into remission for six years. The movie didn't do much to help boost Kim Basinger's post-Oscar career, who essentially appears as Zac Efron's mom in a fleeting, paycheck cameo.made its money, cut
- Charlie's Angels (2019) — Budget, $48 million. Box office, $17,803,077 (domestic), $70,346,915 (worldwide). Writer/producer/director/co-star Elizabeth Banks' continuation of both the 70's TV series and the film duology from the early 2000s received mixed reviews and had an opening weekend of a mere $8.3 million, getting run over by Ford V Ferrari and holdover Midway. The third consecutive attempted franchise revival in three weeks to bomb at the box office, after Terminator: Dark Fate and The Shining sequel Doctor Sleep.made its money, cut
- Charlotte Gray (2001) — Budget, $20 million. Box office, $5.3 million. The movie's failure caused production studio Film 4 to undergo massive changes, laying off most of its staff and replacing their head director.
- Charlotte's Web (2006) — Budget, $85 million. Box office, $82,985,708 (domestic), $144,877,632 (worldwide) It was still an Acclaimed Flop, with a slightly higher Rotten Tomatoes score than the 1973 Hanna-Barbera version.made its money, cut
- Charly (2002) — Budget, $950,000. Box office, $814,666. This Mormon film was the second and final film adapted from a work by Jack Weyland.not enough of a loss
- The Chase (1966) — Budget, $5.7 million. Box office, $2.3 million. The film version of Horton Foote's play and novel got respectful reviews, but it was derided for its muddled script and overblown acting. This was Lillian Hellman's final screenplay, while it marked the beginning of the end for producer Sam Spiegel. Its failure also kept Marlon Brando down the A-List until The Godfather.keep
- Chasers (1994) — Budget, $15 million. Box office, $1,596,687. This was the last feature film directed by Dennis Hopper.keep
- Chasing Liberty (2004) — Budget, $23 million. Box office, $12,313,323. This was released the same year as First Daughter, both romantic comedies about the daughter of the US President. This one got slightly better reviews and box office results than its rival.keep
- Chasing Mavericks (2012) — Budget, $20 million. Box office, $6,003,386. It would be 4 years before director Michael Apted worked on another theatrical film of any kind. This was also Curtis Hanson's last directed film before his death four years later.keep
- Che! (1969) — Budget, $5,160,000. Box office, $2.5 million (U.S. rentals). This biopic of Cuban revolutionary Che Guevara was lambasted for, among other things, the baffling casting of Omar Sharif in the title role, along with that of Jack Palance as Fidel Castro and for being a soulless cash grab. Producer and writers Sy Bartlett and Michael Wilson didn't do any more movies before their deaths at the end of The '70s, and it set Robert Loggia's career back by five years.keep
- Che (2008) — Budget, $58 million. Box office, $40.9 million. This interpretation of Che Guevara's life was a two-part double feature, and the two parts together form a 4-hour long movie. While it did eventually turn a profit and got good reviews (even getting star Benicio del Toro the Best Actor award when it premiered at Cannes), in the end, director Steven Soderbergh wishes he had never made this film. Writer Peter Buchman's career wound up in Development Hell, and star Benicio del Toro, who was also a producer, produced only one other movie, The Wolfman, to date.i bolded the relevant part, cut
- Checking Out (1988) — Budget, $4-6 million. Box office, $30,877.keep
- Cheri (2009) — Budget, $23 million. Box office, $9,366,227. This film version of Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette's novel got a mixed reception from critics and topped out at 191 theaters.keep
- Child 44 (2015) — Budget, $50 million. Box office, $3,324,330. Based on a real-life Soviet murder case, this was banned in Russia and its territories likely for presenting its legal system in a poor light. American critics didn't think highly of it either when it opened in a limited release with Invisible Advertising.keep
- Children of Men (2006) — Budget, $76 million. Box office, $69,959,751. This was a highly Acclaimed Flop whose limited release tapped out at 1,524 theaters. Fortunately for director/writer Alfonso Cuarón, his next film would have the box office to match its critical acclaim.borderline, esp with a limited release, thoughts?
- Chill Factor (1999) — Budget, $34 million. Box office, $11,263,966. This was director Hugh Johnson's only cinematic directorial effort, and the film receiving a sub-zero reception from critics and the box office put his cinematic career on ice until The Chronicles of Riddick (2004), where he returned to being a cinematographer.keep
- China Moon (1994) — Budget, $15 million. Box office, $3,038,499. Wrapped in 1991, it was one of several films to be pushed back due to Orion Pictures' bankruptcy.keep
- A Chinese Ghost Story (1987) — Budget, $5,600,000. Box office, $2,395,120. This second film version of a story from Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio, after 1960's The Enchanting Shadow, became a smash hit and Cult Classic across Asia, but it was kept out of mainland China until 2011. It still led to two sequels getting made.keep
- The Chipmunk Adventure (1987) — Budget, Unknown, but the Samuel Goldwyn Company spent $17 million on the advertising campaign. Box office, $6,804,312. This was the first feature film starring Alvin and the Chipmunks, and the last for 20 years.keep
- CHiPs (2017) — Budget, $25 million. Box office, $18,600,152 (domestic), $25,500,152 (worldwide). This comedic film version of the 70's TV show was lambasted by critics for relying too much on lowbrow jokes. Its opening weekend saw it smashed by an array of newcomers and holdovers.made its money, cut
- Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968) — Budget, $10 million. Box office, $7.5 million (rentals). This adaptation of the novel from Ian Fleming was the last time James Bond supremo Albert R. Broccoli dealt with something other than the Bond franchise, and was the last major film project for director Ken Hughes, who was coming off of being involved with the Bond spoof version of Casino Royale the year prior. The Sherman Brothers didn't deal with anything not related to Disney again for another 4 years.keep
- A Chorus Line (1985) — Budget, $25 million. Box office, $14,202,899. The film version of the long-running musical didn't live up to the one singular sensation of its Broadway counterpart. A few common complaints by critics included awkward staging of the numbers and the Romantic Plot Tumor which turned one of the show's subplots into the main one.keep
- A Christmas Carol (2009) — Budget, $175-$200 million. Box office, $137,855,863 (domestic), $325 million (worldwide). Robert Zemeckis's 3D motion-capture version of the Dickens classic received mixed reviews, with many critics calling it out as a case of style over substance. Its low performance led to Disney shuttering ImageMovers Digital the following year, only allowing them to finish an even bigger flop, and the resignation of Mark Zoradi, president of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Group and its head of worldwide marketing.made its money, cut
- Christmas Carol: The Movie (2001) — Budget, £6 million/$12 million. Box office, $2,436,389. This animated adaption of the classic titular story, despite its All-Star Cast, was generally panned for its poor animation and bizarre storytelling choices. On the other hand, the song Kate Winslet recorded and released for the movie, "What If", was a UK Christmas #1 hit that is far better remembered than the film it came from.keep
- Christmas Eve (2015) — Budget, Unknown. Box office, $91,302. Despite having big names like Patrick Stewart, Jon Heder, and Larry King as a producer, this movie joined the prestigious 0% club on Rotten Tomatoes and didn't make it to 6-digit gross due to having too many elevator scenes. King's career in movies may be over after this.no budget info, cut
- Christopher Columbus: The Discovery (1992) — Budget, $45 million. Box office, $8,251,071. The Creator Breakdown behind the scenes led to the split of the Salkind producing duo, who never did a film together again.keep
- The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (2008) — Budget, $225 million (not counting marketing costs of $175 million), $400 million (counting them). Box office, $141,621,490 (domestic), $419,651,413 (worldwide). This was the second highest grossing film of the year for Disney behind Pixar's classic WALL•E, but the film not being able to make up the budget in the United States (partly due to OK reviews instead of good ones, partly because it was sandwiched between the starting Marvel Cinematic Universe film Iron Man and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull), along with it barely exceeding the combined costs overall, still made it a failure. Producer Mark Johnson felt this didn't have the magic of the original 2005 film, and the loss led to a budgetary feud that got Disney to drop the franchise altogether; Walden Media did a Channel Hop to Fox for the third film, which had its budget and marketing reduced considerably and removed Andrew Adamson from the directing chair (he was replaced by The World Is Not Enough director Michael Apted).made its money, cut
- The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (2010) — Budget, $155 million (not counting marketing costs), $255 million (counting them). Box office, $104,386,950 (domestic), $415.7 million (worldwide). This one actually got worse reviews than the other two chapters and was rated Rotten on Rotten Tomatoes, plus it took longer for it to reach the $100 million mark in the U.S. Walden managed to lose the franchise outright as a result, though that was more likely due to expiration of their contract with the C.S. Lewis estate. Writing duo Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely stayed alive thanks to the Captain America films, but the remaining creative minds took serious damage to their careers; Apted didn't work on another fictional movie for 6 years and Adamson seriously reduced his presence following his work on Puss in Boots. The film franchise went into hibernation for years after this, with a fourth film in Development Hell for that duration until a Continuity Reboot was finally announced for Netflix in 2018.made its money, cut
- The Chronicles of Riddick (2004) — Budget, $105 million. Box office, $57,761,012 (domestic), $115,772,733 (worldwide). Did well on home media, though, but it would be 9 years before another theatrical film featuring Vin Diesel's Riddick. (Diesel also would not produce another film until Fast & Furious in 2009.) As for director David Twohy, he did not direct or write until 2009.made its money, cut
- Chu Chu and the Philly Flash (1981) — Budget, $7 million. Box office, $100,000 (rentals). This Carol Burnett/Alan Arkin comedy was the last feature film directed by David Lowell Rich, who was relegated to directing TV movies for the rest of his career. It was also the only theatrical film written by Barbara Dana, who was Arkin's wife at the time.keep
- The Chumscrubber (2005) — Budget, $10 million. Box office, $351,401. Its domestic release topped out at 28 theaters and fizzled out after two weeks. Its UK release was even worse, as it was pulled after a single weekend with a gross of $185.keep
- Church Ball (2006) — Budget, $1,000,000. Box office, $464,991. Despite Halestorm Entertainment's attempts to make this LDS comedy less denominational, this one was the straw that broke the camel's back. Not only would the company's future releases skip the big screen, but their brand of self-referential and slap-sticky comedy went completely out of favor with both Mormon and non-Mormon audiences. The film's failure also provoked a lawsuit.keep
- Cimarron (1931) — Budget, $1,433,000. Box office, $1,383,000. It was released in the early years of the Great Depression and it couldn't recoup its high budget for the time. It was a critical smash and it became the first Western to win the Oscar for Best Picture, though modern assessment hasn't been kind, with it frequently appearing on lists of the worst Best Picture winners.not enough of a loss, cut
- Cimarron (1960) — Budget, $5,421,000. Box office, $4,825,000. Unlike the 1931 version, this film wasn't received favorably by contemporary critics or audiences.ditto
- Cinderella Man (2005) — Budget, $88 million. Box office, $61,649,911 (domestic), $108,539,911 (worldwide). This biopic of boxer Jim Braddock received raves from critics but was lambasted by boxing experts and the family of Max Baer for his Historical Villain Upgrade. It received such a knockout that AMC and Cinemark offered a money-back guarantee to dissatisfied filmgoers who saw the film; it didn't help. The decision to release the film in the summer, a season typically reserved for blockbusters, did it no favors, either.made its money, cut
- The Circle (2017) — Budget, $18 million. Box office, $20,497,844 (domestic), $40,651,864 (worldwide). Despite the All-Star Cast, the film barely made back its budget, to the point where it was released direct-to-Netflix in the UK. This is also Bill Paxton's final movie, having died from a failed heart surgery three months prior.made its money, cut
- Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant (2009) — Budget, $40 million. Box office, $39,232,113. This Compressed Adaptation of the first three novels of The Saga of Darren Shan ended up staking the intended film series after one installment.not enough of a loss, cut
- Citizen Kane (1941) — Budget, $839,727. Box office, $1.6 million. The film's lead character as played by Orson Welles was based off of William Randolph Hearst, and said portrayal enraged Hearst. Hearst ultimately banned all of his holdings from even mentioning the film and banned a multitude of movie theaters from showing it both to make the film fail and to avoid the Streisand Effect (plus World War II had cut off the European market, which hurt three other RKO Pictures films — Pinocchio, Fantasia, and Bambi, in that order). Hearst's gambit worked, much to Welles and RKO's chagrin, and even though the film earned several Oscar nominations (and one win for its Screenplay), it faded into obscurity for a while until it got a revival in 1956. Citizen Kane is now considered one of the all-time classics of cinema and a prime example of an Acclaimed Flop, alongside the three animated Disney films and It's a Wonderful Life.made its money, cut
- Citizen Ruth (1996) — Budget, $3 million. Box office, $285,112. Alexander Payne's directorial debut had a very limited release but it was an Acclaimed Flop.keep
- City by the Sea (2002) — Budget, $40 million. Box office, $29,413,996. Writer Ken Hixon didn't write another screenplay for 8 years. Part of another string of failures for Franchise Pictures.keep
- City Hall (1996) — Budget, $40 million. Box office, $20,340,204. This was New York politician Kenneth Lipper's first and only screenplay and the first of three films he produced. His co-writer, Nicholas Pileggi, wouldn't write another film until the TV movie Kings of South Beach. The first of three consecutive flops for director Harold Becker.keep
- City of Ember (2008) — Budget, $55 million. Box office, $17,929,684. Any plans to adapt the original novel's sequels were shut off when this adaptation flopped. Director Gil Kenan wouldn't direct another film until the Poltergeist remake in 2015.keep
- City of Ghosts (2002) — Budget, $17.5 million. Box office, $1.2 million. The first and only feature film written and directed by Matt Dillon.keep
- City of Joy (1992) — Budget, $27 million. Box office, $14,683,921. One of several lifelong busts for Allied Filmmakers; its widest release was in 919 theaters and its reception was mixed. Roland Joffe's next film as director was his career-tainting bust The Scarlet Letter.keep
- The City of Your Final Destination (2010) — Budget, $8.3 million. Box office, $1.4 million. This film was completed by 2007, but did not see general release until 2010. In addition, production company Merchant Ivory's "short-changing" of the cast and crew led to lawsuits against the firm from star Anthony Hopkins and singer Suzy Malick. The film's final implosion made it the final theatrical film for writer Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, who died in 2013, and the last film to credit producer James Ivory until 2017. Merchant Ivory also would not release another film until 2017.keep
- City Slickers II: The Legend of Curly's Gold (1994) — Budget, $40 million. Box office, $43,622,150. This sequel to City Slickers fell short of its predecessor both critically and financially, releasing among a glut of comedies that year. Part of a string of bombs for Billy Crystal, while director Paul Weiland, whom had also directed the notorious Leonard Part 6, has since kept to a low profile outside of a handful of productions in Europe and the UK.made its money, cut
- A Civil Action (1998) — Budget, $60 million. Box office, $56,709,981. Steven Zailian's first directed film since Searching for Bobby Fischer was a critical hit and it got Robert Duvall an Oscar nomination, but it died in a crowded Holiday season. Zailian's next directed film was the critical and financial disaster All the King's Men.not enough of a loss, cut
- The Claim (2000) — Budget, $20 million. Box office, $1.4 million. Its widest release was in 29 theaters.keep
- The Clan of the Cave Bear (1986) — Budget, $15 million. Box office, $1,953,732. The film version of Jean M. Auel's novel killed off plans to adapt its sequels with its failure. The second feature film directed by cinematographer Michael Chapman, who would stick to that profession until 1995's The Viking Sagas, his last film as director.keep
- Clara's Heart (1988) — Budget, Unknown, but MTM Enterprises put up $5 million of the film's budget. Box office, $5,194,491. This family drama was an attempt to capture lightning in a bottle by giving Whoopi Goldberg her first serious role since The Color Purple. Although the performances of Goldberg and newcomer Neil Patrick Harris were praised (the latter received a Golden Globe nomination for his performance), reviews were mixed and the film ended up performing poorly at the box office. Robert Mulligan directed one more film after this. It was also the last feature film produced by MTM.made its money, cut
- Clay Pigeons (1998) — Budget, $8 million. Box office, $1.8 million-2.2 million. Director David Dobkin didn't direct for 5 years until Shanghai Knights.
- Clean and Sober (1988) — Budget, Unknown. Box office, $8,674,093. This was the directorial debut of Glenn Gordon Caron and the first dramatic role for Michael Keaton. Critics gave it mixed reviews, who generally felt the film's premise, about a recovering drug addict, was "perhaps too grim." Keaton's performance inspired producer Jon Peters to cast him in Batman after Peters saw an early screening.keep
- Clean Slate (1994) — Budget, $18 million. Box office, $7,355,425. This wasn't received well by critics, and it was part of a string of flops that year for Dana Carvey that would help convince him to take a hiatus from the big screen (another factor was raising his family).keep
- Cleopatra (1963) — Budget, $44 million. Box office, $57,777,778. This was the highest grossing film of 1963. However, 20th Century Fox only got roughly half the film's box office take (the rest went to the theaters), and since $44 million was an exorbitant price tag in 1963's dollars (equivalent to $325.6 million in The New '10s), they nearly went bankrupt and had to sell off parts of its huge backlot (which turned the remnants of the sold parts to what became known as Century City). Fox was only saved when Julie Andrews's The Sound of Music became a success. Cleopatra’s legendarily Troubled Production and ultimate failure were decisive moments in the Fall Of The Studio System, only turning a profit for the studio in the 1990s thanks to home video sales. Cleopatra would be the last time director and co-writer Joseph Mankiewicz would be associated with Fox, and he only wrote one more film 4 years later, though Mankiewicz would continue to direct until 1972, when he retired (he considered Cleopatra an Old Shame and had tried to get his name off the credits). This is also the last film to involve producer Walter Wanger, who died 5 years later, and killed the Sword and Sandal genre's A-level until Gladiator in 2000.infamous, but its well known it (just barely) made its money, cut
- Clifford (1994) — Budget, $19 million. Box office, $7,411,659. This was left on The Shelf of Movie Languishment for nearly three years due to Orion Pictures' bankruptcy problems. The end result was mauled by critics and it embarrassed the writers William Porter and Steven Kampmann so much that they used pseudonyms, Jay Dee Rock and Bobby von Hayes. While Porter hasn't written another film, Kampmann would wait six years before his next script, the TV movie Special Delivery.keep
- Clockers (1995) — Budget, $25 million. Box office, $13,071,518. This Spike Lee film opened at number two behind To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar, but quickly fell through.keep
- Closet Land (1991) — Budget, $4 million. Box office, $259,012. Writer/director Radha Bharadwaj had to wait seven years to make her next film (Basil); she has not done another film since that one.keep
- Cloud Atlas (2012) — Budget, $102 million. Box office, $27,108,272 (domestic), $129,787,143 (worldwide). The film version of David Mitchell's novel, directed by The Wachowskis and Tom Tykwer, alienated potential audiences with its massive length and six different storylines. It didn't help that it received criticism from Asians (and Halle Berry) for the decision to have some of the actors, Berry included, play in Yellowface.made its money, cut
- Club Dread (2004) — Budget, $8.5 million. Box office, $7,565,807.keep
- Club Paradise (1986) — Budget, $15 million. Box office, $12,308,521. Harold Ramis didn't direct again until Groundhog Day in 1993. It was also the final film for co-star Adolph Caesar, who died a few months before its release.keep
- Clue (1985) — Budget, $15 million. Box office, $14,643,997. This adaptation of the board game annoyed critics and confounded audiences with its Multiple Endings gimmick - each showing of the movie would have one of three possible endings. The home video releases feature all three endings back-to-back. It later became a Cult Classic, though Hollywood wouldn't attempt another movie based off a (real-life) board game until Battleship. A remake of this film has been lingering in Development Hell for about a decade.not enough of a loss, cut
- Cobb (1994) — Budget, Unknown. Box office, $1,007,583. This biopic of baseball player Ty Cobb was based on the now-discredited book by Al Stump. It had a mixed reception from critics and never left a limited release.no budget info, cut
- The Cobbler (2015) — Budget, $10 million. Box office, $1.2 million. One of several major busts for Adam Sandler in 2015 alongside Pixels.keep
- Code Name: The Cleaner (2007) — Budget, $20 million. Box office, $10,337,477. This film's bombing cleaned the clock of director Les Mayfield; he has never directed another movie since. It was also one of the last independent releases of New Line Cinema before The Golden Compass got them swallowed by Warner by the end of the year.keep
- Cohen and Tate (1988) — Budget, Unknown. Box office, $64,227 (domestic). This was Eric Red's first directing job, and is part of a string of flops for him.no budget info, cut
- Cold Creek Manor (2003) — Budget, Unknown. Box office, $29,119,434. This marked the final straw in the career of director Mike Figgis, as he hasn't helmed a mainstream film since.no budget info, cut
- Cold Heaven (1992) — Budget, $4.5 million. Box office, $17,163. Nicolas Roeg's religious thriller was filmed in 1989 but was shelved for a few years due to the bankruptcy of the film's production company. Hemdale subsequently picked up the rights and dumped the film into a very limited release.iffy on this one, considering the circumstances
- The Cold Light of Day (2012) — Budget, $20 million. Box office, $16.9 million. This finished off the directing career of Mabrouk El Merchi when it crawled away from theaters after four weeks.keep
- Cold Pursuit (2019) — Budget, $60 million. Box office, $32,138,862 (domestic), $76,419,755 (worldwide). This English remake of the Norwegian film In Order of Disappearance, both directed by Hans Peter Moland, was generally liked by critics, but it fell through the ice in a crowded marketplace. Liam Neeson didn't help the film's publicity when he related in an interview how he tried to avenge a friend's rape by looking for a black man to fight.made its money, cut
- Collateral Beauty (2016) — Budget, $36 million. Box office, $31,016,021 (domestic), $88,216,021 (worldwide). This movie got waylaid by Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, its Disney Animation sidekick Moana, and Universal competitor Sing in the American box office, and it also got waylaid by critics in reviews. Controversy over the film's trailers lying about the film didn't help. It is the lowest opening for Will Smith's career. This is not going to help director David Frankel's career, with his next film's release date yet to be determined.keep
- Collateral Damage (2002) — Budget, $85 million. Box office, $78,382,433. One of many films pushed back after the 9/11 attacks to avoid people thinking it was reminscent of said event, mostly due to its terrorism theme. Didn't help its cause.keep
- College (2008) — Budget, $7 million. Box office, $6,265,483. The directorial debut of Deb Hagan was given a universal lashing by critics and lurked around in theaters for 10 weeks.not enough of a loss, cut
- Collide (2017) — Budget, $21.5 million. Box office, $4.8 million. According to Box Office Mojo, this movie holds the Medal of Dishonor for biggest theater drop, during its second weekend no less.keep
- Colombiana (2011) — Budget, $40 million. Box office, $36,665,854 (domestic), $60,965,854 (worldwide). This was a Star-Derailing Role for Zoe Saldaña as a leading lady, though she survived overall thanks to Star Trek (2009) and Guardians of the Galaxy.made its money, cut
- Color of Night (1994) — Budget, $40 million. Box office, $19,726,050. There was an exceptional amount of behind-the-scenes drama that engulfed both this movie's production crew and distributor Disney, who released it through Hollywood Pictures. Director Richard Rush and producer Andrew Vajna's headbutting led to Rush suffering a heart attack that left him bedridden for four months. In addition, Color of Night was part of a particularly bad month for Disney (the next week saw the ugly exit of studio chief Jeffrey Katzenberg after he and mentor Michael Eisner had been involved in headbutting themselves along with the release of It's Pat, which got pulled out of theaters immediately). Rush never got involved with another theatrical film ever again.keep
- Colossal (2017) - Budget, $14 million. Box office, $3 million (domestically), $4.5 million (worldwide). In spite of great reviews for being an innovative Genre Mashup piece, a limited release (its peak was 327 theaters) prevented the movie from making monstruous numbers.keep
- Come See the Paradise (1990) — Budget, $17.5 million. Box office, $947,360. It got decent reviews, but it was dumped into only 97 theaters. It's now best known as the focus of a 2014 UCLA study which identified it as the most obvious Oscar Bait in history note . Director Alan Parker had better luck the next year with The Commitments.keep
- Commandments (1997) — Budget, $6 million. Box office, $548,567. A heavy critical panning ensured this romantic dramedy would die out in a limited release.keep
- The Company (2003) — Budget, $15 million. Box office, $6,401,690. A passion project for star Neve Campbell, this drama about a young ballerina opened to good reviews, but never got a very wide release. It proved to be director Robert Altman's penultimate film, and he took a three-year hiatus before making his last film.keep
- Company Business (1991) — Budget, $18 million. Box office, $1,501,785. This Cold War thriller came out during the final months of the Soviet Union's existence. Mikhail Baryshinikov hated the film so much he refused to promote it; between this and the same year's The Cabinet of Dr. Ramirez, he wouldn't take up acting until the final season of Sex and the City. Director/Writer Nicholas Meyer rebounded a few months later with Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country and Gene Hackman did so next year with Unforgiven.keep
- Company Man (2000) — Budget, $16 million. Box office, $146,193. Peter Askin's directorial debut; his next credit came seven years later for the documentary Trumbo. His co-director, Douglas McGrath, made Nicholas Nickleby two years later.keep
- Communion (1989) — Budget, $5 million (estimated). Box office, $1.9 million. Based on the controversial book by Whitley Strieber about a strange experience he had, Strieber lambasted the movie as "making him look crazy". It is the last theatrical film that director Phillippe Mora has done to date.keep
- Conan the Barbarian (2011) — Budget, $90 million. Box office, $48,795,021. Slayed an attempt by Lionsgate to revive the Conan movies for The New 10's; they announced that this film would not be canon and the next one would return to Arnold Schwarzenegger, though that sequel has gone silent. Screenwriting duo Thomas Dean Donnelly and Joshua Oppenheimer have had zero screenplays credited to them since this film, and it dented Jason Momoa's move into cinema before his starring role in Aquaman (2018) resuscitated it.keep
- The Concorde... Airport '79 (1979) — Budget, $14 million. Box office, $13 million. Critics and audiences agreed that this fourth film in the Airport series was a laughably bad sequel and its reception grounded the franchise permanently. The Disaster Movie genre was also crippled the following year by Airplane!, which spoofed this franchise.not enough of a loss, cut
- Concussion (2015) — Budget, $35 million. Box office, $34,255,169 (domestic), $40,705,403 (worldwide). It did receive good reviews, though.made its money, cut
- The Condemned (2007) — Budget, $20 million. Box office, $8,642,858. This film closed after 4 weeks and lost its makers $15,700,000.keep
- Condorman (1981) — Budget, $14 million. Box office, $2.5 million (rentals). This superhero/spy spoof tanked with critics and audiences and was a key factor in Disney CEO Ron Miller losing his job a few years later. This was one of two duds that year for director Charles Jarrott, the other being The Amateur, that kept him off screen for five years. Star Michael Crawford stayed afloat with the title role in Barnum, but he wouldn't be in a movie until a voice role in Once Upon a Forest. This has since become a Cult Classic.keep
- Coneheads (1993) - Budget, $30 million. Box office, $21,274,717. This put director Steve Barron's studio film career on shakey ground before it was torpedoed by The Adventures of Pinocchio three years later.keep
- Confessions of a Dangerous Mind (2002) — Budget, $30 million. Box office, $16,007,718 (domestic), $33,013,805 (worldwide). Got pretty good reviews from critics, but George Clooney would wait another 3 years before sitting back in the director's chair, and this is one of the last times game show professional Chuck Barris, who worked with the film that was based on his CIA "autobiography" and is the creator of The Newlywed Game/The Dating Game/The Gong Show, would deal with media not related to novels and print.made its money, cut
- Confidence (2003) — Budget, $15 million. Box office, $12,251,640 (domestic), $23,014,206 (worldwide). It got decent reviews despite the middling box office.made its money, cut
- Connie and Carla (2004) — Budget, $27 million. Box office, $11,341,016. Critics gave this comedy a mixed reception while audiences were more favorable. It would be five years before Nia Vardalos would write another film.keep
- The Conqueror (1956) — Budget, $6 million. Box office, $4.5 million (domestic), $9 million (worldwide). This infamous movie was the straw that broke RKO Pictures' back after spending nearly a decade crumbling under the erratic leadership of Howard Hughes. The film wound up getting mocked for casting John Wayne as Genghis Khan. The Conqueror derailed the careers of a handful of Hollywood heavyweights including Hughes, though Wayne wasn't one of those careers, and the filming location, which was downwind of a nuclear test site, may have killed several of the crew including Wayne (most of the people involved with the film died of cancer, which radiation can cause). Hughes, who produced this, quickly bought up all prints of the film for up to $12 million and refused to let them resurface and see the light of day again until after he died, at which point Universal got the film rights; this movie also exacerbated his obsessive-compulsive disorder.made its money, cut
- Conquest (1937) — Budget, $2,732,000. Box office, $2,141,000. Recorded loss, $1,397,000. This biopic of Countess Marie Walewska, the mistress of Napoléon Bonaparte, was MGM's biggest bomb at the time. This was a Star-Derailing Role for Greta Garbo, who played Walewska, who was labeled "box-office poison" the following year and made only two films before her retirement in 1941.keep
- Conspiracy Theory (1997) — Budget, $80 million. Box office, $75,982,834 (domestic), $136,982,834 (worldwide). This topped the box office in its first week, but gradually fell through soon after.made its money, cut
- The Conspirator (2011) — Budget, $25 million. Box office, $15,478,800. Its widest release was in 849 theaters. Robert Redford directed only one more film after this.keep
- The Contender (2000) — Budget, $20 million. Box office, $17,872,723 (domestic), $22,361,811 (worldwide). This political drama was released during the 2000 election and was hit with its own scandal when Gary Oldman accused director Rod Lurie of re-editing the film to make his Republican senator character less sympathetic. Nevertheless, the film was critically acclaimed, particularly for the performances of Joan Allen and Jeff Bridges.made its money, cut
- Conviction (2010) — Budget, $12.5 million. Box office, $11.1 million. While director Tony Goldwyn has maintained a steady acting career, the only things he directed after this one flopped are some episodes of various TV shows, including eight for Scandal, where he plays President Fitzgerald Grant III.not enough of a loss, cut
- Cookie's Fortune (1999) — Budget, $10 million. Box office, $10.9 million. This was Chris O'Donnell's first film since Batman & Robin two years earlier. He made two more films before taking a temporary hiatus from the big screen (which had more to do with his new family than anything). It was also another Acclaimed Flop for Robert Altman.made its money, cut
- Cool as Ice (1991) — Budget, $6 million. Box office, $1.1 million. Was seen as one of the factors of Vanilla Ice's popularity downfall. David Kellogg wouldn't direct another film until Inspector Gadget in 1999.keep
- Cool World (1992) — Budget, $28 million. Box office, $14,110,589. Director Ralph Bakshi was so dismayed by the film's reception and Executive Meddling (which included star Kim Basinger bowdlerizing the movie to show for sick hospital children even though that was not the intention of Bakshi at all) that he eventually retired from filmmaking. Cool World was also one of a few flops in the early 90's that melted the A-list career of Basinger, and film helmer Frank Mancuso's career was downgraded to B-level status ever since. The two men who rewrote the film into what it became without Bakshi's knowledge, Michael Grais and Mark Victor, saw their cinematic careers erased until 2000 rolled in, and they never wrote again. Only Brad Pitt and the veteran cartoon voice actors made it out alive. It would be another quarter-century before another original adult animated movie, Sausage Party, would be made.keep
- Cooties (2014) — Budget, Unknown. Box office, $55,749 (domestic), $260,542-348,091 (worldwide). Only showed on 29 screens in the U.S. and got a steep 77% drop from its first weekend to its second, as well as a reduction to 20 screens. It was also streamed on-demand right away, and some markets had it go Direct to Video.no budget info, cut
- Cop Out (2010) — Budget, $37 million. Box office, $44,875,481 (domestic), $55,439,786 (worldwide). Director Kevin Smith put the blame on the movie's derision on star Bruce Willis a la Hudson Hawk, while praising co-star Tracy Morgan. Smith got a demotion to the B-list of directors when the movie underwhelmed, and the brothers Mark and Robb Cullen, who wrote the movie, would be stuck in Hollywood Limbo until 2016.made its money, cut
- Cops and Robbersons (1994) — Budget, Unknown. Box office, $11,391,093. The first of two films released in 1994 directed by Michael Ritchie to flop, followed by The Scout.no budget info, cut
- The Core (2003) — Budget, $60 million. Box office, $31,186,986 (domestic), $73,498,611 (worldwide). Critics joked about this film being extremely implausible in its science. Director Jon Amiel wouldn't helm another movie until the end of the decade (Creation), and star Aaron Eckhart views this movie as an Old Shame, and claims to have once personally talked a video store customer out of renting it.made its money, cut
- The Corruptor (1999) — Budget, $25 million. Box office, $24,493,601. Director James Foley waited four years to make his next movie after this action thriller was beaten at the box office after eight weeks.not enough of a loss
- Cosmopolis (2012) — Budget, $20.5 million. Box office, $6.1 million. Its limited release topped out at 65 theaters and ended after seven weeks. The critics still gave it respectful reviews, though.keep
- The Cottage (2008) — Budget: $3,122,787, Box office: $1,626,080. Its release topped out at 19 theaters.keep
- The Cotton Club (1984) — Budget, $58 million. Box office, $25,928,721. Suffered an epically Troubled Production, including the gangland-style execution of a would-be backer and a budget-skyrocketing war of egos between producer Robert Evans and director Francis Ford Coppola, both of whose careers were already in trouble from other box office disappointments.keep
- The Counselor (2013) — Budget, $25 million. Box office, $16,973,715 (domestic), $71,009,334 (worldwide). The first screenplay by Cormac McCarthy was shredded by critics for its wordiness and its overwhelming bleakness. Part of a Dork Age for Ridley Scott, though he's still proud of it.made its money, cut
- The Country Bears (2002) — Budget, $35 million. Box office, $18,012,097. This not only put a dent in Haley Joel Osment's career (he did have the role of Sora in Kingdom Hearts that came out the same year as this film to offset the damage; that game and Lilo & Stitch were really the only two bright spots for The Walt Disney Company that year), but also led to Christopher Walken to not try for another role in a Disney-branded film until the Jungle Book remake in 2016 (he earned a Razzie nom for this movie). This is also one of a handful of attempts by Disney to turn their theme park attractions into movie franchises; their next one, Pirates of the Caribbean, DID succeed in becoming a franchise but it wasn't enough to save Michael Eisner's fading career at Disney. Don Henley, who provided the singing voice for one of the bears, also mostly steered clear of the movies after being in this one as well, and this was the last theatrical role Galaxy Quest alumni Daryl Mitchell took for a few years (he had been paralyzed from the waist down in a motorcycle accident).keep
- Coupe de Ville (1990) — Budget, Unknown. Box office, $715,983. Joe Roth didn't direct another film for 11 years, though he had a successful career as a movie producer to fall back on. This was also the first produced script for Mike Binder, who would become a director in his own right.no budget info, cut
- Cover (2007) — Budget, Unknown. However, Box Office, $79,436. This was only in 14 theaters for three weeks.no budget info, cut
- The Cowboy Way (1994) — Budget, $35 million. Box office, $20,280,016. Gregg Champion hasn’t directed a feature film since this one. (His next movie went straight to video, and has worked on television afterwards.)keep
- Cowboys & Aliens (2011) — Budget, $163 million. Box office, $100,240,551 (domestic), $174,822,325 (worldwide). This failure led the Walt Disney Studios to rethink their investment in their own fantasy/western The Lone Ranger, but despite reports of them cancelling the film due to Cowboys and Aliens failing in theaters, Disney proceeded with production, and The Lone Ranger would bomb even harder than Cowboys and Aliens, sending the science fiction/western genre to Mars. Director Jon Favreau didn't direct another film with a nine-figure budget until he helmed Disney's acclaimed remake of The Jungle Book; co-producer Scott Mitchell Rosenberg, who is a Marvel alumnus and the founder of Malibu Comics and Platinum Studios, has not had his name or Platinum's name attached to any film since thanks to this and Dylan Dog: Dead of Night; and actor Noah Ringer, who had the dishonor of playing Avatar Aang in The Last Airbender, hasn't been a visible actor since.made its money, cut
- Crackers (1984) — Budget, $12 million. Box office, $129,268.keep
- Cradle Will Rock (1999) — Budget, $36 million. Box office, $2,903,404. The film got good reviews, but it still put Tim Robbins' cinematic directing/writing career to sleep. His future directing credits are on TV and he wrote one TV movie 10 years later.keep
- Crank: High Voltage (2009) — Budget, $20 million. Box office, $13,684,249 (domestic), $34,560,577 (worldwide). There have been talks of a third Crank movie, however.made its money, cut
- Crash (1996) — Budget, $9 million. Box office, $2 million. The film version of JG Ballard's novel proved as controversial as its source material for its graphic depictions of sex, so much so that some right-wing groups tried to get it banned in the UK (it managed to get banned in only one borough of London). It polarized critics and audiences and its extremely limited release did it no favors.keep
- Crazy in Alabama (1999) — Budget, $15 million. Box office, $2,005,840. This was the first of two attempts by Spanish sensation Antonio Banderas to create a directing career for himself, and the film starred his then-wife Melanie Griffith. This film's failure ended those dreams right away, and the only other directorial effort from Banderas is a Spanish-only film in 2006. This movie also did serious damage to the career of producer Debra Hill, since she didn't make another movie for 6 years, right before she died.keep
- Crazy People (1990) — Budget, $18 million. Box office, $13.2 million. The movie suffered from various setbacks during production, including its two leads walking off as filming started and the studio having the reshoot with two replacements, as well as TWO directors getting replaced. The movie confused a lot of critics and the bizarre promotional material turned off audiences. It's the only film credit to date by director Barry L. Young, and the last film written by Mitch Markowitz.keep
- Creation (2009) — Budget, 10 million British Pounds Sterling (roughly $15.5 million). Box office, 341,323 U.S. Dollars (domestic), $896,298 (worldwide). This was the last movie that Jon Amiel directed, but he has fared well on television.keep
- Creature (2011) — Budget, $3 million. Box office, $300,000. It was promptly jettisoned from theaters a week later. Producer Sid Sheinberg would wait 4 years before trying another movie.keep
- The Crew (2000) — Budget, $25 million. Box office, $13,105,853. The last theatrical film directed by Michael Dinner, who maintains steady work in TV as of 2017.keep
- Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989) — Budget, $19 million. Box office, $18,254,702. This movie did succeed in becoming an Acclaimed Flop, so it didn't hurt its helmers' careers much at all.not enough of a loss, cut
- Crimewave (1986) — Budget, $3 million. Box office, $5,101. Yes, you read that right. In America the movie was released to theaters in only two states, Alaska and Kansas, in order to obtain quick television rights. Star and co-producer Bruce Campbell likes to say "The movie wasn't released, it escaped."not sure if an intended small release can qualify as a bomb, thoughts?
- Criminal (2016) — Budget, $31.5 million. Box office, $14,703,497 (domestic), $32,618,497 (worldwide). The film's weak performance with critics and audiences could imprison further ideas of director Ariel Vromen directing further non-documentary features. It's also not good news for the producers, and is the final film written by Douglas Cook, who died the year before, with his partner, David Weisberg, being on the bubble as well.made its money, cut
- Crimson Peak (2015) — Budget, $55 million. Box office, $31,090,320 (domestic), $74,048,222 (worldwide). This was a victim of Misaimed Marketing as Universal promoted it as a straight horror film instead of the Gothic Romance Guillermo del Toro intended.made its money, cut
- Criss Cross (1992) — Budget, $14 million. Box office, $3,052,738.keep
- Cristiada (2012) — Budget, $12 million. Box office, $9,622,846. This iced over director Dean Wright and writer Michael James Love's careers.keep
- Critical Care (1997) — Budget, $12 million. Box office, $221,193. Its widest release was 34 theaters.keep
- Cronos (1993) — Budget, $2 million. Box office, $621,392. This was Guillermo del Toro's first full-length feature film, and it went through 8 years of Development Hell. It was critically acclaimed, but did not get more than a limited release across 28 screens. Del Toro, thankfully, would move on to bigger and better things.keep
- Crooked Arrows (2012) — Budget, $13 million. Box office, $1,832,541. Director Steve Rash and writer Brad Riddell's careers have yet to get out of the woods after this.keep
- Crossing Over (2009) — Budget, $20 million. Box office, $3,529,869. This sat on The Shelf of Movie Languishment for two years before it was sent to die in a limited release. Wayne Kramer directed only one more film, Pawn Shop Chronicles, after this.keep
- Crossing The Bridge (1992) — Budget, Unknown. Box office, $479,676. Blamable on the film topping out at 235 theaters.no budget info, cut
- Crossroads (1986) — Budget, Unknown. Box office, $5,839,031.
- The Crucible (1996) — Budget, $25 million. Box office, $7,343,144. The film version of Arthur Miller's play was an Acclaimed Flop which never expanded beyond 344 theaters.keep
- Cruising (1980) - Budget, $11 million. Box office, $19 million. It was protested by Gay Rights groups both during filming and after its release over concerns of homophobia. Critics generally felt the film failed to strongly commit to its subject matter.made its money, cut
- Cry-Baby (1990) — Budget, $12 million. Box office, $8.2 million. Was almost an end to John Waters' directing career (it DID lead to an end to Rachel Talalay's producing career for 7 years; the next film she produced, The Borrowers, finished the job this film started).keep
- Cry Freedom (1987) — Budget, $29 million. Box office, $5,899,797. Richard Attenborough's film about the death of anti-apartheid activist Steve Biko and his friendship with journalist Donald Woods was an Acclaimed Flop that never left limited release. It was Denzel Washington's Star-Making Role and the source of his first Oscar nomination.keep
- The Crying Game (1992) — Budget, £2.3 million. Box office, £2 million (UK box office), $62.5 million (US Box office). Its failure in the UK was attributed by director Neil Jordan to its sympathetic IRA-member protagonist. US audiences turned out to see the film's major plot twist regarding a certain character's gender identity, thus turning it into a Sleeper Hit.made its money, cut
- Curdled (1996) — Budget, $2.3 million. Box office, $49,620. This was only in 18 theaters and was evicted after two weeks.keep
- A Cure for Wellness (2017) — Budget, $40 million. Box office, $26,536,570. Only two weeks into its American release, it almost immediately become the second biggest theater drop in history during its third weekend. The film is the second major career setback in a row for producer/writer/director Gore Verbinski after The Lone Ranger.keep
- Curious George (2006) — Budget, $50 million. Box office, $58,360,760 (domestic), $69,834,815 (worldwide). Its failure was another blow to theatrical traditional animation; however, it was well-reviewed by critics, and became popular with audiences when it hit DVD, enough to later earn two direct-to-DVD sequels and a TV series. Meanwhile, Jack Johnson's "Upside Down" became a Breakaway Pop Hit.made its money, cut
- The Current War (2019) — Budget, $30 million. Box office, $5.9 million (domestic), $10.8 million (worldwide). This was placed on The Shelf of Movie Languishment due to the collapse of its original distributor, The Weinstein Company, and its tepid response at the Toronto International Film Festival. It was re-edited for its eventual release. The end result was greeted with a better critical response than the original cut, but audiences weren't interested, going to holdovers such as Maleficent: Mistress of Evil and Joker.keep
- The Curse (1987) - Budget: $4 million, Box office: $1.9 million. This adaptation of H. P. Lovecraft's The Colour Out of Space didn't set the box office on fire, but it did spawn two In Name Only sequels. David Keith, who made his directorial debut here, primarly went back to acting after this, directing only two more films.keep
- The Curse of the Jade Scorpion (2001) — Budget, $33 million. Box office, $18,914,307. Almost killed Woody Allen's career until Match Point, revived it.keep, though i doubt it dented Allen's career at all
- Curse of the Pink Panther (1983) — Budget, $11 million. Box office, $4,491,986. A failed attempt to continue The Pink Panther series without Peter Sellers, Curse also marked the final film for David Niven. This and Trail of the Pink Panther put the series in remission for ten years.keep
- Cursed (2005) — Budget, $38 million. Box office, $29,621,722. This was hit with massive Executive Meddling that forced it to undergo numerous reshoots and rewrites. Director Wes Craven and writer Kevin Williamson considered it their biggest Old Shame and the critics were more than happy to rip it apart once it finally premiered.keep
- Cutter's Way (1981) — Budget, $5 million. Box office, $1,729,274. Originally released under the title Cutter and Bone, the film initially played in only seven theaters in New York City and was pulled after a week. United Artists transferred marketing duties to its art-house division, which retitled the film Cutter's Way and re-released it to much better results.keep
- Cutthroat Island (1995) — Budget, $98 million. Box office, $18,517,322. It bankrupted Carolco Pictures for 20 years, derailed Geena Davis' career, her marriage with director Renny Harlin (whose career was also badly damaged), and destroyed the entire swashbuckling adventure genre. (It also seems that any pirate movie without the Pirates of the Caribbean name is destined to fail; Carolco Pictures would be revived in 2015 by producer Alex Bafer, but was quickly shot down again two years later due to legal issues.) Only composer John Debney's career survived. After adjusting for inflation it's the biggest confirmed box office bomb of all time.note keep
- Cyrano de Bergerac (1950) — Budget, $1.1 million. Box office, $1.9 million (Rentals). Recorded Loss: $300,000. Although Jose Ferrer won unanimous praise and an Academy Award for his performance as the title character, the rest of the film was criticized for its low-budget look and less than stellar supporting cast. Producer Stanley Kramer later rebounded with High Noon and the film itself became Vindicated by History once it lapsed into the Public Domain.made its money, cut
A few iffy ones to look at, and there is a serious bloat and natter problem, but that's for another day.
I didn't choose the troping life, the troping life chose me
hello86
Since: Sep, 2009
#60: Aug 17th 2022 at 5:59:09 PM
The made its money back, cut criteria makes some movies sound too profitable. I suggest amending it to made enough of its money back, cut. I'll try my hand at examing a section. I'm choosing this section for one particular film.
G
- Gaily Gaily (1969) - Budget, $9 million. Box office, $1 million. The film version of Ben Hecht's novel A Child of the Century was the only film written by Abram S. Ginnes. It also marked Margot Kidder's film debut. Keep
- Gamer (2009) — Budget, $50 million. Box office, $40,828,540. This Neveldine/Taylor thriller got generally poor reviews, many of which derided the film for its bleakness, glorification of the violence it tried to satirize, and excessive criticisms against its prospective audience. keep
- Gangster Squad (2013) — Budget, $60 million. Box office, $46,000,903 (domestic), $105,200,903 (worldwide). This movie was meant to be released in 2012, but the Aurora, Colorado shootings at the Cinemark Century theater during The Dark Knight Rises led to it being pushed back. Its egregious violence, particularly from the Historical Villain Upgrade given to Big Bad Mickey Cohen, were hard to deal with after Aurora, which even reshoots did not deal with. Producer Dan Lin's future theatrical films, with one exception, deal exclusively with the Lego franchise, writer Will Beall would not get another screen credit until Aquaman, and Ruben Fleischer wouldn't direct another film for five years until Venom. made enough of its money back, cut
- The Garbage Pail Kids Movie (1987) — Budget, $30 million. Box office, $1,576,615. It grossed a paltry $661,512 for its opening weekend, and parental protests over the film's Refuge in Vulgarity after it received a PG rating led to it being pulled from theaters within weeks of its release. The notorious film became an instant Old Shame for both the creator of the source material, Mark Newgarden, and prolific voice actor Jim Cummings, who voiced several of the titular kids, and trashed the careers of songwriter/actor Anthony Newley and director Rod Amateau, as Newley never appeared in another theatrically released film, and Amateau only worked on one more film, 1988's Sunset, before disappearing from the entertainment industry completely. The movie also killed mainstream interest in the trading card game it was based on, and Topps would only really invest in them again in 2003. (Michael Eisner tried to make a new GPK movie in 2012, but it didn't take off) This was one of several bombs that helped dismantle its distributor, Atlantic Releasing Corporation. keep
- Gardens Of Stone (1987) — Budget, $13 million. Box office, $5,262,047. Francis Ford Coppola's Vietnam drama had its widest release at only 612 theatres. This was also the last film Coppola's son Gian-Carlo was working on before he was killed in a motorboat accident. keep
- A Gathering Of Eagles (1963) — Budget $3,346,500. Box office, $2,500,000. Not even Rock Hudson could save this film about a bomber wing of the Strategic Air Command (responsible for nuclear bomb armed B-52 bombers at the time). The makers misjudged the changing perception of the US military and the potential use of nuclear weapons in the early 1960s - later '60s anti-war and anti-nuclear weapon films such as Dr. Strangelove and Fail Safe would get a far better response critically and commercially. not enough of a loss, cut
- Gattaca (1997) — Budget, $36 million. Box office, $16,132,777. Despite great reviews, this sci-fi drama failed to find an audience upon release. This was Andrew Niccol's first film, and he'd find better success with the screenplay for The Truman Show the following year. keep
- Gemini Man (2019) — Budget, $138 million (production costs), $261 million (total costs including marketing). Box office, $48,546,770 (domestic), $173,469,516 (worldwide). This sci-fi thriller spent 20 years in Development Hell before David Ellison's Skydance Media saved it and took the project to Paramount. The end result was eviscerated by critics as a Cliché Storm and unable to compete with the likes of Joker and The Addams Family. It didn't help that another sci-fi tentpole from Paramount/Skydance, Terminator: Dark Fate, bombed only a few weeks afterwards. made enough of its money back, cut
- Gentlemen Broncos (2009) — Budget, $10 million. Box office, $118,192. It was mauled so badly by critics that Fox Searchlight only gave it a limited release topping 18 theaters. Jared Hess didn't direct another film until 2015's Don Verdean. keep
- George and the Dragon (2004) — Budget, $32 million. Box office, $557,910. This adaptation of the St. George legend was dumped onto the Sci-Fi Channel in America and had a fleeting theatrical release overseas. keep
- Georgia Rule (2007) — Budget, $20 million. Box office, $19,103,072 (domestic), $24,991,167 (worldwide). This film and I Know Who Killed Me later that year marked the downfall of Lindsay Lohan's acting career, and her prima donna behavior (which led to the producer writing an open letter criticizing her work performance), did her no favors, either. not enough of a loss, cut
- Geostorm (2017) — Budget, $120 million. Box office, $33,700,160 (domestic), $212,900,160 (worldwide). Dean Devlin's directorial debut began filming on October 20th, 2014, but disastrous test results led to extensive re-shoots and rewrites which pushed the film's release date to exactly three years later. The end result was widely mocked by critics as a Disaster Movie Cliché Storm and it crashed and burned once its first box office results came in. made enough of its money back, cut
- Geronimo: An American Legend (1993) — Budget, $35 million. Box office, $18,635,620. Director Walter Hill had some misgivings about how this movie turned out, and it dented his career along with Neil Canton and writer John Milius. Hill blamed the film's failure on a rival made-for-TV Geronimo biopic that aired on TNT around the same time. keep
- Gerry (2002) — Budget, $3.5 million. Box office, head's up, $254,683. This movie was a failed attempt at making a movie solely by Writing by the Seat of Your Pants, with Wikipedia noting it had a slow pace and unvarying set pieces. This helped derail Casey Affleck's career for several years. keep
- Getaway (2013) — Budget, $18 million. Box office, $10,501,938. This is the third and most recent film on director Courtney Solomon's resume, and he has no directing credits past this point. Production company Dark Castle's business ended up in the dark; they didn't have any credits for four years until Suburbicon... which also bombed. keep?
- The Getaway (1994) — Budget, $37 million. Box office, $16,096,974 (domestic), $30,057,974 (worldwide). This remake of the 1972 crime drama starred then real-life married couple Alec Baldwin and Kim Basinger. While the remake did get some buzz, if not out and out controversy, over its "voyeuristic" sex scenes between Baldwin and Basinger, it failed to connect with both critics and audiences, like their previous collaboration The Marrying Man. Richard Farnsworth was personally embarrassed by his role in the film, and plans for a sequel were unceremoniously cancelled. In an April 1997 interview with Movieline magazine, Basinger blamed the movie's box office failure on the fact that it opened around the same time as Ace Ventura: Pet Detective and a snowstorm on much of the east coast. This and a string of other post-Batman (1989) duds, as well as the stressful toll of her legal and financial problems and the subsequent birth of her and Baldwin's daughter caused Basinger to go on a three-year sabbatical from Hollywood. keep
- Get Carter (2000) — Budget, $63.6 million. Box office, $19,412,993. A botched remake of the 1971 film. Director Stephen Kay didn't direct again for five years, and it was a critical setback to the careers of the producer brothers Canton. keep
- Get Crazy (1983) — Budget, $5.5 million. Box office, $1,645,711. keep
- Get On Up (2014) — Budget, $30 million. Box office, $30,703,100 (domestic), $33,470,997 (worldwide). This James Brown biopic was an Acclaimed Flop, and critics particularly acclaimed Chadwick Boseman's performance as Brown, but was overshadowed by Guardians of the Galaxy on its opening weekend. Ironically, Boseman would later find greater success as Black Panther in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. barely made enough of its money back, cut
- Get Rich Or Die Tryin (2005) — Budget, $40 million. Box office, $30,985,352 (domestic), $46,442,528 (worldwide). 50 Cent's film debut was a semi-autobiographical film similar to 8 Mile. This was universally panned by critics for being a formulaic biopic and audiences generally ignored it. This was the screenwriting debut of Terence Winter, who hated the film for rewriting his script beyond recognition, and he stayed away from the big screen until The Wolf of Wall Street. made enough of its money back, cut
- Getting Even with Dad (1994) — Budget, $30 million. Box office, $18,869,594. Coming out the same weekend as The Lion King didn't help either. Along with Richie Rich and The Pagemaster, one of three Macaulay Culkin films that performed poorly at the box office that year. He did not appear in another feature film until 2003. This and the very negative critical reception to two other 1994 films from co-writer Jim Jennewein, The Flintstones (which was a financial success) and Major League II, led to Jennewein never writing another film, and this movie led producer Katie Jacobs to focus on television instead. keep
- Gettysburg (1993) — Budget, $25 million. Box office, $10,769,960. Ted Turner financed this Civil War biopic, which was originally intended as a television miniseries. The film played in only 248 theaters and was successful in the theaters that did play it despite its massive length (four hours and 14 minutes, plus intermission), but never exited limited release. It recouped its budget from video and television sales. keep
- G-Force (2009) — Budget, $150 million. Box office, $119,436,770 (domestic), $292,817,841 (worldwide). The first and only film by visual effects artist Hoyt Yeatman was deemed by critics as a So Okay, It's Average Cliché Storm. made enough if its money back, cut
- The Ghastly Love of Johnny X (2012) — Budget, $2 million. Box office, $2,436. This sci-fi/musical/comedy Retraux of 1950's B-movies played in a grand total of two theaters, and failed to find much of a following on video. limited release, cut
- Ghost Dad (1990) — Budget, $18 million. Box office, $25,421,633. Fresh off Leonard Part 6, apparently Bill Cosby decided to give the big screen one more try... in a movie where he plays a widower who apparently dies, realizes he hadn't arranged for life insurance for his kids and tries to close a deal to secure money to provide for them. The movie would get disastrous reviews, end any hope of Cosby having a film career and marked the final directing job for Sidney Poitier. made enough of its money back, cut
- Ghost in the Shell (2017) (2017) — Budget, $110 million (not counting marketing costs). Box office, $40,563,557 (domestic), $169,801,921 (worldwide). This adaptation of both Masamune Shirow's manga and Mamoru Oshii's anime film got average reviews that praised its visuals, but noted its lack of substance and philosophical technobabble from the original film. The movie faced controversy in Western countries for its Race Lift casting choices note , which only grew when the ending revealed that Major was actually an Asian woman in a Caucasian body. Despite this, audiences in Asia were generally more receptive toward this casting choice. To add insult to box office injury, it didn't even reach first, being beat out by DreamWorks Animation's The Boss Baby, which ended up dethroning the live-action adaptation of Beauty and the Beast, and only outdoing Power Rangers and Kong: Skull Island. Even the international box office was not able to save this film, due to the film being released in China a week before The Fate of the Furious, which overran it upon its release and became the fifth biggest grossing film in the country. made enough of its money back, cut
- Ghost Town (2008) — Budget, $20 million. Box office, $13,252,641 (domestic), $29,843,245 (worldwide). The critics liked it quite a bit in spite of the lackluster reception. made enough of its money back, cut
- Ghost World (2001) — Budget, $7 million. Box office, $6,217,849 (domestic), $8,764,007 (worldwide). This movie became an Acclaimed Flop, but it also became the sole writing credit for director Terry Zwigoff. made enough of its money back, cut
- Ghostbusters (2016) — Budget, $144 million (production only). Box office, $128,350,574 (domestic), $229,147,509 (worldwide). Despite a rather vocal part of movie fandom who detested the Gender Flip premise and a passionate Ghostbusters fanbase who objected to a reboot of a beloved property, the film seemed to have a solid domestic run, much better than a lot of property revivals at the time. However, that money only looks good in a vacuum; between an exorbitant budget and a weak worldwide take, the movie fell far short of breaking even, putting plans of a Ghostbusters universe — including spin-offs, TV, and animated features — seemingly on hold. A second sequel to the original movie was later announced three years later, with the movie taking place after Ghostbusters II. Part of a string of failures for Melissa McCarthy. Director Paul Feig rebounded with his next film, A Simple Favor. made enough of its money back, cut
- Ghosts of Mars (2001) — Budget, $28 million. Box office, $14,010,832. The film was sent to Mars by critics, and it knifed the career of John Carpenter after a decade-long string of flops; he did not direct another movie until 2010. keep
- Ghosts of Mississippi (1996) — Budget, $36 million. Box office, $13,323,411. Rob Reiner took a 3-year hiatus before his next film premiered, the longest time between releases of his movies up to that point. As far as producers go, Nicholas Paleologos and Frederick Zollo didn't produce another film for a full decade, while Andrew Scheinman's producing career was sent up the river and did not come back until 2014. Also one of the movies that year, along with the infamous Theodore Rex, the highest budget film to be sent Direct to Video, that derailed Whoopi Goldberg's cinematic career, but she has moved on to other avenues such as The View. keep
- G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (2009) — Budget, $175 million. Box office, $150,201,498 (domestic), $302,469,017 (worldwide). Became an Old Shame to Channing Tatum, who had to take part in this film as the character of Duke due to a picture deal he had with Paramount. His hatred for this film's script didn't prevent him from reprising the role in the sequel, G.I. Joe: Retaliation, but his character gets killed off for real early in that film. made enough of its money back, cut
- Gigli (2003) — Budget, $54–74 million. Box office, $7,266,209. Suffered from Executive Meddling that shifted the focus from the crime-comedy elements to the "Bennifer" romance; it also derailed their movie careers for a while along with derailing their relationship AND director Martin Brest's career. The film's theatrical run saw two major drops in gross and screens (81% and 97%, respectively) before the plug was pulled on the cinematic run at the end of the third week, and Sony Pictures would subsequently pull advertising for this film in favor of Bad Boys IInote and S.W.A.T., which were in their fifth and second weeks at the box office respectively. keep
- The Gingerbread Man (1998) — Budget, $25 million. Box office, $1,677,131. This legal thriller based on a discarded John Grisham novel tested poorly in an initial screening. So Polygram took it out of Robert Altman's hands and re-edited; their version tested even worse. Altman's version was given pretty decent reviews. keep
- Giorgino (1994) — Budget, €12 million (and that's just an estimate in euros; the film apparently cost 80 million francs!). Box office: the exact intake is unknown, but only 60,000 people saw the film during its release, and it only made back 1% of its budget. This was famed singer Mylène Farmer's first and only attempt at branching out into film; she would only do voice work for Arthur and the Invisibles and its sequels ever since, and after the failure of this film she left France to take a break in the United States. Director Laurent Boutonnat, the songwriting partner of Farmer who also directed many of her music videos, wouldn't direct another full-length film until 2007. vague monetary info, cut
- Girl 6 (1996) — Budget, $12 million. Box office, $4,939,939. This was the first film by Spike Lee that he did not write the script for (which was done by Suzan-Lori Parks). Critics didn't think highly of it back then but it's now got a bit of a cult following. Its soundtrack of exclusively Prince tracks helped make it memorable. keep
- The Girl in the Spider's Web (2018) — Budget, $43 million. Box office, $35,127,108. This sequel to David Fincher's The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo was a failed attempt to reboot Steig Larsson's novel series. The critics didn't care for it, though they liked Claire Foy as Lisbeth Salander. keep
- Girl, Interrupted (1999) — Budget, $40 million. Box office, $28,912,646 (domestic), $48,350,205 (worldwide). Though Angelina Jolie won an Oscar for this movie, the writers weren't nearly as lucky. One of them, Anna Hamilton Phelan, didn't have another screen credit for ten years, and another, playwright Lisa Loomer, withdrew from Hollywood altogether and stuck with plays. The third writer, director and co-producer James Mangold, saw his career survive. made enough of its money back, cut
- The Girl Next Door (2004) — Budget, $21 million. Box office, $14,589,444 (domestic), $30,411,183 (worldwide). This Sex Comedy received mixed reviews from critics, many of whom derided Fox for marketing it to teens. Lackluster advertising that made it look more appealing to younger teenage girls rather than the older teen/young adult males the film was aimed at also didn't help. It did find an audience via DVD and cable airings, though. made enough of its money back, cut
- Give My Regards to Broad Street (1984) — Budget, $9 million. Box office, $1.4 million. A comedic Musical starring Paul McCartney as a fictional version of himself, it was pounced on by critics, who dismissed it as a Vanity Project (McCartney self-financed it and also wrote the screenplay), and film audiences had little interest in it. His decision to re-record six of his songs for The Beatles for the soundtrack also met with some controversy, though the film produced a Breakaway Pop Hit with "No More Lonely Nights", and is considered a Cult Classic by McCartney's fans. Peter Webb never directed another film. keep
- Gladiator (1992) — Budget, $20 million. Box office, $9,223,441. keep, wish there was more info about it
- Gladiators of Rome (2012) — Budget, $45-55 million (almost $80 million including marketing costs). Box office, $10,079,201 (worldwide). The loss was so significant for the film's animation studio, Rainbow SpA, that all of its other productions were affected. Rainbow had to cut costs on its TV shows for years afterward, most notably the 7th season of Winx Club. keep
- The Glass House (2001) — Budget, $22 million. Box office, $18,150,259 (domestic), $23,619,609 (worldwide). Opening it three days after the September 11th attacks certainly didn't help its prospects, plus September was already one of the Dump Months. It did sell well enough on home video to spawn a direct-to-video sequel. barely made enough of its money back, cut
- The Glass Menagerie (1987) — Budget, $3.3 million. Box office, $895,904. This adaptation of the Tennessee Williams play ended up being the final film Paul Newman ever directed. keep
- Glengarry Glen Ross (1992) — Budget, $12.5 million. Box office, $10.7 million (domestic). The film version of David Mamet's play was a critical smash which only topped out at 418 theaters. not enough of a loss, cut
- The Glimmer Man (1996) — Budget, $45 million. Box office, $20,351,264. This debuted at number two behind three-week champ The First Wives Club but quickly lost its luster. keep
- Glitter (2001) — Budget, $22 million. Box office, $5,271,666. This film's failure, along with that of the accompanying soundtrack album, sent Mariah Carey's career into recession for several years. Being released the weekend after 9/11 (in what was already a traditionally poor month) couldn't have helped either. keep
- Gloria (1999) — Budget, $30 million. Box office, $4,197,729. Sidney Lumet wouldn't direct another theatrical film until Find Me Guilty in 2006. This was also George C. Scott's final theatrical film before his death later that year. keep
- Goal (2005) — Budget, $33 million. Box office, $27.6 million. Got mixed reviews and earned director Danny Cannon a red card for theatrical releases; he's stayed in a successful television career since. It's also one of the last flops from Disney, who distributed this thru Touchstone, that led to CEO Michael Eisner getting ejected from the company by the fall. This film's financial failure didn't stop a trilogy from being made, but the third installment in this trilogy went Direct to Video. not enough of a loss, cut
- Gods and Generals (2003) — Budget, $56 million. Box office, $12,923,936. This prequel to Gettysburg was labeled a terminally ill case of "prequelitis" from critics, and it dealt a great deal of damage to Maxwell and the producers. Maxwell would not direct another movie for ten years, and Ted Turner Pictures went out of business after just one film. keep
- Gods and Monsters (1998) — Budget, $10 million. Box office, $6,451,628 (domestic). It destroyed the cinematic careers of co-producers Gregg Fienberg and Paul Colichman despite being an Acclaimed Flop and getting several Academy Award nominations, winning for director Bill Condon's screenplay. Fienberg stayed in TV and Colichman did not work another movie for nine years. not enough of a loss, cut?
- Gods of Egypt (2016) — Budget, $140 million (not counting marketing costs), approx. $170 million (counting them). Box office, $31,153,464 (domestic), $150,680,864 (worldwide). The film received damning reviews on release (the Rotten Tomatoes critic consensus reads, "Look on Gods of Egypt, ye filmgoers, and despair! Nothing beside remains. Round the decay of this colossal wreck, boundless and bare. The lone and level sands stretch far away. (Apologies to Shelley.)" It currently has a 16% with critics on the site. This prompted a backlash from the director of the film, Alex Proyas. It had a poor first week against Deadpool, and the next week saw the release of a second Gerard Butler film, London Has Fallen (which also didn't fare very well with critics), and Disney's Zootopia, the latter of which mauled both movies at the box office. This contributed to a poor year for Gerard Butler, while Chadwick Boseman saw this as an Old Shame. made enough of its money back, cut
- Godsend (2004) — Budget, $25 million. Box office, $14,379,751 (domestic), $30,114,487 (worldwide). Director Nick Hamm's theatrical career was cast off the silver screen until 2011's Killing Bono after this sci-fi thriller was mauled by critics and audiences. made enough of its money back, cut
- Godzilla 1985 (1985) — Budget, $2 million (not counting marketing costs), $3.2 million (counting them). Box office, $4,116,395. Kept the big lizard out of American theaters until the 1998 American film. not counting marketing, it's actually profitable. With it, it barely made enough of its money back. cut either way
- Godzilla 2000 (2000) — Budget, $13 million. Box office, $12,924,063. While it didn't make a lot of money, it still succeeded in bringing back American interest in Godzilla once again, after the financially sucessful but otherwise reviled 1998 American adaptation damaged the reputation of the franchise and the Kaiju genre outside of Japan. not enough of a loss, cut. factor in its original Japanese release, where it made $15 million, and it's profitable
- Godzilla: Final Wars (2004) — Budget, $19.5 million. Box office, $12 million. This intended Grand Finale of the Millennium series and temporary retirement picture for Godzilla fell significantly short of expectations. The Big G's next two cinematic outings would come a decade later and did far better at the box office. unambiguous keep, compared to the other two. It's still, upon second look, not enough of a loss, cut.
- Going the Distance (2010) — Budget, $32 million. Box office, $17,804,299 (domestic), $42,052,757 (worldwide). Director Nanette Burstein and writer Geoff LaTulippe have not tried another theatrical film after this movie. It seems to have killed Justin Long's career as he hasn't been seen in a mainstream movie since except for some voice acting gigs, the projects of his friend Kevin Smith and a supporting role in Movie 43. Drew Barrymore's career also seemed to take a bit of a hit, as she's only appeared in a few movies in the years since. Her career got a boost with the critically-lauded Netflix series Santa Clarita Diet, which was Cut Short after its third season, with a talk show produced by CBS soon following. made enough of its money back, cut
- Gold (2016) — Budget, $20 million. Box office, $11.5 million. The Weinstein Company shifted this from a wide Christmas day release to a limited day before New Year's release to position it for awards consideration. Its mixed reviews dulled its awards luster pretty quickly. keep
- The Golden Bowl (2001) — Budget, $20 million. Box office, $5,753,678. This Merchant-Ivory adaptation of the Henry James novel debuted at the 2000 Cannes Film Festival, where it was poorly received. When the original distributor, Miramax, asked the filmmakers to recut the film, Merchant-Ivory took the film to Lionsgate, who gave it a limited US release of 117 theaters. Critics also gave it a mixed reception. keep
- The Golden Compass (2007) — Budget, $180 million. Box office, $70 million (domestic), $372,234,864 (internationally). Unfortunately, New Line Cinema had sold off the international distribution rights in order to raise enough money for the film's production, meaning that they only got the domestic gross, and never saw a penny of the international box office. As a result, New Line was absorbed into Warner Bros. soon after. Plans for the remainder of the book series eventually disappeared, leaving this film's ending to become an unintentional perpetual Cliffhanger and turning the whole experience into an Old Shame for director Chris Weitz thanks to Executive Meddling. The example I alluded to at the top of the post. Keep, for reasons highlighted in the very first sentence.
- The Goldfinch (2019) — Budget, $45 million. Box office, $4,977,125 (domestic), $6,777,125 (worldwide). The film version of Donna Tartt's acclaimed novel opened to critical and audience apathy. The film opened at eighth place against Hustlers and It: Chapter Two, the latter of which was in its second weekend. It is, by far, one of the worst opening weekends for a wide release ever. Its theatrical run was so bad that it lost all but 442 theaters in its third weekend. keep
- Gone Fishin' (1997) — Budget, $53 million. Box office, $19,736,932. A tremendously Troubled Production, the movie suffered various delays, confused marketing (Disney couldn't entirely figure out whether to market it to older kids or adults), and a stuntwoman's death during filming. Disney sent it out to die against The Lost World: Jurassic Park, and director Christopher Cain didn't work on another theatrical film until September Dawn, ten years later. keep
- Gone in 60 Seconds (2000) — Budget, $103.3 million (not counting marketing costs), $170.7 million (counting them). Box office, $101,648,571 (domestic), $237,202,299 (worldwide). Critics slashed the tires on this remake of the 1974 cult film, deriding the plot as nonsensical and car chases as boring, but audiences were more forgiving. An Old Shame for Christopher Eccleston. Disney took a roughly $90 million loss on the film, but it did better on home video. made its money back, cut
- Gooby (2009) — Budget, $6.5 million. Box office, $3,234. Gooby is often criticized for its Uncanny Valley main character and poor quality plot, being deemed suitable only for its child audience. Thus, it made much less than the budget it was given, and is not taken seriously at all nowadays. keep
- The Good Dinosaur (2015) — Budget, $175 million. Box office, $123,087,120 (domestic), $332,207,671 (worldwide). This Pixar film suffered from rampant micromanagement at Disney. The story went through dozens of rewrites, film staff departures, and eventually the entire voice cast got replaced after all of their parts had been recorded. The film was dumped for the Thanksgiving weekend, opening at a weak $39 million and behind The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2, then any chance of the film making a profit domestically was dashed with the release of The Force Awakens just a month later, making it Pixar's first-ever box office bomb in its history (Cars 2 also failed to make back its budget domestically but was saved by the international box office; the basic concept of this film had also been done twice before, with Steven Spielberg/Don Bluth's The Land Before Time in 1988 and Disney's own Dinosaur film in 2000). made enough of its money back, cut
- The Good German (2006) — Budget, $32 million. Box office, $5,914,908. Steven Soderbergh's film version of Joseph Kanon's novel was deliberately produced in the style of a 1940's film. Critics called out the film for its style-over-substance approach and it became a casualty of the crowded holiday season. keep
- A Good Man In Africa (1994) — Budget, $20 million. Box office, $2,308,390. Writer William Boyd didn't write another screenplay for five years, and the film's production turned it into an Old Shame for director Bruce Beresford, who had a considerable amount of disdain for it and considers it the worst project he's been involved with. keep
- The Good Mother (1988) — Budget, $14 million. Box office, $4,764,606. The first of a series of bombs note that zapped Leonard Nimoy's directorial career. keep
- The Good Shepherd (2006) — Budget, $90 million. Box office, $59,952,835 (domestic), $99,480,480 (worldwide). The second and final film directed by Robert De Niro. keep
- The Good Thief (2003) — Budget, $30 million. Box office, $6,460,758. A well-regarded film that never made it past 222 theaters. keep?
- Good Times (1967) — Budget, $1,115,000. Box office, $600,000 (rentals, domestic), $800,000 (worldwide). This was sold to distributor Columbia prior to showtime, which earned producer Steve Broidy a profit despite being a failure. ABC wasn't so lucky to the tune of $1,050,000. keep
- A Good Year (2006) — Budget, $35 million. Box office, $7,459,300 (domestic), $42,064,105 (worldwide). Ridley Scott reteamed with his Gladiator star Russell Crowe for this romantic comedy based on a Peter Mayle novel. It was generally panned by critics, who didn't think Scott nor Crowe were well-suited for the material. Scott and Crowe had better luck the next year with American Gangster. made enough of its money back, cut
- Goodbye Charlie (1964) — Budget, $3.5 million. Box office, $3.7 million (domestic rentals). The film version of George Axelrod's play (also filmed as Switch in 1991) marked Pat Boone's final film under his seven-year contract with Fox. made its money back, cut
- Goodbye Lover (1999) — Budget, $20 million. Box office, $1,940,299. Roland Joffe's first film since the fiasco of The Scarlet Letter was mostly shot in 1996 and had reshoots done two years later after a poorly-received screening at Cannes. The modified film still got poor reviews and saw release in 865 theaters. All but 165 of them dropped it by its third week and it was in 216 theaters for its fourth and final week. This was the only film to be produced by New Regency subsidiary Regency Vision. keep
- Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween (2018) — Budget, $35 million. Box office, $46,700,633 (domestic), $93,320,380 (worldwide). The sequel to 2015's Goosebumps (based on the series of books of the same name) failed to make the big numbers of its predecessor, and averaged a 47% rating on Rotten Tomatoes compared to 76% of the first. It seems unlikely that another sequel is being planned. made enough of its money back, cut
- Gossip (2000) - Budget, $24 million. Box office, $5,108,820 (domestic), $12,591,270 (worldwide) This critically dismissed thriller was quickly silenced in a market dominated by the likes of U-571 and Gladiator in its brief run. First-time feature director Davis Guggenheim would find much more success in the field of documentaries starting with the Oscar-winning An Inconvenient Truth, though he would attempt one more scripted film seven years later with Gracie (listed below). keep
- Gotti (2018) — Budget, $10 million. Box office, $2.4 million. This is the second biopic of mobster John Gotti, and it was critically mauled for its stereotypical script, messy editing, and tenuous connection to the real story, not the least being a big case of Historical Hero Upgrade to Gotti himself. It is one of the few films with a 0% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and this sparked backlash from the film's marketing, which accused critics of conspiring against the film. The box office losses were exacerbated by 40% of the ticket sales coming from MoviePass, which was the parent production studio. It was one of several blunders that whacked MoviePass Ventures and eventually MoviePass itself, and did little to help John Travolta's acting career. This also sadly turned out to be Kelly Preston's final film appearance before her death in 2020. keep
- Goya's Ghosts (2006) — Budget, $51 million. Box office, $9,448,082. This is the final film that Milos Forman directed or wrote before his death in 2018. keep
- Grabbers (2012) - Budget: $5,207,020, Box office: $427,335. keep
- Grace Of Monaco (2014) — Budget, $30 million. Box office, $26 million. Its US theatrical release was scrapped due to disputes with director Olivier Dahan and the Weinstein Company and it premiered straight-to-cable there. It also didn't help that the critics and Princess Grace's family overwhelmingly disliked the film in any form. The tepid reception has likely stalled Dahan's career. not enough of a loss, cut'
- Grace of My Heart (1996) — Budget, $5 million. Box office, $660,313. This had to confront Tom Hanks' directoral debut, That Thing You Do!, which, like Grace Of My Heart, focused on the early to mid 60's pop music scene. Director Allison Anders took a three-year hiatus from writing and directing. keep
- Gracie (2007) — Budget, $10 million. Box office, $3,826,568. Davis Guggenheim's last scripted film as of 2020. keep
- Graffiti Bridge (1990) — Budget, $7 million. Box office, $4.2 million. This attempt at a pseudo-sequel to Purple Rain killed off any hope of Prince appearing on the big screen ever again. Also probably one of the turning points which became the foundation for Prince's feud with Warner Bros. in the mid-90s. not enough of a loss, cut
- Grandma's Boy (2006) — Budget, $5 million. Box office, $6.6 million. Immediately sentenced director Nicholaus Goossen to the C-list. He only directed another Happy Madison film in 2009, didn't work for another five years, and has stuck to television and shorts since. made enough of its money back, cut
- Grandview USA (1984) — Budget, $5 million. Box office, $4,743,119. This went straight out of theaters after two weeks and it wouldn't see a DVD release until 2011. not enough of a loss, cut
- Grease 2 (1982) — Budget, $11.3 million. Box office, $15.1 million. The film's failure killed off plans for a third movie, and it became a major Old Shame for lead actress Michelle Pfeiffer, who claims she "hates it with a vengeance". It was also a major blow to Maxwell Caulfield's movie career. made enough of its money back, cut
- Great Balls of Fire! (1989) — Budget, $16-18 million. Box office, $13,741,060. not enough of a loss, cut
- The Great Raid (2005) — Budget, $80 million. Box office, $10,769,311. This led to the writer duo of Carlo Bernard and Doug Miro not writing another film for four years. keep
- The Great White Hope (1970) - Budget, $9.87 million. Box office, $9.325 million (domestic rentals). The film version of Howard Sackler's lauded play, loosely based on boxer Jack Johnson, featured James Earl Jones and Jane Alexander (in her film debut) recreating their stage roles. It was a critical darling back in the day, though time hasn't been kind to it. not enough of a loss, cut
- The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965) — Budget, $21 million. Box office, less than $8 million by 1983, $15,473,333 (current total). This film's flopping, due in no small part to a long length and criticism over its distracting celebrity cameos (including a legendary example of miscasting with John Wayne as the Centurion), discouraged any more biblical epics for a while, and it sadly sent the careers of producer/director George Stevens and actress Dorothy McGuire to Hell. McGurie's career took a hiatus for six years, and Stevens only made one more film in 1970. keep
- Greed (1924) — Budget, $665,603. Box office, $274,827. Erich von Stroheim's adaptation of the novel McTeague was shot as an eight-hour movie but MGM cut it down against his will to two-and-a-half hours. This initially released version was panned by critics and audiences and was disowned by Stroheim. The original cut and the edited footage is now lost and its four-hour restoration was made with still photos to fill the gaps. This has been Vindicated by History as Stroheim's all-time masterpiece. keep
- Greedy (1994) — Budget, $23 million. Box office, $13,137,484. This was the last film Kirk Douglas made before his stroke in 1996 which impaired his ability to speak. keep
- Green Lantern (2011) (2011) — Budget, $225 million (plus another $100 million for marketing). Box office, $219,851,172. Warner Bros. wanted this to be their big new superhero trilogy, but combined with generally negative reviews and poor box office numbers, this appears to be a Stillborn Franchise (though there are still plans to have Green Lantern in the DC Extended Universe franchise). It also hasn't discouraged star Ryan Reynolds from taking the role of another comic book character, Deadpool, five years later, which was a project he had personally been involved with for years and included him making a Take That! to Green Lantern). It also sent director Martin Campbell's career into a pit for years; he has mostly focused on TV, and it would be four years before he got attached to another cinematic project, when he was tapped for the Jackie Chan/Pierce Brosnan project The Foreigner. (Campbell's the man responsible for Brosnan's Grand Premiere James Bond film, GoldenEye, along with Daniel Craig's Grand Premiere Bond film, Casino Royale (2006).) not enough of a loss, cut?
- Green Room (2016) — Budget, $5 million. Box office, $3,769,214. This Punks vs neo-Nazis horror-thriller received rave reviews from critics, but Invisible Advertising due to troubles with production company Broad Green Pictures doomed its box office chances. Thankfully, it did better on home video and is now considered a Cult Classic. not enough of a loss, cut
- Green Zone (2010) — Budget, $100 million. Box office, $94,882,549. One of several films centered on The War on Terror to flop at the box office. It opened at number two behind Alice in Wonderland (2010) and quickly fell through. Its spiraling budget played a role in getting Universal chairman Marc Smuger and a few other executives fired. not enough of a loss, cut
- Grey Owl (1999) — Budget, $30 million. Box office, $632,617. (Wow.) This biopic about the titular environmental activist was never released theatrically in the U.S. and its reception in the UK was bad enough to set Richard Attenborough's directing career back eight years. The semi-final film to date to involve Allied Filmmakers. keep
- Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes (1984) — Budget, $30 million. Box office, $45.9 million. It received mixed-to-positive reviews for its Truer to the Text take on Tarzan, but its underperformance led to a sequel getting scrapped. It already faced Creator Backlash from screenwriter Robert Towne, who was so dissatisfied with the changes made to his script that he substituted his name with that of his late dog, P.H. Vazak, who ended up getting nominated for an Oscar. The movie is also notorious for having Glenn Close redub all of leading lady Andie MacDowell's dialogue. It was also the last film for Sir Ralph Richardson, who also died before the film was released, and who also got an Oscar nomination for his performance. made enough of its money back, cut
- Gridiron Gang (2006) — Budget, $30 million. Box office, $38,432,823 (domestic), $41,480,851 (worldwide). Sony dumped the film overseas after it disappointed in the US (the films' international-unfriendly subject matter didn't help). made enough of its money back, cut
- Gridlockd (1997) — Budget, $5 million. Box office, $5,571,205. One of the last two films Tupac Shakur starred in, being released after he was murdered in Las Vegas the year before. Director Vondie Curtis-Hall did not direct another major film for four years, and co-producer Paul Webster didn't take a non-executive producer role on a movie for three years. made its money back, cut
- Grind (2003) — Budget, $6 million. Box office, $5,141,166. This skateboarding comedy was panned by critics for its one-note characters and low-brow humor (though audience reception was much better) and skated away from theaters after five weeks. not enough of a loss, cut
- Grindhouse (2007) — Budget, $67 million. Box office, $25,422,088. A love letter to the Exploitation Film craze of the 1970's from Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez. Audience confusion over its Double Feature nature and likely sabotage from notorious film executive Harvey Weinstein over the casting of Rose McGowan contributed to its poor box office, though good critical reception and strong home video sales propelled it to Cult Classic status, and two of its fake trailers featured within became actual films. keep
- Grudge Match (2013) — Budget, $40 million. Box office, $29,807,260 (domestic), $44,907,260 (worldwide). This was part of a brutal year for Sylvester Stallone and the worst received of his output by critics. It also didn't fare well in a particularly crowded holiday season. Kim Basinger saw this as her worst movie making expereince. not enough of a loss, cut
- The Guardian (1990) — Budget, $10-20 million estimated. Box office, $17 million. Critics generally felt this horror film was too absurd to be scary. Director William Friedkin disowned this movie. It also killed Jenny Seagrove's career as a lead in American films, as everything she's done since has been British films. either it made enough of its money back, or not enough of a loss. cut
- The Guilt Trip (2012) — Budget, $40 million. Box office, $37,134,215 (domestic), $41,863,726 (worldwide). Critics felt that the talents of Seth Rogen and Barbra Streisand were wasted; the latter had the "honor" of a Razzie nomination for Worst Actress. barely made enough of its money back. cut
- Guilty by Suspicion (1991) — Budget, $13 million. Box office, $9,480,198. This film about the Hollywood blacklist got some negative publicity once screenwriter Abraham Polonsky (himself a blacklist victim) disowned the film in the press due to Executive Meddling. (The lead character, played by Robert De Niro, was written as a Communist in the script and was rewritten to be a moderate liberal in the finished product.) not enough of a loss, cut
- Gumby: The Movie (1995) — Budget, $2.8 million. Box office, $57,100. The cinematic adaptation of The Gumby Show never escaped a limited release when it was squashed by critics, and it subsequently squashed helmer Art Clokey's career and future new Gumby material as well; the series has remained visible due to reruns, but attempts to revive the franchise with new shows fell victim to Development Hell. keep
- The Gun In Betty Lous Handbag (1992) — Budget, $13 million. Box office, $3,721,911. This satire about a bored housewife who lets herself take the rap for a murder was despised by critics and ignored by audiences. Allan Moyle waited three years to direct his next film, Empire Records, which also floundered at the box office. keep
- The Gunman (2015) — Budget, $40 million. Box office, $10,664,749. This was universally panned by critics and was shot down after six weeks in theaters. keep
- Guy (1997) — Budget, Unknown, but... Box office, just $4,134. This was in one theater and was gone after nine days. It did no favors for Gramercy Pictures. unknown budget, cut
- A Guy Thing (2003) — Budget, $20 million. Box office, $17,432,163. The second and last feature film directed by Chris Koch, who's stuck to TV work ever since. not enough of a loss, cut
How'd I do?
Edited by hello86 on Aug 17th 2022 at 9:37:47 AM
#61: Aug 17th 2022 at 6:28:14 PM
re: Captain America, I think it should stay, even if it was made solely to keep IP rights, that's a huge loss.
I'm not too concerned about the language we're using. It's correct to say the movie made it's money back if the box office exceeded the budget. It didn't turn a profit, but it did make its money back.
But there are a few items in the G folder I'll address:
- Gamer: 81% return, not enough of a loss, cut.
- The Getaway: 81% return, not enough of a loss, cut.
- The Girl in the Spider's Web: 81% return, not enough of a loss, cut.
- Gods And Monsters: I agree, it can go.
- The Golden Compass: I don't agree, I think this should be cut. I would wait for laserviking's opinion though.
- Green Lantern: I agree, it can go.
re: Captain America, I think it should stay, even if it was made solely to keep IP rights, that's a huge loss.
re: Carefree, I'm a bit confused I think, because the film did make back its budget, at least according to the numbers provided here. But they don't add up. To adjust for inflation:
- Budget: $25,482,109.93
- Box Office: $35,203,138.30
- Supposed Loss: $1,382,907.80
re: Children Of Men: it had a 91% return, so I would cut it.
Cats and Catwoman rewrites
- Cats (2019) — Budget, $95 million (production costs), $196 million (total costs). Box office, $27,166,770 (domestic), $73,695,985 (worldwide). Tom Hooper's star-studded adaptation of the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical was doomed the moment its first trailer dropped, thanks to its "digital fur technology" that was widely mocked for turning the cast into bizarre CGI cat-human-hybrids. It was Christmas Rushed and had several unfinished effects, leading Universal to issue new prints to fix them after the movie's release. The film made only $6.6 million on opening weekend due to opening the same day as the much-hyped Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker as well as facing strong runs from Jumanji: The Next Level and Frozen II. The movie went from 3,380 theaters to just 146 theaters within a month of its debut, resulting in a $113 million loss for Universal.
- Catwoman (2004) — Budget, $100 million. Box office, $82,102,379. This film was meant to be a spinoff of Batman Returns, but it suffered through Development Hell that led to it not having anything to do with Batman. This was DC's first film since 1997, when they released the similarly-reviled Batman & Robin and Steel, and they would have to wait another year for Batman Begins to regain ground in the entertainment industry and thirteen years for Wonder Woman to take another crack at the superheroine genre.
Edited by Hello83433 on Aug 17th 2022 at 9:44:34 AM
CSP Cleanup Thread | All that I ask for ... is diamonds and dance floors
hello86
Since: Sep, 2009
#62: Aug 17th 2022 at 8:01:36 PM
Let's move on to the next section.
Edit: Fixed a few goofs.
H
- Hackers (1995) — Budget, $20 million. Box office, $7,563,728. It was panned by critics for its dumb plot and copious Narm, while actual hackers mocked it for its Hollywoodized portrayal of their culture. It still became a Cult Classic, being an early prominent role for Angelina Jolie, and ironically developed a fanbase among IT security types who now view it as a charming example of 1990s camp. keep
- Hair (1979) — Budget, $11 million. Box office, $15,284,643. The film version of the counterculture rock musical received glowing reviews but not from the original creators, who felt the filmmakers missed the point of their work. While audiences ignored it back then, it's Vindicated by History now. made enough of its money back, cut
- Half Moon Street (1986) — Budget, $8 million. Box office, $2.3 million. keep
- Half Past Dead (2002) — Budget, $25 million. Box office, $19,233,280. Yet another deadly whack to Steven Seagal's fading career (which had gotten a slight comeback the year before with Exit Wounds), and the most severe one yet. Seagal would not star in another major movie until 2010's Machete, and Half Past Dead's failure sentenced the sequel, which did not feature Steven Seagal, to Direct-to-DVD. Director Don Michael Paul's next movie came in 2006, and he's been stuck with sequels and TV movies after that film. not that big a loss, cut
- Hamlet (1996) — Budget, $18 million. Box office, $4,739,189. Kenneth Branagh's four-hour, unabridged adaptation of the Shakespeare play only had a limited release, though a shorter cut was also given a wider release. It was still an Acclaimed Flop. keep
- The Hand (1981) -— Budget, $5.5 million. Box office, $2,447,576. This was Oliver Stone's first major studio film as director; he wouldn't direct again until 1986's Salvador. keep
- The Handmaid's Tale (1990) — Budget, $13 million. Box office, $4,960,385. The film version of Margaret Atwood's novel fell flat due to a limited release and unenthusiastic reviews. It fell further into obscurity after the highly-successful Hulu series debuted. keep
- Hands of Stone (2016) — Budget, $24 million. Box office, $5 million. This biopic of boxer Roberto Duran got a fifteen-minute standing ovation at the Cannes Film Festival, but it opened to mixed reviews and poor results when it opened in August at the end of the big summer bomb-buster of '16. keep
- Hanging Up (2000) — Budget, $60 million. Box office, $51,880,044. The film served as Walter Matthau's last feature, as he died a few months after its release, and director Nora Ephron didn't work another film for five years. not enough of a loss, cut
- Hanky Panky (1982) — Budget, $14 million. Box office, $9,823,934. This comedy was flattened by stiff comeptition from the likes of Star Trek II on its opening weekend. It's best known now for Gene Wilder and Gilda Radner's Romance on the Set. not enough of a loss, cut
- Hannibal Rising (2007) — Budget, $50 million. Box office, $27,670,986 (domestic), $82.2 million (worldwide). This prequel for Hannibal Lecter axed the franchise after its rancid critical and financial reception. The franchise was revived by an NBC series in 2013. made enough of its money back, cut
- The Happiest Millionaire (1967) — Budget and Box office, $5 million. Would have lost money for marketing expenses. This is the final movie Walt Disney was personally involved in. made barely enough of its money back, cut
- Happily Ever After (1990, 1993) — Budget, Unknown, but there was a $10 million marketing campaign included from distributor 1st National Film Corp. Box office, $3,229,382. This project was created to try to keep Filmation afloat (they went out of business shortly before its release), and when they attempted to create a direct sequel to Walt Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs along with Pinocchio without Disney's approval, the Mouse House immediately descended on them with a lawsuit, forcing them to change things to put distance between it and Disney. The film opened in France in 1990, but the legal hotfoot kept it out of American cinemas until 1993, when 1st National released it around the same time as the last theatrical Snow White reissue before that film's VHS premiere. Happily Ever After was blasted by critics and bombed, becoming the last straw that bankrupted 1st National; this movie was dropped from the radar right afterwards. Cut if marketing doesn't really count as monetary figures
- Happily N'Ever After (2007) — Budget, $47 million. Box office, $38,085,778. Coming off the heels of other "Fractured Fairy Tale" movies such as the Shrek franchise, this film was dumped on by critics (it has one of THE lowest Rotten Tomatoes scores for any animated film), who accused it of being a ripoff. This film's failure put an animation curse on production company Vanguard Animation and Lionsgate that really hasn't gone away, with Norm of the North being Lionsgate's latest animated implosion, and sent a sequel to this specific movie Direct to Video (producer John H. Williams, who is part of both this and the Shrek series, has still fared well). not enough of a loss, cut
- Happy Feet Two (2011) — Budget, $135 million. Box office, $64,006,466 (domestic), $150,406,466 (worldwide). This lost Warner Bros. $40 million, and director George Miller closed down his Dr. D studio two years after this film's failure. The movie's failure also convinced Miller to refocus on his bigger Mad Max project and stop with family movies. Happy Feet 2's box office failure would put the franchise on ice. made enough of its money back, cut
- The Happytime Murders (2018) — Budget, $40 million. Box office, $26,506,452. The Jim Henson Company's first major venture into R-rated material was critically trashed for being a one-note "Dirty Muppets" joke and died against Crazy Rich Asians, which was in its second weekend. Part of a string of commercial failures for Melissa McCarthy. not enough of a loss, cut
- Hard Eight (1997) — Budget, $3 million. Box office, $222,559. Paul Thomas Anderson's directorial debut and his first of many films to underperform despite high marks from critics. Its limited release and Executive Meddling did it no favors. keep
- Hard Rain (1998) — Budget, $70 million. Box office, $19,870,567. Critics were unkind toward this action/crime/disaster film, and it opened under the box office reign of Titanic (1997). Delays and reshoots marked the production as executives struggled to find ways to seperate it from the flood of disaster films of the late 1990s. Shortly before the premiere, lead actor Christian Slater landed in the headlines for a string of violent altercations, which affected the press coverage. Neither Minnie Driver nor Morgan Freeman had good things to say about their time on the film, and this was director Mikael Solomon's last film to get a theatrical release. keep
- Harlem Nights (1989) — Budget, $30 million. Box office, $60,864,870 (domestic), $95,900,000 (worldwide). The one film Eddie Murphy directed was technically profitable despite negative reviews, but Paramount still considered it a box office disappointment due to the movie only grossing half the money Murphy's previous films made, though it opened at #1 at the box office against Disney's The Little Mermaid, which ultimately outgrossed Harlem Nights. In a grim addition, several theaters in Detroit and California became settings for a few shootings note that resulted in the AMC theater chain banning any further Harlem Nights showings and a riot to erupt in Richmond following the shooting death of Marcel Thompson, 17, when that showing was canned. This whole mess kept Eddie Murphy from directing another movie again, and knocked him into the B list of stars until The Nutty Professor in 1996. Paramount's assessment aside, this was profitable, so cut.
- Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man (1991) — Budget, $23 million. Box office, $7,018,525. This became a Cult Classic later on. Mickey Rourke however treats the film as Old Shame, admitting that he only did the movie for the money. keep
- Harry Brown (2010) — Budget, $7.3 million. Box office, $1,818,681 (domestic), $10,329,747 (worldwide). Its widest release in the US was in 67 theaters. The critics generally liked it but director Daniel Barber waited five years before his next film. made enough of its money back, cut
- Harry And Son (1984) — Budget, $16 million. Box office, $4,864,980. Paul Newman didn't assume a producer's role for another 20 years. The film's commercial failure, plus some medical issues, did no favors to the career of Robby Benson; instead he became known for being the voice of the Beast in Disney's Beauty and the Beast seven years later. keep
- Hart's War (2002) — Budget, $70 million. Box office, $33,076,815. This was part of a bad year for MGM, being released the week after the remake of Rollerball. The producers blamed the failure on MGM advertising it as an action film instead of the courtroom drama that it was. Director Gregory Hoblit wouldn't make another film for five years. Jonathan Brandis hoped to save his career with this film but his part was mostly shipped off to the cutting room floor. It's likely his frustration over this contributed to his suicide the next year. keep
- Hatchet series Technically keepers, though we need to consider their limited release:
- Hatchet (2006) - Budget: $1,500,000, Box office: $208,550. The first in the horror series had a very limited release.
- Hatchet II (2010) - Budget: $800,000, Box office: $156,190. It had a very limited release like its predecessor and it didn't even last a week in theaters.
- The Hate U Give (2018) — Budget, $23 million (plus a marketing budget of around $30 million). Box office, $34.9 million. This adaptation of Angie Thomas' YA novel received near-universal acclaim from critics, but was ignored by most audiences (though it did get an "A+" rating on CinemaScore), likely because of competition from more higher-profile October releases, like Venom, A Star is Born, and Halloween, and 20th Century Fox not knowing how to properly market the film with its heavy racial subject matter. This was one of the last films produced by the studio's Fox 2000 division before their new owner shut down the label, and its follow-up, On the Come Up, moved development to Paramount as a result. This was the final film for screenwriter Audrey Wells, who died the day before its release. made enough of its money back, cut
- Haunted Honeymoon (1986) — Budget, $13 million, Box office, $8,033,397. This was Gilda Radner's final film role before her death in 1989, and it started the short string of movies that led to the complete crash of her husband Gene Wilder's film career (it's also the last time he took the director's megaphone). not enough of a loss, cut
- Havana (1990) — Budget, $40 million. Box office, $9,243,140. This film's failure served as the final collaboration between star Robert Redford and director Sydney Pollack. keep
- Haywire (2012) — Budget, $23 million. Box office, $18,942,396 (domestic), $33,372,606 (worldwide). In spite of good reviews, the studio sold the film wrong and dropped it on the dump month of January, leading to the financial failure. Apart from The Company You Keep, this film shorted out the cinematic career of writer Lem Dobbs for five years. 'made enough of its money back, cut
- He Got Game (1998) — Budget, $25 million. Box office, $21,567,853. Disney sold off the foreign rights to the film prior to its release in an effort to recoup some of its budget, believing a film with a black cast would alienate international audiences, much to the disgruntlement of director Spike Lee. Despite positive reviews and opening at number one against Black Dog and Les Misérables (1998), it suffered a 51% drop the next weekend. not enough of a loss, cut
- He Said, She Said (1991) — Budget, $15 million. Box office, $9,804,775. Ken Kwapis waited five years before his next film, Dunston Checks In, after this romantic comedy was ripped by critics and shunned by audiences. His wife and co-director, Marisa Silver, only had a few TV credits after this. not enough of a loss, cut
- Head (1968) — Budget, $750,000. Box office, unknown but almost certainly under $100,000 note . The Monkees try their hand at the big screen. The combination of the band being considered past their prime after their TV series was canceled, plus the bizarre Mind Screw of a film that director Bob Rafelson and co-writer Jack Nicholson put together led to Columbia Pictures burying the movie. It played in a handful of big city theaters at the end of 1968, went on the drive-in circuit after that, and was forgotten afterwards, but became a Cult Classic in The '80s when The Monkees experienced a resurgence in popularity. keep
- Head in the Clouds (2004) — Budget, $20 million. Box office, $3,510,605. This film sent John Duigan's directing career to Heaven; save for directing the Australian film Careless Love in 2012, he hasn't directed anything since. keep
- Head of State (2003) — Budget, $35.2 million. Box office, $38,620,484. This Chris Rock vehicle came out shortly after the Iraq War began and people ended up staying home to watch the news than go to the movies. Ali LeRoi hasn't produced a film since. made enough of its money back, cut
- Head Office (1985) — Budget, $9-12 million. Box office, $3,393,807. James Newton Howard made his film scoring debut on this comedy, whose failure ensured Ken Finkelman would never direct again. keep
- Hear No Evil (1993) — Budget, $10 million. Box office, $5,679,569. barely not enough of a loss, cut
- Heart and Souls (1993) — Budget, $25 million. Box office, $16,581,714. not enough of a loss, cut
- Heart Condition (1990) — Budget, $10 million. Box office, $4,134,992. keep
- Heart Like a Wheel (1983) — Budget, $7.5 million. Box office, $272,273. keep
- Heartbeeps (1981) — Budget, $10 million. Box office, $2.1 million. The film's failure killed any chances of Andy Kaufman doing a Tony Clifton movie. Heartbeeps, along with the financial underscores of Pennies from Heaven and Annie, junked Bernadette Peters' movie career as well. She wouldn't be in another movie until 1989. keep
- Heartbreak Hotel (1988) — Budget, $13 million. Box office, $5.5 million. Even with 18 Again! released the same year, this movie about a teenager kidnapping Elvis Presley was a Star-Derailing Role for Charlie Schlatter, who mostly became a voice actor within ten years. It also arguably ended Tuesday Weld's career as a leading actress, as almost all her roles since have been smaller or at least secondary. keep
- Heartbreakers (2001) — Budget, $35 million. Box office, $57,756,408. Despite this, the TV rights ended up being sold for $10 million. made its money back, cut
- Hearts in Atlantis (2001) — Budget, $31 million. Box office, $30,919,415. This film falling just over $80,000 short of its original budget and getting exactly 50/50 reviews from critics sunk director Scott Hicks' career for six years, and is the second-to-last film written by William Goldman until the 2010's. not enough of a loss, cut
- Heat (1986) — Budget, $17 million. Box office, $2,793,214. The first film version of William Goldman's novel of the same name. The film went through five directors, star Burt Reynolds feuded with one of them, Dick Richards, who was later injured after falling from a crane. Richards and Jerry Jameson were the two credited directors on the film; Richards never worked in Hollywood again but Jameson found steady work on TV. Goldman, who also wrote the screenplay, was displeased with the results. Keep; why did I list this as a cut?
- Heathers (1989) — Budget, $2 million. Box office, $1,108,462. This was expelled from theaters after five weeks, but it was acclaimed by critics and became a Cult Classic once it hit home video. not enough of a loss, cut
- Heaven & Earth (1993) — Budget, $33 million. Box office, $5,864,949. Oliver Stone's third entry in his Thematic Series of Vietnam War films was the least liked by critics. Its limited release of 781 theaters didn't help its box office, and its failure effectively signaled the end of the Vietnam War film boom from the decade prior. keep
- Heaven's Gate (1980) — Budget, $44 million. Box office, $3,484,331. This film's failure led to the bankruptcy of United Artists, the ruination of director Michael Cimino's career, the derailment of Kris Kristofferson as a leading man, and (along with other flops) the end of the auteur period in Hollywood, and became a byword for box office disasters. The film's Troubled Production was heavily publicized, but the critical thrashing in its New York premiere, and finally, United Artists pulling the film at Cimino's request to re-edit it was largely considered the catalyst that kept audiences away. Unambiguous Keep
- Heavens Prisoners (1996) — Budget, $25 million. Box office, $5,009,305. This sent screenwriter Harley Fenton's career to Heaven for a few years. keep
- The Hebrew Hammer (2003) — Budget: $1,000,000, Gross USA: $19,539. This superhero parody only had a limited release, mainly due to Comedy Central airing the film nearly two weeks earlier. It also drew controversy for its use of Jewish and Christian stereotypes. Further airings by Comedy Central cemented it as a Cult Classic. keep
- Hedwig and the Angry Inch (2001) — Budget, $6 million. Box office, $3.6 million. The film version of the off-Broadway musical, with co-creator John Cameron Mitchell writing, directing and starring in the title role, was released in only a handful of theaters, but it was an Acclaimed Flop then and a Cult Classic now. keep
- Heist (2001) — Budget, $39 million. Box office, $28,510,652. While it didn't set the box office on fire, it generated a whopping $72 million in rentals on home video. not enough of a loss, and a bonanza on video, so cut
- Heist (2015) — Budget, $22 million. Box office, $50,136. Got a handful of poisonous reviews and only got a limited release in theaters, otherwise coming directly to video-on-demand. keep
- Held Up (1999) — Budget, $8 million. Box office, $4,705,631. Apart from a movie called Good Advice, director Steve Rash's cinematic career was held up in Hollywood Hell until 2012. barely scrapes by on its intake, so cut
- Hellboy (2019) — Budget, $50 million. Box office, $19.7 million (domestic), $30 million (worldwide). This reboot of Hellboy was eviscerated by critics for its messy script, Mood Whiplash, and overreliance on gore. It dropped between 68% and 73% in its second weekend, then 91% in its third, which happened to be the same weekend Avengers: Endgame came out. not enough of a loss (60% covered), so cut
- Hell in the Pacific (1968) - Budget, $4,150,000. Box office, $3,230,000. The movie had one of the more expensive productions at the time. This, combined with the movie's unusual concept, lack of subtitles and unpopular ending, caused the movie to become one of the biggest box office bombs of its time. It was one of the factors that caused its production company, ABC Films (subsidiary of the ABC company), to eventually go bankrupt. However, the critics did praise many aspects of the film, especially Toshiro Mifune's performance as one of the best in his career. not enough of a loss, cut
- Hello, Dolly! (1969) — Budget, $25 million. Box office, $26 million (rentals), $33.2 million (box office total). The adaptation of the play cost the film's backers $10 million and, despite faring well at the Academy Awards, signaled the beginning of the end for the live-action musical. Critics felt the film was an overproduced mess with Barbra Streisand immensely miscast in the title role. The film's financial failure and the critical panning of Gene Kelly's next film The Cheyenne Social Club were crippling blows to Kelly, who never directed another theatrical film after 1970, and it was part of a string of bombs that crushed the relationship and Fox careers of Darryl Zanuck and son Richard, though Richard became a producer, and led to Fox entering troubled waters until the premiere Star Wars film. Hello Dolly's reputation was eventually revived when two major songs from it and a few clips were used as key set pieces in Pixar's masterpiece WALL•E 40 years later (both of the songs used are also used in the Disney Theme Parks). made enough of its money back, cut
- Hello Mary-Lou: Prom Night II (1987) — Budget, $2 million (estimated). Box office, $2,683,519. Was more of a hit on home video, where it actually turned a profit. Resulted in the next two entries in the Prom Night franchise going Direct to Video. Producer Peter Simpson blames this film's failure on the last-minute decision to make it an In Name Only sequel to Prom Night (1980). barely made enough of its money back, cut
- Hells Kitchen (1999) — Budget, $6 million. Box office, $11,710. This only played in two theaters. Angelina Jolie fared much better that year with Girl, Interrupted. keep
- Her Cardboard Lover (1942) — Budget, $979,000. Box office, $973,000. Recorded loss, $348,000. The third film version of Jacques Deval's play (after The Cardboard Lover and The Passionate Plumber) was Norma Shearer's final film. not enough of a loss, cut
- Here on Earth (2000) — Budget, $15 million. Box office, $10,873,148. Screenwriter Michael Seitzman didn't write another film until North Country, while director Mark Piznarki mainly stuck to TV since this film. not enough of a loss, cut
- Hero (1992) — Budget, $42 million. Box office, $19,507,345 (domestic), $66,507,345 (worldwide). This lost Columbia Pictures $25.6 million. made enough of its money back, cut
- Hesher (2010) — Budget, $7 million. Box office, $382,946. The first and only feature film by short film director Spencer Susser played at 42 theaters. there's that super limited release to consider
- Hey Arnold! The Movie (2002) — Budget, $3 million (not counting marketing costs), $16 million (counting them). Box office, $13,728,902 (domestic), $15,249,308 (worldwide). The film's poor performance led to Paramount cancelling a sequel that would have served as the Grand Finale for the Hey Arnold! series, leaving the show to end on a cliffhanger that wouldn't be resolved until a one-off special 13 years after the show ended. with marketing alone, it's not that bad a loss. cut.
- Hidalgo (2004) — Budget, $40 million (not counting marketing costs), $100 million (counting them). Box office, $67,303,450 (domestic), $108,103,450 (worldwide). One of a handful of flops in 2004 that ultimately helped end Disney CEO Michael Eisner's long run at the company, and a rather bad setback to the career of director Joe Johnston. It would be six years before Johnston's next film, The Wolfman, which would also bomb, but he would fully bounce back in 2011 with Captain America: The First Avenger, a Spiritual Successor to his earlier film The Rocketeer. made enough of its money back, marketing or no marketing counted. cut
- A Hidden Life (2019) - Budget, $7-9 million. Box office, $1,730,597 (domestic), $4,612,788 (worldwide). An Acclaimed Flop from Terrence Malick that was buried in a limited release that never expanded beyond 43 theaters. In addition to being the final roles for Michael Nyqvist (the movie finished filming in 2016, a year before Nyqvist's death, but was in post-production for three years) and Bruno Ganz (who died ten months before the release), it was also the final film from Fox Searchlight Pictures before their new parent company Disney, like their more mainstream counterpart, renamed them to just Searchlight Pictures to distance them from Rupert Murdoch‘s Fox Corp (and Fox News). Highest estimate puts this at barely not enough of a loss. Cut?
- High Crimes (2002) — Budget, $42 million. Box office, $41,543,917 (domestic), $63,781,810 (worldwide). This second pairing of Morgan Freeman and Ashley Judd failed to duplicate the success of their previous outing, Kiss the Girls. made enough of its money back, cut
- High Heels and Low Lifes (2001) — Budget, $10 million. Box office, $228,194. This was booted out of US theaters after three weeks. Director Mel Smith made his final film two years later. Keep
- High Spirits (1988) — Budget, $15.5 million. Box office, $8,578,231. Hit co-star Peter O’Toole hard, as afterwards he rarely appeared in anymore American-produced theatrical films. Not enough of a loss, cut?
- Highlander (1986) — Budget, $19 million. Box office, $12.9 million. This movie became a Cult Classic in Europe, which led to... Keep
- Highlander II: The Quickening (1991) — Budget, $30 million (not counting marketing costs), $34 million (counting them). Box office, $15,556,340. A notorious critical and commercial flop, noted especially for its Troubled Production and Executive Meddling (the film's director walked out of the premiere 15 minutes in, and one of the writers, Brian Clemens, didn't work on another cinematic movie). This didn't stop a third film from being made, which was... barely not enough of a loss, cut
- Highlander III: The Sorcerer note (1994) — Budget, $26,000,000. Box Office, $12,308,080. This installment DID get a better reception, but not by much (it also led to director Andy Morahan remaining with his career in music videos). The series continued six years later with... Keep
- Highlander: Endgame (2000) — Budget, $15-$25 million. Box office, $15,843,608. After this movie (which was Not Screened for Critics after the previous two became critical punching bags that had to be retconned), the fifth installment, Highlander: The Source, which came out in 2007, never saw the inside of a cinema, instead premiering on the Sci-Fi Channel. This is the one time director Doug Aarniokoski has attempted to direct a theatrical film with a considerable budget. He's stayed in television since apart from Nurse 3D. Not enough of a loss, cut?
- Highway to Hell (1992) - Budget, $7.5 million. Box office, $26,055. This horror-comedy spent over two years on The Shelf of Movie Languishment due to the distributor, Hemdale, going through bankruptcy proceedings. It only reached eight theaters once released in the U.S., condemning it to obscurity. It eventually gained a small cult following through home video. Keep
- The Hindenburg (1975) - Budget, $15 million. Box office, $27.9 million. Robert Wise's film about the final voyage of the titular zeppelin opened to mixed reviews, with some praising its technical achievements (which won two Special Achievement Oscars for its Visual Effects and Sound Effects Editing) and others panning it as an unintentionally funny Disaster Movie. made enough of its money back, cut
- The Hitcher (1986) — Budget: $6 million. Box office: $5,844,868. Most critics accused this thriller of being too sadistic and exploitational, but it eventually became a Cult Classic over time. not enough of a loss, cut
- The Hoax (2007) — Budget, $25 million. Box office, $11,772,461. This was an Acclaimed Flop but its release was rather limited, starting from 235 theaters and topping at 1,069. One person not pleased with the film was Clifford Irving, who wrote the book it was based on, which chronicled his infamous fake biography of Howard Hughes, who lambasted the film for its historical liberties. keep
- Hobo with a Shotgun (2011) - Budget: $3 million. Box office, $703,372 (domestic), $834,953 (worldwide). Spun out of a fake trailer featured in Grindhouse, this ultra-violent send-up of low-budget vigilante films of the 1970s got mixed-to-positive reviews, though many were understandably turned away by its high energy and crass nature. It saw a limited release in 21 theaters, with most of its sales coming from home video. keep
- Hocus Pocus (1993) — Budget, $28 million. Box office, $39.5 million. This Disney Halloween fantasy comedy was released in July (likely to avoid self-competition with Disney's other Halloween movie), where it was slammed by critics and unable to compete with the ongoing box-office juggernaut Jurassic Park and newcomer Free Willy. It was Vindicated by Cable and is now a Cult Classic. made enough of its money back, cut
- Hoffa (1992) — Budget, $35 million. Box office, $29,302,121. This Bio Pic of Teamster Boss Jimmy Hoffa divided critics, particularly over Jack Nicholson's performance in the title role (which got him nominated for a Golden Globe and a Razzie). not enough of a loss, cut
- The Holcroft Covenant (1985) — Budget, $13 million. Box office, $393,825. Kepp
- Holiday Affair (1949) — Budget and box office unknown. Projected loss, $300,000. Robert Mitchum was cast as the romantic lead in this failed attempt to change his image after being busted for marijuana possession, but the studio soon realized that the incident only solidified his bad-boy status to the public. Audiences stayed away at the time of its release but it has since become a minor Christmas classic thanks to Turner Classic Movies.
- Hollywood Ending (2002) — Budget, $16 million. Box office, $14,569,744. There was no Hollywood ending for Woody Allen when this bomb rolled into theaters; after it and Anything Else the next year, 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. monetary info unknown, cut
- Hollywood Homicide (2003) — Budget, $75 million. Box office, $51,142,659. This sent director Ron Shelton's career to the slammer for fourteen years until he returned to direct and produce Just Getting Started. about 66% covered, cut
- Hollywoodland (2006) — Budget, $28 million. Box office, $16,803,753. This movie got good reviews, but director Allen Coulter didn't direct another theatrical film for four years and stuck to television. not enough of a loss, cut?
- Holmes & Watson (2018) — Budget, $42 million. Box office, $30.3 million (domestic), $39 million (worldwide). This parody of Sherlock Holmes starring Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly was panned by critics once they were able to see it, and there were many reports of audiences walking out of screenings of the film before the 30-minute mark. The film's already-toxic reputation wasn't helped by allegations that Sony tried and failed to unload it onto Netflix when they realized it would bomb. Steve Coogan and Reilly have since rebounded (at least critically) with Stan & Ollie, a biopic about Laurel and Hardy that has received critical acclaim, while writer Etan Cohen bounced back with the more critically and commercially successful The Bad Guys in 2022. not enough of a loss, cut
- A Hologram For The King (2016) — Budget, $30 million. Box office, $7,744,096. A limited release of 523 theaters made this Tom Hanks' lowest grossing film in 31 years. 'keep
- Horus: Prince of the Sun (1968) — Budget, 140,000,000 million yen (around $1.4 million) Box office, unknown. The first collaboration between Studio Ghibli co-founders Isao Takahata (in his directorial debut) and Hayao Miyazaki (the scene designer and chief animator) suffered one of the worst Troubled Productions in anime history and was yanked from theaters after ten days. Toei Animation demoted everyone who worked on it and told Takahata he would never direct another film with them again. The film became a hit with students and artists and has since been Vindicated by History. Takahata, meanwhile, left Toei with Miyazaki in 1971, and the rest is history... gross unknown, cut
- Holy Man (1998) — Budget, $60 million. Box office, $12,069,719. The start of several career-zapping busts for director Stephen Herek. Eddie Murphy isn't proud of it either. keep
- Holy Matrimony (1994) — Budget, $16 million. Box office, $713,234. Joseph Gordon-Levitt's first starring role was also Leonard Nimoy's final film as director. keep
- Home for the Holidays (1995) — Budget, $20 million. Box office, $17,468,887 (domestic), $22,119,269 (worldwide). barely made enough of its money back, cut
- Home Fries (1998) — Budget, $15 million. Box office, $10,513,979 (domestic). Director Dean Parisot did rebound with Galaxy Quest a year later though, which starred one of this film's stars, Daryl Mitchell. not that bad a loss, cut
- Home Movies (1980) — Budget, $400,000. Box office, $89,134. Apparently, it only got a theatrical release in New York City and a few European countries like Italy. This was conceived by director Brian De Palma as a training exercise for students at his film course in Sarah Lawrence College. keep
- A Home Of Our Own (1993) — Budget, $12 million. Box office, $1,677,807. Director Tony Bill would only do TV movies until 2006. keep
- Home on the Range (2004) — Budget, $110 million. Box office, $103,951,461. One of a handful of flops in 2004 that ultimately helped end Disney CEO Michael Eisner's long run at the company, and this one is considered by many to be the finishing blow for the post-Golden Age era called The Renaissance Age of Animation, as Disney abandoned its traditional animation department after the film failed, opening the floodgates to The Millennium Age of Animation where CGI animated media began taking over the mainstream. It also impounded the careers of director Will Finn and John Sanford; Finn mostly stuck to Direct to Video media and didn't direct again until 2013, and Sanford didn't appear again at all until DreamWorks' second Dragons cartoon in 2015. not that bad a loss, cut
- The Home Teachers (2004) — Budget, $425,000. Box office, $203,917. The niche success Halestorm Entertainment had with their LDS comedies began to dwindle when this film flopped in theaters. While DVD sales pulled it out of the red, spectators began to grow weary of this type of self-referential and slap-sticky religious comedy. keep
- Homefront (2013) — Budget, $22 million. Box office, $20,158,898 (domestic), $43,058,898 (worldwide). Director Gary Fleder's first film in five years and currently his last. Part of a bad year for Sylvester Stallone, who wrote the screenplay. It didn't help that it came out the same day as Frozen (2013). worldwide it almost turned a profit, cut
- Honest (2000) — Budget, £3 million. Box office, £111,309. This crime film and thinly-veiled vehicle for the girl group All Saints never escaped a limited release, nor did it see wide distribution outside of the United Kingdom. It was widely panned by British film critics, who deemed it at release one of the worst films of all time, and its highly edgy and adult content meant younger fans of the group were pretty much off-limits. 'Keep
- The Honeymooners (2005) — Budget, $25 million. Box office, $13,183,426. This was seen as a pointless remake of a classic series, though Roger Ebert was one of the few critics who liked it. In any case, it kept director John Schultz off the big screen for four years. barely not enough of a loss, cut
- Honky Tonk Freeway (1981) — Budget, $24 million. Box office, $2,004,742. This movie was ejected from theaters after only one week. Accusations of stereotyping of American culture and the revelation that the film was funded through a tax avoidance scheme, courtesy of the executive producer, didn't seem to help matters. Many also agree that the film began the erosion of music label EMI's film studio, though some argue that Can't Stop the Music played an earlier role as well. Keep
- Hoodlum (1997) — Budget, $30 million. Box office, $23,461,013. Director Bill Duke didn't do another theatrically released film for ten years. not enough of a loss, cut
- Hoodwinked Too! Hood vs. Evil (2011) — Budget, $30 million. Box office, $16,960,968. Essentially the last nail in the "Fractured Fairy Tale" trend's coffin; even DreamWorks Animation had toned it down for the fourth Shrek film that came out the year before, and its spinoff, Puss in Boots, which also saw its debut in 2011, took a more action-oriented angle. The "Fractured Fairy Tale" trend was replaced by a combination of 90s-esque Animated Musical films and more action-oriented animated movies. The film having gone through Development Hell (or rather, distribution hell) that saw it released six years after the original certainly didn't do it any favors, either. Barely not enough of a loss, cut
- Hoot (2006) — Budget, $15 million. Box office, $8,224,998. This movie had the worst opening weekend for any film opening in over 3,000 theaters at the time, holding the record for nearly 14 years until it was dethroned by The Rhythm Section. Barely not enough of a loss, cut
- Hope and Glory (1987) — Budget, $9.3 million. Box office, $10 million. This was highly praised by critics and it earned five Oscar nominations. But this was one of several Columbia Pictures films acquired by outgoing president David Puttnam that the studio left in limited release. The studio took a $105 million write-off due to the failure of Puttnam's slate. This was also overshadowed by the release of Steven Spielberg's Empire of the Sun, based on a novel which, like Hope and Glory, is a semi-autobiographical account of a British boy's experiences during World War II. Made enough of its money back, cut
- The Host (2013) — Budget, $40 million. Box office, $26,627,201 (domestic), $63,327,201 (worldwide). The decline in popularity of the author's best known work, Twilight, likely contributed to this film adaptation's poor performance at the box office. Made enough of its money back, cut
- Hostage (2005) — Budget, $65 million. Box office, $34,639,939 (domestic), $77,944,725 (worldwide). This Bruce Willis film was one of his worst openings for an action film since Last Man Standing. Made enough of its money back, cut
- Hostiles (2017) — Budget, $39 million. Box office, $31.7 million. A relatively Acclaimed Flop which struggled in limited, and later, wide release, due to a very crowded market. Not enough of a loss, cut
- Hot Pursuit (2015) — Budget, $35 million. Box office, $34,580,201 (domestic), $51,680,201 (worldwide). Lost more than $12,000,000. It opened far, far behind Avengers: Age of Ultron, which was on its second weekend, despite opening at number two ($13 million vs the latter's $77 million). Made enough of its money back, cut
- Hot Rod (2007) — Budget, $25.3 million. Box office, $14.3 million. The film debuts of Andy Samberg, Jorma Taccone and director Akiva Schaffer of the The Lonely Island. The film received mixed reviews for its script and humor, something the filmmakers predicted, and it fell by the wayside at the box office. It later became a Cult Classic. Not enough of a loss, cut
- The Hot Spot (1990) — Budget, $13 million. Box office, $1,293,976. Charles Williams adapted his own novel Hell Hath No Fury into a screenplay in 1962, but it wasn't until years later that Dennis Hopper revived the project into this film. This ended up being the penultimate film of Hopper's directorial career. It died in a limited release topping 365 theaters even though critics liked it. Keep
- Hot to Trot (1988) — Budget, $9 million. Box office, $6,436,211. Director Michael Dinner's first and final major movie (he's stuck to television since with one exception), a theatrical Star-Derailing Role for noted comedian Bobcat Goldthwait (it also became an Old Shame for him when he got a copy of the script in 2011), and a severe halter to entertainment featuring talking horses. Not enough of a loss, cut
- Hot Tub Time Machine 2 (2015) — Budget, $14 million. Box office, $13,081,651. This case of Sequelitis has likely drained out the Hot Tub Time Machine movies after two pictures. Not enough of a loss, cut
- Hotel Artemis (2018) — Budget, $15 million. Box office, $10,969,598. Part of a string of flops for financially-troubled distributor Global Road. Not enough of a loss, cut
- The Hottie and the Nottie (2008) — Budget, $9,000,000. Box office, $27,696 (domestic), $1,596,232 (worldwide). A stillborn attempt to make Paris Hilton a movie star. It also derailed the careers of a lot of its staff, one of whom, Greg Wilson, got caught in a Serial Numbers Filed Off incident on America's Got Talent years later in a botched attempt to get back to the A list. keep'
- Hounddog (2006) — Budget, $5 million. Box office, $131,961. The film was intended to be a break into more adult material for star Dakota Fanning; its failure delayed this by a couple of years. Most notable for the controversy over a rape scene involving Fanning's character, and the subsequent dismissal by critics of said scene as being pure Narm. keep
- The House (2017) — Budget, $40 million. Box office, $25,584,504 (domestic), $33,384,504 (worldwide). Its opening weekend was the worst debut for Will Ferrell's career as a lead actor. Not enough of a loss, cut
- House Arrest (1996) - Budget, $5 million. Box office, $7,032,782. Critics were highly unamused by this family comedy, while its mid-August release helped nail its chances of success shut. Made enough of its money back, cut
- House of Cards (1993) — Budget, $9.9 million. Box office, $322,871. This was filmed in 1991 but was shelved for two years after 20th Century Fox dropped the distribution rights, leading Miramax to pick it up. One of several career-derailing busts for Kathleen Turner and was also one of the films that prompted Italian film company Penta to get out of the Hollywood industry. keep
- House Of D (2005) — Budget, $6,000,000. Box office, $388,532. This is the only time David Duchovny attempted to direct and write. keep
- House of the Dead (2003) — Budget, $12 million. Box office, $10,249,719 (domestic), $13,818,181 (worldwide). This was infamous director Uwe Boll's first major American video game film, and he, to the surprise of many a person, hates this movie and its screenplay, considering it to be the worst film he's done; the sequel, which went straight to cable, brought back the person who wrote that screenplay but Boll did not get involved at all with that film (said screenwriter, Mark Altman, never got involved with another film that wasn't low-budget or Direct to Video). It put a bit of a dent in Sega's endeavors outside the video game market (they wouldn't be serious about more movies based off one of their games until the the 2020 adaptation of their flagship franchise Sonic the Hedgehog, which was a solid success critically and financially and let to the greenlighting of a sequel) and it's also the third-to-last movie from producer/distributor Artisan Entertainment before they were swallowed by Lionsgate. Made enough of its money back, surprisingly, cut
- The House of the Devil (2009) — Budget, $900,000. Box office, $101,215. Despite acclaim from critics and horror fans. keep
- The House Of The Spirits (1994) — Budget, $40 million. Box office, $6,265,311. The film version of Isabel Allende's novel was derided by critics for, among other reasons, casting mainly white actors as Latino characters and its episodic structure failing to translate on film. keep
- House of Wax (2005) — Budget, $40 million. Box office, $32,064,800 (domestic), $68,766,121 (worldwide). This extremely loose remake of the 1953 film earned notoriety as the film debut of Paris Hilton. Made enough of its money back, cut
- The House of Yes (1997) — Budget, $1,500,000. Box office, $626,057. Producer Robert Berger's cinematic career is virtually nonexistent past this film. keep
- The House On Carroll Street (1988) — Budget, $14 million. Box office, $459,824. Ending up being the second worst box office results of a major film in 1988. The last theatrical film by screenwriter Walter Bernstein, who stuck to TV work, with his last credit being the creator of the 2011 British miniseries Hidden. keep
- How Do You Know (2010) — Budget, $120 million ($100 million net after tax rebates). Box office, $48,668,907. The film served as a Star-Derailing Role for Jack Nicholson, as he never appeared in another film after 2010 and he would officially retire from acting in 2017, though he later signed on for an American remake of Toni Erdmann soon after. It also dealt serious damage to producer Paula Weinstein, who did not produce another film for four years, and James L. Brooks, while still being a producer, has not directed another movie after this one, plus production company Gracie Films (the company behind The Simpsons) did not put out another theatrical film for six years. keep
- How I Got Into College (1989) — Budget, $10 million. Box office, $1,642,239. This died a very quick death in limited release. It's now notable for being the acting debut of Tom Kenny. keep
- How to Lose Friends & Alienate People (2008) — Budget, $28 million. Box office, $19,151,797. This film version of Toby Young's memoir opened at number one in the UK but it fell apart soon after. Its US release saw it debut at number 19 and it went downhill from there. The critics gave it mixed to negative reviews.Not enough of a loss, cut
- Howard the Duck (1986) — Budget, $37 million. Box office, $16,295,774 (domestic), $37,962,774 (worldwide). Allegedly, its viciously negative reception caused a fistfight between Universal executives Frank Price and Sidney Sheinberg over who to blame for greenlighting the film; both of them deny this, but Price's resignation from Universal was directly attributed to this film. It is also a Career Killer for Creator Couple Willard Huyck and Gloria Katz, a major Star-Derailing Role to several of its stars, and one of the few productions that producer George Lucas admitted regret over. The sexual content of the film, despite its PG rating, caused backlash from parents; both it and The Garbage Pail Kids Movie led to further enforcement of the PG-13 rating. The toxic reputation of the film, along with legal issues over the character from Disney, kicked Howard into the bottom bracket of Marvel's comic book superstars for the next 30 years, in addition to starting Marvel's movie business off on the wrong foot. Barely made enough of its money back, the lucky duck. Cut
- Hudson Hawk (1991) — Budget, $65 million. Box office, $17,218,080. Numerous reports on the film's Troubled Production place the blame on Bruce Willis letting his ego run rampant, causing multiple re-shoots and editing wars. This was the final standalone Tristar Pictures film before they were merged with Columbia. Keep
- The Hudsucker Proxy (1994) — Budget, $40 million. Box office, $2,816,518. The lowest grossing film of The Coen Brothers. It received mixed reviews and a very limited release but it's now a Cult Classic. Keep
- Hugo (2011) — Budget, $156 million (not counting marketing costs), $190 million (counting them). Box office, $73,864,507 (domestic), $185,770,160 (worldwide). This was adored by critics, was nominated for 11 Oscars and won five, but suffered from a poor marketing campaign, an unusually limited release and major competition during the Thanksgiving holidays. It didn't help that the film's budget ballooned due to it being shot entirely in 3D causing costs to spiral out of control. Made enough of its money back, Cut
- Hulk (2003) — Budget, $137 million. Box office, $132,177,234 (domestic), $245,360,480 (worldwide). Ang Lee's Darker and Edgier take on the Marvel Comics superhero infuriated fans and divided critics. While it debuted to a massive $62 million on its opening weekend domestically, it dropped a legendary 70% on its second weekend due to very poor word-of-mouth, ultimately falling short of its production budget domestically and only just breaking even thanks to its international gross. This very nearly served as a Career Killer for Lee, who bounced back with Brokeback Mountain. Later became Vindicated by History as a Cult Classic ahead of its time, as darker films about superheroes such as The Dark Knight and Logan found mainstream success in later years. Made enough of its money back, cut
- The Human Factor (1979) — Budget, $5 million. Box office, $376,050. The film version of the Graham Greene novel was the final film for director Otto Preminger. Star Richard Attenborough turned his focus to directing after this film, beginning with his Oscar-winning smash Gandhi, and his next starring role was in Jurassic Park. Keep
- Human Nature (2002) — Budget, $6 million. Box office, $705,308. Michel Gondry's directorial debut and his first collaboration with writer Charlie Kaufman. Critics compared it unfavorably to Kaufman's Being John Malkovich and it ended its limited release of 224 theaters after four weeks. Gondry's next film would fare much better with critics. Keep
- The Human Stain (2003) — Budget, $30 million. Box office, $24,863,804. Robert Benton directed only one other film after this adaptation of a Philip Roth novel was greeted with a lukewarm response by critics and audiences. Critics, in particular, lambasted the casting of Anthony Hopkins as the lead, a light-skinned African American man passing as white. Not enough of a loss, cut
- The Hunt (2020) - Budget, $14 million. Box office, $5,812,500 (domestic), $6,562,393 (worldwide). The satirical action thriller was originally pulled from its original September 27th, 2019 release after a series of real-life shootings in the US and criticism over its apparent premise of liberals hunting right-wing extremists for sport, especially from US President Donald Trump (despite the film advocating against such violence), and later released on March 13th with the advertising focused on the controversy. Unfortunately, it arrived right as fears from the COVID-19/coronavirus pandemic exploded in the US, placing 5th in the worst domestic weekend since 1998. With theaters closing around the country to encourage social distancing, Universal made the bold move to release the film to home video early as a VOD rental only a week after its debut, along with The Invisible Man, Emma, and the then-upcoming Trolls World Tour. Keep
- The Hunted (1995) — Budget, $25 million. Box office, $6,609,661. J.F. Lawton didn't direct another film for 13 years. Keep
- The Hunted (2003) — Budget, $55 million. Box office, $45,496,534. This film sat on The Shelf of Movie Languishment for a year due to its subject matter and the 9/11 attacks. When it did come out, it was dismissed as a Cliché Storm action thriller that played like a low-quality version of First Blood. It also fought against another military actioner in Tears of the Sun, but both films flopped after the 2003 US invasion of Iraq drew eyes away from theaters and toward the real-world military action on their televisions. This film later earned a small following among action fans for its brutal knife-fighting sequences. Director William Friedkin did two more films after this, but this was his final big-budget feature. Not enough of a loss, cut
- Hunter Killer (2018) — Budget, $40 million. Box office, $15,767,460 (domestic). This experienced a protracted Development Hell, with much of the trouble due to production company Relativity's bankruptcy. It was subsequently dumped with Invisible Advertising and was trampled by its lackluster reviews and holdover Halloween. Worldwide, it's $31.7 million. Not enough, cut
- The Hunters (1958) — Budget, $2,440,000. Box office, $2.1 million. This movie killed off Dick Powell's directing career, though he remained an executive until he died from cancer that he may have received from filming The Conqueror a few years earlier. He also ended his relationship with Fox. Barely not enough of a loss, cut
- The Hunting Party (2007) — Budget, $25 million. Box office, $7,644,409. Its widest release was in 329 theaters. Keep
- The Huntsman: Winter's War (2016) — Budget, $115 million. Box office, $48,390,190 (domestic), $164,989,338 million (worldwide). While it did well overseas, it needed that overseas gross to have any chance of being viable after it received considerably worse reviews than the first film and opened right after the acclaimed live-action remake of Walt Disney's classic The Jungle Book became king of the box office; Huntsman failed to dethrone it in any way (some of the reviews also accused the film of being an "angrier" version of Frozen (2013) and copying its sister plotline). It was estimated to cost Universal $70 million in lost box office revenue, and has thus far stopped any chance of Universal continuing their fairy tale universe. This is the first of two fairy tale sequel misfires for Joe Roth in 2016; it was quickly followed by Alice Through the Looking Glass, which Frozen/The Jungle Book maker Disney ironically made. Made enough of tis money back, Cut'
- Hurlyburly (1998) — Budget, $15 million. Box office, $1,798,862. This is the last feature film Anthony Drazan has directed to date. (He's mostly done television work since then.) Keep
- Hurricane (1979) — Budget, $22 million. Box office, $4,541,000. The second film version of James Norman Hall and Charles Nordhoff's novel The Hurricane, following John Ford's 1937 film, suffered a very Troubled Production and was greeted with an equally disastrous critical response. This is the final film for composer Nino Rota, who died two days before it came out. Keep
- The Hurricane Heist (2018) — Budget, $35 million. Box office, $6,115,825 (domestic). The film was swept away from most theaters after two weeks. Add in the worldwide gross and it's $32.5 million. Barely enough storm damage.
- Hurry Sundown (1967) — Budget, $3,785,000. Box office, $4,050,000 (domestic rentals). The film version of K.B. Gilden's novel was the first film to feature black actors to be filmed in the South. It was not a good time on the set, which dealt with, among other things, the Ku Klux Klan, and animosity between director Otto Preminger and Faye Dunaway, who made her film debut here. The end result was eviscerated by critics and Moral Guardians for its painfully-outdated racial and southern stereotypes and treatment of sexuality. Dunaway sued her way out of a five-film contract with Preminger; later that year, she bounced back with Bonnie and Clyde. Made enough of its money back, cut
- Hush (1998) (1998) — Budget, $21 million. Box office, $13,583,690. The film was held from release after poor test screenings, which led to disastrous reshoots featuring Gwyneth Paltrow in a bad wig. The only feature film written and directed by Jonathan Darby, and an Old Shame for Jessica Lange. Not enough of a loss, cut
Edited by hello86 on Aug 28th 2022 at 10:31:06 AM
hello86
Since: Sep, 2009
#63: Aug 17th 2022 at 8:28:12 PM
I'm on a roll. Let's deal with the S's, the longest section.
SA - SE
- Sabotage (2014) — Budget, $35 million. Box office, $17,508,518. This was Arnold Schwarzenegger's worst opening weekend in thirty years. Its negative reviews citing its gratuitous violence and unlikable protagonists didn't help. Director David Ayer had better luck later that year with Fury. Keep
- Sabrina (1995) — Budget, $58 million. Box office, $53,672,080 (domestic), $87,313,761 (worldwide). This remake of Billy Wilder's 1954 classic got generally good reviews from critics, even if they didn't think it lived up to the original. Made money back, cut.
- Safe (2012) — Budget, $30 million. Box office, $17,142,080 (domestic), $40,346,186 (worldwide). This opened on sixth place on its first weekend and was buried by The Avengers the next. Made money back, cut.
- Safe Men (1998) — Budget, $1 million. Box office, $45,724. It only had a limited release spanning 20 theaters. ‘’’Keep’’’
- Sahara (1983) — Budget, $25 million. Box office, $1,402,962. This was the last film MGM distributed for Cannon Films. It was mauled so badly by critics that it wasn't released east of the Mississippi. It was a Star-Derailing Role for Brooke Shields, who won a Razzie as Worst Supporting Actor, since her character disguises herself as a man. (Ironically, producer Menahem Golan was convinced Shields would not only get an Oscar nomination but win!) However, she was later able to make a comeback with Suddenly Susan. ‘’’Keep’’’
- Sahara (2005) — Budget, $241.1 million.note Box office, $119,269,486. After a lawsuit from author Clive Cussler put several documents relating to the film's production into the public domain, the Los Angeles Times did a report using the film as a case study in Hollywood Accounting and production costs run amok (some of the said production costs were bribes to the Moroccan government to shoot there). This was the first time since Raise the Titanic! that Cussler had allowed a feature film based off his work to be made, and the fallout from its massive production effectively reinforced his stance against his books being adapted for the rest of his life. Sahara was also a career-derailing directing job for Breck Eisner, son of Disney boss Michael Eisner, who did not do another cinematic film for 5 years and hasn't made an attempt to direct a big-budget tentpole movie of this magnitude since; his next tentpole would be The Last Witch Hunter 10 years later. Some of the producers and writers also saw their careers pushed to the caboose until The New 10's started rolling around. ‘’’Technically, it’s not enough of a loss. Add in marketing and it is. Keep or no?’’’
- Saint John of Las Vegas (2010) — Budget, $3.8 million. Box office, $111,731. The first film by IndieVest Pictures was given a limited release and a very tepid reception from critics. ‘’’Limited release, keep or cut?’’’
- Salinger (2013) — Budget, $2 million. Box office, $650,675. This documentary about J. D. Salinger had a very limited release, though it did get the highest per-screen-average at the box office on its opening weekend. ‘’’Keep, though consider that limited release.’’’
- The Salton Sea (2002) — Budget, $18 million. Box office, $764,554. D.J. Caruso's directorial debut topped out at 30 theaters and closed after seven weeks.
- Salvador (1986) — Budget, $4.5 million. Box office, $1.5 million. This biopic of journalist Richard Boyle, who co-wrote the screenplay with director Oliver Stone, was a highly Acclaimed Flop, with particular praise going to James Woods' performance as Boyle. Stone rebounded that year with his Oscar-winning smash hit, Platoon. ‘’’Keep’’’
- Santa Claus: The Movie (1985) — Budget, $50 million. Box office, $23,717,291. This movie was a setback to all the top players who were involved with it, with one, Leslie Newman, not writing another film until 2000. This movie did become a Cult Classic to some. ‘’’Keep’’’
- Satisfaction (1988) - Budget, $13 million. Box office, $8,253,123. This rock'n'roll dramedy was the final film directed by Joan Freeman and, because of Blood Red's stint in The Shelf of Movie Languishment, Julia Roberts's film debut. ‘’’Not enough of a loss, cut.’’’
- Saturn 3 (1980) — Budget, at least $10 million. Box office, $9 million. This Sci-Fi Horror movie suffered a Troubled Production that saw original director John Barry replaced by Stanley Donen, while an uncooperative Harvey Keitel was over-dubbed in post-production. Critics were largely dismissive when it was released, deriding it as derivative and dull. This contributed to the ultimate bad year for ITC Entertainment — it had a lot of underperforming films, of which Raise the Titanic! was the biggest loss and killed the company. ITC boss Lew Grade was not happy with the final product, and presold TV rights to NBC for $4 million, which offset some of the film's losses. Later became a minor Cult Classic on home video. ‘’’Not enough of a loss, cut.’’’
- Saving Silverman (2001) — Budget, $22 million. Box office, $19,402,030 (domestic), $26,086,706 (worldwide). This was Jason Biggs' Star-Derailing Role and his only leading roles since this romantic comedy failed were in the American Pie sequels and Anything Else. He bounced back with Orange Is the New Black, though. ‘’’Not that bad a loss, cut.’’’
- Say It Isn't So (2001) — Budget, $25 million. Box office, $12,320,393. It was panned by critics and audiences so badly that it got booted out after five weeks. This was Fox's second consecutive flop after Monkeybone and it led to them taking a write-off for their losses. ‘’’Keep’’’
- The Scarlet Letter (1995) — Budget, $46 million. Box office, $10,382,407. The film was derided for adding sex and action scenes and changing the ending. Demi Moore didn't help by claiming "In truth, not very many people have read the book." This movie, along with Super Mario Bros, would begin producer Roland Joffe's drop into the B and then C-lists of producers/directors. ‘’’Keep’’’
- School for Scoundrels (2006) — Budget, $35 million. Box office, $23,947,685. This remake of the 1960 British movie spent its first two weeks in over 3,000 theaters before most of them dropped it. ‘’’Not enough of a loss, cut.’’’
- School Ties (1992) — Budget, $18 million. Box office, $14,715,067. ‘’’Not enough of a loss, cut.’’’
- Scorched (2002) — Budget, $7 million. Box office, $8,000. It's an understandable gross considering the film played in 12 theaters and was booted out of theaters after its opening weekend. It didn't help that it sat on The Shelf of Movie Languishment for two years. ‘’’There’s that limited release to consider. Otherwise, keep.’’’
- Scott Pilgrim vs. The World (2010) — Budget, $85–90 million ($60 million after tax rebates). Box office, $47,664,559. This box office bob-omb was mainly due to its targeted demographic of only teenagers and gamers who would get most of the jokes. Poor marketingnote , some Michael Cera fatigue, and coming in at the tail end of summer in 2010 didn't help it either. ‘’’Not enough of a loss, cut.’’’
- The Scout (1994) — Budget, $20 million. Box office, $2,694,234. The second film in 1994 for director Michael Ritchie to flop following Cops and Robbersons. ‘’’Keep’’’
- Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse (2015) — Budget, $24 million. Box office, $14.9 million. A victim of Paramount's choice to release the film near-simultaneously to VOD, resulting in major cinema chains like Regal and Cinemark boycotting the film. Director Christopher Landon later rebounded with Happy Death Day. ‘’’Not enough of a loss, cut’’’
- The Sea of Trees (2016) — Budget, $25 million. Box office, $20,444 (domestic), $825,577 (worldwide). This was booed out of the Cannes Film Festival the previous year and spent a while looking for a distributor. It was finally released in late August where audiences greeted it just the same. ‘’’Keep’’’
- Search and Destroy (1995) — Budget, $4 million. Box office, $389,503. The first and only feature film directed by artist David Salle was given a paltry release of 22 theaters. ‘’’There’s that limited release to consider, otherwise keep.’’’
- Searching for Bobby Fischer (1993) — Budget, $12 million. Box office, $7,266,383. Steven Zaillian's directorial debut was this biopic of chess prodigy Josh Waitzkin. It was an Acclaimed Flop that never left limited release. Zaillian had better luck that year with Schindler's List, though it took him five years to direct another feature, A Civil Action. ‘’’Not enough of a loss, cut.’’’
- Second-Hand Hearts (1981) — Budget, $7 million. Box office, $19,450. Filmed in 1978 as a way for director Hal Ashby to keep busy in the period between making Coming Home and Being There, this quirky Romantic Comedy/Road Movie had a Troubled Production, then sat on The Shelf of Movie Languishment for three years before it got a limited release in very few theatres for the sole purpose of selling the TV rights. The film's critical and commercial failure marked the beginning of the end for Ashby after his remarkable run during The '70s. ‘’’Keep’’’
- The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (2013) — Budget, $90 million. Box office, $58,236,838 (domestic), $188,133,322 (worldwide). This second film version of the James Thurber short story got mixed reviews from critics and suffered from a crowded holiday season. It still got by on its worldwide gross, though. ‘’’Techincally profitable, so we technically cut it.’’’
- The Seeker: The Dark Is Rising (2007) — Budget, $45 million. Box office, $31,400,740. This In Name Only adaptation of The Dark is Rising had the second worst debut for a wide release movie and lost nearly all of its theaters by its third weekend. The director and screenwriter, both of whom freely admitted they did not care for the book, saw their careers cast off the big screen after this fiasco. Naturally, this was despised by both the books' fans and Susan Cooper, the author of the book series. ‘’’Not that bad a loss (2/3 of the way there), cut’’’
- Seeking a Friend for the End of the World (2012) — Budget, $10 million. Box office, $9,636,289. This comedy revolved around two people who meet Just Before the End and it does end. Critics and audiences consequently gave it mixed reviews for its Mood Whiplash and dreariness. Director Lorne Scafaria promptly went back to writing films only until 2015's The Meddler, but managed to get better luck with 2019's Hustlers. ‘’’Not that bad a loss, cut.’’’
- Seeking Justice (2011, 2012) — Budget, $30 million. Box office, $411,746 (domestic), $12,355,798 (worldwide). Lasted three weeks in theaters, with an 87% average drop between weeks and losing all but 8 theaters, before it was thrown out of those theaters. One of a handful of bombs in The New '10s for Nicolas Cage. ‘’’Keep’’’
- Self/Less (2015) — Budget, $26 million. Box office, $12,279,691 (domestic), $30,523,226 (worldwide). This was the second release by the newly-resurrected Gramercy Pictures, which became a specialty label for Focus Features. Its financial and critical takedown guaranteed it a run of seven weeks. ‘’’Made its money back, cut’’’
- Semi-Pro (2008) — Budget, $55 million. Box office, $43,884,904. This is the last movie from standalone New Line Cinema, who were absorbed into Warner Bros. after The Golden Compass. This is also the last movie involving producer and director Kent Alterman. ‘’’Not enough of a loss, cut.’’’
- Senseless (1998) — Budget, $15 million. Box office, $12.8 million. It would be seven years before Penelope Spheeris directed another narrative film, The Kid and I. She directed two music documentaries between the two, but they were never released on home video due to rights issues. ‘’’Not that bad a loss, cut.’’’
- The Sentinel (2006) — Budget, $60 million. Box office, $36,280,697 (domestic), $78,084,827 (worldwide). This political thriller's failure sent director Clark Johnson to exclusively TV work until he started production on Juanita. ‘’’Made its money back, cut’’’
- September (1987) — Budget, $10 million. Box office, $486,434. Woody Allen's drama loosely inspired by Uncle Vanya is infamous for Allen having reshot it with half the actors replaced. It's his lowest grossing film. ‘’’Keep’’’
- September Dawn (2007) — Budget, $11 million. Box office, $1 million. The controversial film about the 1857 Mountain Meadows Massacre lasted in theaters for two weeks before being pulled. It's the last theatrical release that Christopher Cain has directed so far. ‘’’Keep’’’
- Serena (2014) — Budget, $30 million. Box office, $5 million. Despite two major stars, this sat on The Shelf of Movie Languishment for two years despite there being no hiccups during post-production, apart from director Susanne Bier taking time off to promote Love Is All You Need and spending eighteen months editing it. The end result was eviscerated by critics and limped at every market it opened. ‘’’Keep’’’
- Serenity (2005) — Budget, $39 million. Box office, $38,869,464. The Movie of the cult television series Firefly was also the first film to be directed by Joss Whedon. Despite positive word-of-mouth and great reviews, the poor box office killed Hollywood interest in the franchise once and for all. It pulled in enough in DVD and streaming sales to tip it past the break even point, and the franchise continued in comic book and novel form. Disney has talked of a reboot now that it owns 20th Century Studios, but nothing concrete exists yet. This film is noteworthy for being the only theatrical spinoff of a series that did not even finish its first season. ‘’’Not that bad a loss, cut’’’
- Serenity (2019) — Budget, $25 million. Box office, $8,547,045 (domestic), $14,454,622 (worldwide). Despite the presence of Anne Hathaway and Matthew McConaughey, the film was dumped into the market with nearly no advertising by distributor Aviron Pictures after poor test screenings where audiences were left baffled by its infamously nonsensical plot twist, where it’s revealed the majority of the movie is actually a video game designed by the protagonist’s son... and the protagonist is actually dead in real life... and the game was just the son living out his fantasy of murdering his new stepfather (and then he kills him for real). Everybody got that? The film's negative reviews, which also questioned the ludicrous twist, likely didn’t help. It is yet another series of commercial bombs for the troubled Aviron (formerly Clarius Entertainment). ‘’’Not enough of a loss, surprisingly. Cut.’’’
- Serial Mom (1994) — Budget, $13 million. Box office, $7,820,688. This John Waters film topped out at 560 theaters. Critics generally praised the satire and Kathleen Turner's performance while others found the film too dark to be funny, and was also overshadowed that year by Natural Born Killers, which dealt with similar themes. This was one of a series of busts that eventually doomed Savoy Pictures the following year. It eventually became a Cult Classic like many of Waters's films. ‘’’Not that bad a loss, cut’’’
- A Series of Unfortunate Events (2004) — Budget, $140 million. Box office, $118,634,549 (domestic), $209,073,645 (worldwide). It got good reviews from critics, but it still ended the career of screenwriter Robert Gordon, who does not have a single credit after this film except for an interview about Galaxy Quest. A stop-motion sequel was canceled, and the book series was later adapted into a far more faithful and better reviewed TV series. ‘’’Made its money back, cut’’’
- Serving Sara (2002) — Budget, $29 million. Box office, $20,146,150. Reginald Hudlin didn't direct another movie in 15 years, but he's still visible as a producer. This was also a blow to Matthew Perry and Elizabeth Hurley's theatrical film careers, only doing a couple films since. ‘’’Not enough of a loss, cut’’’
- Sesame Street Presents: Follow That Bird (1985) — Budget, around $10 million. Box office, $13.9 million. The first feature film spin-off of Sesame Street opened to glowing reviews from critics but was buried by a mountain of competitors that summer. ‘’’Made its money back, cut’’’
- Seven Days in Utopia (2011) — Budget, $7.5 million. Box office, $4,373,074. This Christian golf drama topped out at 561 theaters and lasted for nine weeks. ‘’’Not enough of a loss, cut’’’
- Seven Years in Tibet (1997) — Budget, $70 million. Box office, $37,957,682 (domestic), $131,457,682 (worldwide). This movie's production earned its makers, including stars Brad Pitt and David Thewlis and director Jean-Jacques Annaud, a ban from entering China since it portrays the Dalai Lama and criticizes the government, both of which are major Berserk Buttons to the Chinese government. Annaud, however, was allowed to return 15 years later for the Shanghai Film Festival, and Pitt "got back in" for wife Angelina Jolie and Disney's Maleficent.note It's unknown whether or not John H. Williams was among the banned, but this was his penultimate live-action film before the failure of The Tuxedo consigned him to animation including with DreamWorks Animation. Finally, screenwriter Becky Johnston did not write another cinematic film until 2012, the year the Chinese ban on Annaud was lifted. ‘’’Made its money back, cut’’’
- Seventh Son (2015) — Budget, $95 million. Box office, $17,223,265 (domestic), $110,623,265 (worldwide). This sat on The Shelf of Movie Languishment for two years due to the bankruptcy of its visual effects company, Rhythm and Hues, and Production Company Legendary Pictures signing a distribution deal with Universal. Its resulting failure gave Universal an $85 million loss. ‘’’Made its money back, cut’’’
- Sex Drive (2008) — Budget, $19 million. Box office, $18,755,936. This was one of a string of flops for Summit Entertainment's first year as an independent distributor, though they rebounded the next month when they began The Twilight Saga. It also caused producer Alloy Entertainment to stick to television until Everything, Everything. ‘’’Not that bad a loss, cut’’’
- Sex Lives of the Potato Men (2004) — Budget, $1.8 million. Box office, $1.25 million. Often cited as one of the worst British films in years, this Awful British Sex Comedy was slammed by virtually every critic and has a rare 0% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Compounding the issue was the fact that nearly $1 million of the budget was provided by The National Lottery's "good causes" funding via The UK Film Council and this "absolutely, indescribably horrible, vulgar, stupid, tawdry, depressing, embarrassing, filthy, vile, stinky, repugnant, slimy, unclean, nasty, degenerative and mind-numbing" film (as Mark Kermode put it) is not what people expected their money to go towards. ‘’’Not that bad a loss, cut’’’
- Sextette (1978) — Budget, $7 million. Box office, $51,000. One of two films Mae West made after coming out of retirement, with Myra Breckinridge being the other, this adaptation of her play was also her final film. Part of the film's lack of appeal was presenting the far past her prime West as a memetic sex goddess surrounded by much younger men (including Timothy Dalton, her on-screen husband, who regards this as an Old Shame). ‘’’Keep’’’
Edited by hello86 on Aug 17th 2022 at 8:30:29 AM
hello86
Since: Sep, 2009
#64: Aug 17th 2022 at 8:43:18 PM
SG - SH
- Sgt. Bilko (1996) — Budget, $39 million. Box office, $37,956,793. This film version of the classic TV series was one of several busts in the mid-90s for director Jonathan Lynn. Not enough of a loss, cut
- Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1978) — Budget, $13 million. Box office, $20 million. The film version of the Beatles' album was ripped to shreds for its thin and incomprehensible story. This was a Star-Derailing Role for almost everyone in the cast with the notable exceptions of Steve Martin, George Burns, Donald Pleasence and Earth, Wind & Fire. It was overshadowed that summer by the far more successful musical Grease. made enough of its money back, cut'
- Sgt. Stubby: An American Hero (2018) — Budget, $25 million. Box office, $2,831,366 (domestic). This animated film about the World War One hero dog was the first feature for Labyrinth Media & Publishing's American subsidiary Fun Academy. The critics liked it but it suffered from Invisible Advertising and died against Rampage on its opening weekend. Keep
- The Shadow (1994) — Budget, $40 million. Box office, $32,063,435 (domestic), $48,063,435 (worldwide). The film version of the old radio show and pulp hero started out strong but it faded out in a crowded summer. This was also among several bombs that ended Alec Baldwin's leading-man reputation, though he's had great success since as a character actor. Not enough of a loss, cut
- Shadow Conspiracy (1997) — Budget, $45 million. Box office, $2,312,463. This was the final directing job from George P. Cosmatos, and its embarrassing failure assassinated his career, which he was not able to revive before his death 8 years later. This movie also helped derail Charlie Sheen's main cinematic career, with the man moving to television, and co-writer Adi Hasak did not write in Hollywood again at all until 2010, and did not get another producer credit until 2014. This film also convinced distributor Disney to end their relationship with Cinergi Pictures, which led to that label plunging into darkness the next year once it released Burn Hollywood Burn. Keep
- Shadows and Fog (1992) — Budget, $14 million. Box office, $2,735,731. One of Woody Allen's least well-received films. This was also his last film with Orion Pictures, which declared bankruptcy that year. Keep
- Shaft (2019) — Budget, $30-35 million. Box office, $15.9 million. The fifth film in the Shaft series, and the third to use the title, was met with critical apathy, but audiences were more forgiving. To add insult to injury, its theatrical release was limited to the United States and Canada, with the rest of the world getting it on Netflix. Highest budget estimate points to a keep.
- Shag (1989) — Budget, $5 million. Box office, $6.9 million. Director Zelda Barron wouldn’t direct another theatrical film again, mostly doing TV work afterwards. Made its money back, cut
- Shakes the Clown (1991) — Budget, $1.4 million. Box office, $115,103. Bobcat Goldthwait had to wait 15 years before he could write and direct another feature film. Keep
- Shanghai (2010) — Budget, $50 million. Box office, $9,245,667. This was filmed in 2008 but it was placed on The Shelf of Movie Languishment for a while. It debuted in China in 2010 and waited five years before its US release where it died a quiet death in limited release with Invisible Advertising. Its US total amounted to 0.5% of its total box office. Keep
- Shanghai Surprise (1986) — Budget, $17 million. Box office, $2,315,683. Derailed Madonna's film career, but Sean Penn's mainstream career managed to recover (though their relationship did not). Director Jim Goddard, however, was much less fortunate. 'Keep
- Shark Night (2011) — Budget, $25 million. Box office, $18,877,153 (domestic), $40,136,479 (worldwide). This shark attack film was director David R. Ellis's final film before his death. Not enough of a loss, cut
- Shattered (1991) — Budget, $22 million. Box office, $11,511,031. Critics gave it mixed reviews and were particularly divided over the film's Twist Ending. Not enough of a loss, barely, so cut
- Shattered Glass (2003) — Budget, $6 million. Box office, $2.9 million. In spite of great reviews, this biopic of disgraced journalist Stephen Glass couldn't expand beyond a limited release and ensured that Hayden Christensen, who played Glass, would only be remembered for playing Anakin Skywalker/a suitless Darth Vader in the second and third Star Wars prequel trilogy films (for better and worse). Keep
- The Shawshank Redemption (1994) — Budget, $25 million. Box office, $16 million (original 1994 theatrical tally), $28.3 million (domestic tally after a February 1995 run during the Oscar season), $58 million (worldwide). This adaptation of the Stephen King short story was Frank Darabont's directorial debut. The atypical source material, plus competition from Pulp Fiction, among other films, led it to box office disappointment despite stellar reviews. It was Vindicated by Cable and video by the time it got seven Academy Award nominations and is now considered one of the greatest films of all time. This didn't prevent Shawshank from being the final film produced by Niki Marvin, who barely worked in Hollywood again. Darabont wouldn't direct again until The Green Mile - another prison drama adapted from a King work - five years later. Eventually made money back, so cut
- Sheena (1984) — Budget, $25 million. Box office, $5,778,353. Writer Lorenzo Semple Jr.'s career began to wind down after this movie, as did director John Guillermin (they only worked on one more movie). Keep
- Shelter (2008) — Budget, $500,000. Box office, $142,666. Its limited release topped out at 10 theaters. But critics gave it generally favorable reviews and it won numerous awards at various film festivals. Keep
- The Sheltering Sky (1990) — Budget, $25 million. Box office, $2,075,084. The film version of the Paul Bowles novel topped out at 95 theaters during its theatrical release. The critics were mixed about it while Bowles, who also narrated the film, despised it. Keep
- Sherlock Gnomes (2018) — Budget, $59 million. Box office, $43,242,871 (domestic), $90,345,871 (worldwide). The first fully-animated film produced by Paramount Animation, this hold-over from the late Brad Grey's regime was released over seven years after its predecessor. Critics weren't allowed to see it until opening day, and were unsurprisingly hostile when they did get to see it, and many of them questioned its very existence, especially considering Gnomeo & Juliet wasn't especially well received itself. It was also part of a very nasty string of bombs for Paramount and star Johnny Depp (although the former saved face with the micro-budgeted Sleeper Hit A Quiet Place just two weeks later). Made its money back, cut
- She's Having a Baby (1988) — Budget, $20 million. Box office, $16,031,707. This was John Hughes's first film to disappoint both critically and financially. He rebounded the next year with Uncle Buck. Not enough of a loss, cut
- She's So Lovely (1997) — Budget, $18 million. Box office, $7,281,450. John Cassavettes developed this romantic drama in the 1980's but it was put on the back-burner when he died in 1989. His son, Nick, finished the film. The end result was released on Labor Day weekend where it was greeted with mixed-to-positive reviews and topped out at 844 theaters. Keep
- Shining Through (1992) — Budget, $30 million. Box office, $21,633,781 (domestic), $43,838,238 (worldwide). This World War II spy melodrama got negative reviews and was a career setback for Melanie Griffith and director David Seltzer. Made enough of its money back, cut
- The Shipping News (2001) — Budget, $35 million. Box office, $24,405,825. The film version of E. Annie Proulx's novel received mixed reviews and a limited release which topped out at 434 theaters. It still received various nominations and awards from various organizations, including a National Board of Review award for Cate Blanchett. Not enough of a loss, cut
- A Shock to the System (1990) — Budget, $10 million. Box office, $3,417,056. Keep
- Shock Treatment (1981) — Budget, $3.5 million (estimated). Box office, less than $100,000. This sort-of sequel to The Rocky Horror Picture Show was released as a midnight movie due to the ongoing success of its predecessor as one. Instead, it got an even worse critical and audience reception than its predecessor and flopped worse than the original's run as a general release movie. It never had a general release due to its resounding failure. It still became a minor Cult Classic in later years, though. Keep
- Shoot 'Em Up (2007) — Budget, $39 million. Box office, $26,820,641. Critics liked this Affectionate Parody of action films for its shameless and over-the-top demeanor, but it got shot down after six weeks in theaters. This ended up a Creator Killer for director Michael Davis, who hasn't made another movie since, and was part of a string of flops that discredited Clive Owen as a leading actor in Hollywood. Not enough of a loss, cut
- Shoot the Moon (1982) — Budget, $12 million. Box office, $9.2 million. This was an Acclaimed Flop released in late January/early February to avoid competition with star Diane Keaton's more-high profile release Reds. Keaton and co-star Albert Finney both got Golden Globe nominations out of it. Not enough of a loss, cut
- Shooter (2007) — Budget, $61 million. Box office, $47,003,582 (domestic), $95,696,996 (worldwide). This film version of Stephen Hunter's first Bobby Lee Swagger novel, Point of Impact, fell short of its budget, but it did inspire a TV series nine years later. Made its money back, cut
- Short Circuit 2 (1988) - Budget, $15 million. Box office, $21.6 million. While its predecessor made $40.7 million on a $15 million budget, this sequel fell short, likely due to it being released in a packed summer. It also got worse critical reviews, though Roger Ebert, who disliked the original, liked this one. Made its money back, cut
- Short Cuts (1993) — Budget, $12 million. Box office, $6,110,979. This ensemble film adapted from several Raymond Carver short stories received rave reviews but it never left limited release. Barely not enough of a loss, cut
- Shorts (2009) — Budget, $20 million. Box office, $20,919,166 (domestic), $28,972,508 (worldwide). This was part of a string of flops for Robert Rodriguez which he broke the next year with Machete. Critics gave it generally mixed reviews. Made its money back, cut'
- Shout (1991) — Budget, $11 million. Box office, $3,547,684. This film did not open in many markets, and was criticized by Roger Ebert for being historically and geographically inaccurate in its setting. Shout served as choreographer Jeffrey Hornaday's only theatrical direction job, and he wouldn't try directing anything again for 20 years. 'Keep
- Show Dogs (2018) — Budget, $44.4 million. Box office, $39,156,854. It received lousy reviews and was part of a string of flops that would kill Global Road Entertainment only a year after they were renamed from Open Road Films. Not enough of a loss, cut
- Showdown in Little Tokyo (1991) — Budget, about $8,000,000. Box office, $2,275,557. Brandon Lee's American film debut suffered from Executive Meddling from Warner Bros. which cut the film down from 90 to 79 minutes and gave it a limited theatrical release in the United States, Mexico, Italy, Israel and Hungary. It became Vindicated by Video following Lee's death on the set of The Crow. Keep
- Showgirls (1995) — Budget, $45 million. Box office, $20,350,754. Derailed the Hollywood career of star Elizabeth Berkley, and the viability of NC-17 rated films in general. Also put a heavy dent in director Paul Verhoeven's career as well as writer Joe Eszterhas who had a double-whammy with this and Jade, which earned him a tongue-lashing from Gene Siskel at the end of 1995. Another Worst Picture Golden Raspberry Award winner, Burn Hollywood Burn, would finally fell him 3 years later. This film became an immediate Old Shame to almost everyone on the crew (co-star Kyle MacLachlan was rumored to have almost stormed out on the film, while composer Toni Halliday actually did); Verhoeven even became the first person to accept a Razzie in person at the awards show. Showgirls was partially salvaged by home video sales, however, becoming one of MGM's highest home entertainment sellers. note Keep
- Showtime (2002) — Budget, $85 million. Box office, $77,741,732. One of three flops in 2002 that severely impacted Eddie Murphy's career. Not enough of a loss, cut
- Shut In (2016) — Budget, $10 million. Box office, $8.4 million (worldwide). This is the second film distributed by EuropaCorp in 2016, and like the film before it, it was panned by critics and faced competition from major blockbusters by other studios, such as Doctor Strange (2016). Not enough of a loss, cut
Edited by hello86 on Aug 17th 2022 at 8:44:45 AM
hello86
Since: Sep, 2009
#65: Aug 17th 2022 at 8:51:18 PM
I'm going to stop for the night, but before I go, I'm going to post an overlong example from S-T:
- Super Mario Bros (1993) — Budget, $42 million (not counting marketing costs), $48 million (counting them). Box office, $20,915,465. The first live-action film based on a video game also started the Video Game Movies Suck trend. The drastically different take on Mario and the Development Hell it went through, squashed an attempt by Disney, who distributed the film through Hollywood Pictures, to integrate Nintendo into their theme-park business, and led to Nintendo mandating that none of their franchises (barring Animal Crossing: The Movie and continued Pokémon spin-offs) be adapted into movies until 2016, when they established their own film company. Bob Hoskins (Mario) considered this film to be his biggest Old Shame, while co-stars John Leguizamo (Luigi) and Dennis Hopper (Koopa/Bowser), were also unhappy with it (series creator Shigeru Miyamoto was much more forgiving than they were). This movie and Medicine Man were very poor starts to co-production company Cinergi Pictures' business (it was somewhat offset by Tombstone the same year), and another production company, Allied Filmmakers, never had another successful film after this; both closed by 2000 (Cinergi was finished off by another Disney-distributed film, Burn Hollywood Burn). The husband-and-wife directing team of Annabel Jankel and Rocky Morton, whom Hoskins, Leguizamo and Hopper all disdained, never worked on another theatrical film, and the movie, along with The Scarlet Letter, would begin producer Roland Joffe's drop into the B and then C lists of producers/directors. The Mario franchise would get another shot at the big screen when Comcast/Universal struck a licensing deal with Nintendo in 2016, with an animated film by Illumination Entertainment scheduled for 2023. This was after I took a hatchet to the original, much longer version. Anyone have ideas to shorten it further?
hello86
Since: Sep, 2009
#66: Aug 17th 2022 at 10:06:36 PM
Because I don't know when to quit, I'll revise the example I posted.
- Super Mario Bros (1993) — Budget, $42 million (not counting marketing costs), $48 million (counting them). Box office, $20,915,465. The first live-action film based on a video game also started the Video Game Movies Suck trend. A Troubled Production led to a Darker and Edgier take on Mario which alienated fans and was rendered extinct by the time another Dinosaur themed film arrived. Stars John Leguizamo, Dennis Hopper and especially Bob Hoskins were unhappy with it (though Leguizamo eventually found peace with it, while franchise creator Shigeru Miyamoto was more forgiving), while the husband-and-wife team of Annabel Jenkel and Rocky Morton, whom they disdained, never directed another film. This and several subsequent bombs squashed production companies Allied Filmmmakers and Cinergi's prospects, as well as those of producer Roland Joffe. The fallout led Nintendo to issue a No Adaptations Policy (baring some exceptions) for its works, which was relaxed in 2016 in time for Pokémon Detective Pikachu and an animated Mario film from Illumination Entertainment to begin production.
#67: Aug 17th 2022 at 10:50:20 PM
Woah woah, let's slow down a little. The purpose of this thread is to have a little consensus with what we're removing so generally one letter section (or section part) is posted so the others can review it before any action is taken (in case of dissent or uncertainty).
CSP Cleanup Thread | All that I ask for ... is diamonds and dance floors
hello86
Since: Sep, 2009
#68: Aug 17th 2022 at 11:11:35 PM
OK, I will.
harryhenry
It's either real or it's a dream
Since: Jan, 2012
It's either real or it's a dream
#69: Aug 18th 2022 at 5:31:42 AM
Here's all the "Q" examples, since it's so short.
Q
- Queen of Katwe (2016) — Budget, $15 million. Box office, $10,195,036. This and the underperformance of McFarland, USA caused Disney to exclusively focus on tentpole fare for their theatrical releases.note It did get great reviews from critics though. Not enough of a loss, cut
- Queen of the Damned (2002) — Budget, $35 million. Box office, $30,336,800 (domestic), $45,479,110 (worldwide). This was Aaliyah's last film performance before the plane crash that would sadly claim her life; it was released posthumously in her memory. Made money back worldwide, cut.
- Queens Logic (1991) — Budget, $12 million. Box office, $612,781. Never got out of a limited release. Do limited releases count for trope? If they do, keep
- Quest for Camelot (1998) — Budget, $40,000,000 (Not counting marketing costs). Box office, $22,510,798 (domestic). A rare film in that its soundtrack became far more popular than the movie; the Céline Dion/Andrea Bocelli hit "The Prayer" was written for this movie. This movie was the first in a series of animated misfires from Warner Bros. that led to Looney Tunes: Back In Action, which killed their animation department. It is believed that WB's disappointment in the film led to the studio's half-hearted advertising campaign for the animation unit's next film, The Iron Giant. Warner would not get a serious foothold in the theatrical animation industry until The Lego Movie in 2014. Lauren Faust worked on this movie and regrets ever working on it heavily. Director Frederik Du Chau and one of the writers, The Croods co-director Kirk De Micco, didn't do another theatrical film for seven years, and both it and The King and I banished the career of another writer, David Seidler, from the cinemas until 2010. The worldwide gross was $38 million, thus it only loss slightly less than its budget, cut.
- The Quick and the Dead (1995) — Budget, $32 million. Box office, $18.6 million. This star-studded Western divided critics on release. It started a slump of underperforming Sam Raimi movies for the next several years, but became a Cult Classic on home video. I think this counts? %15 million does seem like a big enough loss, but that could just be me.
- Quick Change (1990) — Budget, $17 million. Box office, $15,260,154. Based on Jay Cronley's novel of the same name, which was filmed in 1985 as Hold-Up, this crime comedy was Bill Murray's only film as director. His co-director, Howard Franklin, directed only two more films. Not enough of a loss, cut.
- Quicksilver (1986) — Budget, $10 million. Box office, $7,246,979. Not enough of a loss, cut.
- The Quiet American (2002) — Budget, $30 million. Box office, $27,573,124. This film was an Acclaimed Flop, in large part because the events of 9/11 caused audiences to perceive the film as "anti-American propaganda", mirroring the reception that the source material (a novel by Graham Greene) got when it was first published during the Red Scare in 1955. The commercial failure hurt the director and writers, one of whom, co-writer Robert Schenkkan, didn't write another cinematic screenplay until Hacksaw Ridge in 2016. It also halted actress Do Thi Hai Yen's chance at breaking through to American film, as this ended up being the only non-Vietnamese production she appeared in. Not enough of a loss, cut.
- Quigley Down Under (1990) — Budget, $20 million. Box office, $21,413,105. This Australia-set Western received mixed reviews from critics, but audiences were more favourable. Cable re-runs and home video allowed it to find a following. Just about made its budget back, cut.
- Quills (2000) — Budget, $13.5 million. Box office, $7,065,332 (domestic), $18 million (worldwide). The film version of Doug Wright's play about the last days of the Marquis de Sade received good notices from critics, even if they admitted it was hard to watch, but it topped out at 223 theaters. Director Philip Kaufman waited four years before his next film, Twisted. Made its money back worldwide, cut.
- Quiz Show (1994) — Budget, $31 million. Box office, $24.8 million. Robert Redford's film about the 1950s Quiz Show scandals earned glowing reviews but its release topped out at 822 theaters. Not enough of a loss, cut.
laserviking42
from End-World
Since: Oct, 2015
Relationship Status: You're a beautiful woman, probably
#70: Aug 20th 2022 at 10:08:25 AM
I finally had a chance to look these over, everything seems fine so far. To answer a question I saw, it seems that limited releases do count, so go ahead and keep those.
I'll start on D later on today hopefully.
I didn't choose the troping life, the troping life chose me
#71: Aug 20th 2022 at 10:48:49 AM
Is there anything different we need to do with films that had multiple theatre runs like Morbius?
Edited by badtothebaritone on Aug 20th 2022 at 12:48:59 PM
Arctimon
Since: Nov, 2009
#72: Aug 22nd 2022 at 1:40:36 PM
Probably not. The second run didn't even matter; it had already made more than its budget back, so it wouldn't be considered a bomb.
FromtheWordsofBR
Since: Apr, 2012
#73: Aug 30th 2022 at 10:17:04 AM
The Morbius example confuses me because while it made back its budget worldwide, in America it is undeniably a flop (making $74 million on an estimated $75–83 million). What are the standards for a B.O.B. if a movie flops in its native country but (mostly) gets its money back overseas?
#74: Aug 30th 2022 at 10:55:14 AM
Then it's not a bomb. Simple as that. For Morbius specifically, even if it made no money overseas, it wouldn't be a bomb because it would have only been a relatively small loss.
Edited by badtothebaritone on Aug 30th 2022 at 12:55:34 PM
laserviking42
from End-World
Since: Oct, 2015
Relationship Status: You're a beautiful woman, probably
#75: Aug 30th 2022 at 1:35:36 PM
I've been using a rough metric of making less than 75% of its budget.
Again, the page makes a distinction between not meeting expected revenue targets and losing a ton of money.
I didn't choose the troping life, the troping life chose me
Total posts: 169
So I'm amending my post with the work I did for the I folder. A couple of these need additional feedback because they were only played in a very limited amount of theaters, and I'm not sure if it can be considered a bomb if a movie is intentionally released in only a handful of theatres (>100 or so).
Also I'm going by the rule that it has to be less than 50% of its budget in order to count. I think that's a safe guideline going forward.
Edited by Arctimon on Aug 16th 2022 at 12:42:28 PM