Don't Judge A Movie By Its Box Office: 15 Flops That Show It's Not Just About $$$

"It tanked the tank of all time because no one wants to see an R-rated Big Bird movie. Nobody gives a sh*t."

Nothing is ever guaranteed in this life, particularly in the film industry. So whether a movie has won high praise, has a star student cast, or even been recognised at the Academy Award, it's not guaranteed to be a financial success.

Fox

For context, even if a movie makes back its production budget, it would still be waaaay out of pocket due to all the promotion and marketing costs.

So, here are 15 films that flopped at the box office despite being well received.

1. Treasure Planet

Buena Vista Pictures Distribution

Budget: $140,000,000

Box Office: $110,041,363

Average Rating: 69% (7.2 IMDb)

The failure of Treasure Planet caused such a financial blow to Disney that they had to lower their predicted quarterly results by around 20%. The box office disappointment wasn't due to bad reviews, instead, it looks like it failed to attract attention while up against two British franchise titans, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, and Die Another Day.

The film itself is remembered fondly, and has been described as "an unsung triumph of technical innovation."

Watch the trailer here:

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2. The Sisters Brothers

Annapurna Pictures

Budget: $38,000,000

Box Office: $13,143,056

Average Rating: 87%

With a star-studded cast and favourable reviews, it's a surprise that Jacques Audiard's debut English language film did so poorly at the box office. Joaquin Phoenix and John C. Reilly were supported by Riz Ahmed and Jake Gyllenhaal in what critic Peter Bradshaw called "a portrait of male sadness and claustrophobic and empty male ambition." 

The Western that was deemed "subtle and funny" failed to make an impression either domestically or worldwide. The reason was most likely the failure, or indeed absence, of any real marketing – something that Annapurna Pictures have struggled with in the past. 

Take a look here:

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3. The Lost City of Z

Amazon Studios

Budget: $30,000,000 

Box Office: $19,358,084

Average Rating: 86%

When you hear a description of a movie about an adventurer with an obsession with a lost Amazonian city, you immediately think of a swashbuckling boobytrap-ridden Hollywood blockbuster. James Gray’s movie is a different take on this type of film, however, and is more of a slow burn than a blaze of glory – but is an intriguing and enjoyable one nonetheless. 

The box office failure could be a product of the mid-sized budget for a more indie film, and the release being alongside the Hollywood blockbuster that was The Fate of the Furious. 

Have a look here:

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4. Annihilation

Paramount Pictures, Netflix

Budget: $40,000,000

Box Office: $43,070,915

Average Rating: 88%

It was clear that the high-ups at Paramount were worried about the less conventional formula for this movie when they decided to dump it on Netflix internationally while it was still in US cinemas. They'd been warned by some test audiences that the more intellectually complex film wouldn't draw the audiences of a more formulaic sci-fi film, and they were proved right. 

The movie, despite being well-received by critics, was a box office disappointment, and while it did do well upon its Netflix release, it was a bit of a sucker-punch to the more introspective sci-fi films. 

Take a look here:

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5. The Fabelmans

Universal Pictures

Budget: $40,000,000

Box Office: $44,747,487

Average Rating: 92%

Spielberg's semi-autobiographical film earned high praise, with descriptions such as: "a stunning critical insight into his own work and how and why artists cauterise childhood pain and rewrite their youth." It also received seven Academy Award nominations including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actress. 

Despite the glowing reviews and big-shot director, The Fabelmans failed to turn good reviews into a strong box office performance. 

Here's the trailer:

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6. Office Space

20th Century Studios

Budget: $10,000,000

Box Office: $10,828,256

Average Rating: 80%

Since its disappointing cinema release, Office Space has become a real cult classic and made up for theatre losses in big home video wins. The masterful office-based spoof was doomed by, according to John C. McGinley, poor marketing, and specifically the advertisement poster:

"If you cover a man in Post-Its, he looks like fucking Big Bird. So, the ad looked like an R-rated Big Bird movie. And so it tanked the tank of all time because no one wants to see an R-rated Big Bird movie. Nobody gives a shit."

Have a look here:

youtube.com

7. Babylon

Paramount Pictures

Budget: $110,000,000 

Box Office: $63,377,624

Average Rating: 56%  (7.2 on IMDb)

Even with an all-star cast and a well-regarded director, Babylon exemplified how a three-hour-long movie is a bit of a risk. "But what about Avatar?" I hear you say. Well, without the pull of the franchise and established fandom, it's not easy to entice audiences into such a long film these days. 

Speaking of Avatar, it probably didn't help Babylon's numbers that it was released around the same time as the sequel to one of the most lucrative movies of all time. The film itself also wasn't widely loved and received differing reactions from critics, but some believed it to be a "masterpiece." 

Check the trailer out here:

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8. Under The Skin

StudioCanal

Budget: $13,300,000

Box Office: $5,968,016

Average Rating: 84%

While this film is certainly not for everyone, it garnered rave reviews, with one critic describing it as "visually stunning and deeply disturbing: very freaky, very scary and very erotic." 

With Scarlett Johansson as an alien roaming around Glasgow in a van picking up men, it's surprising that the movie did so poorly. While it's a film that's sure to split opinions, many would argue it deserved to at least break even. 

Have a look here:

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9. Pop Star: Never Stop Never Stopping

Universal Pictures

Budget: $20,000,000

Box Office: $9,680,029

Average Rating: 79%

Andy Samberg's fun-loving pop fest was actually a good movie and was well-received by critics for it's smart, sharp comedic spoofiness. It succeeded in capturing Andy and Lonely Island's famous style and making it work in a movie, but failed to get bums on seats. 

There are a number of reasons why it failed at the box office. Firstly, Lonely Island's audience was perhaps a bit too old for the aesthetic of the movie, which may have dissuaded them from giving it a chance. Another issue was the marketing. To advertise, they used a lot of viral stunts that they thought would promote hype about the movie  – Andy going on The Voice for instance but neglected any sort of TV advertisement push in the run-up to its release. 

Here's the trailer:

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10. mother!

Paramount Pictures

Budget: $30,000,000

Box Office: $44,516,999 ($17,800,004)

Average Rating: 68%

Talk about splitting opinions, this horror movie took that to the extreme. With reviews very much divided, the film, starring Jennifer Lawrence and Javier Bardem did certainly leave a good impression on a number of critics. Mark Kermode called it "a subjective sensory experience, part waking dream, part walking nightmare."

The bad box office showing was down to a number of reasons. Firstly, the marketing wasn't great, with the trailer not really giving anything away. Its fate was also doomed by the release of IT, a known quantity in the horror-realm that stole pretty much all of the horror fan's attention. 

Here's the trailer:

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11. Only Lovers Left Alive

Soda Pictures

Budget: $7,000,000

Box Office: $7,609,187

Average Rating: 86%

Starring Tilda Swinton and Tom Hiddleston as centuries-old vampiric lovers, and with a strong critical response, it's surprising that it was such a box office failure. Perhaps in the era of the Twilight Saga, Only Lovers Left Alive's more subtle vampire story didn't quite capture the audiences it wanted. 

Its reviews suggest that it certainly deserves a watch, with one critic saying: 

"Bound to appeal to the more discerning, literary-minded strain of young goth, Only Lovers is a droll, classy piece of cinematic dandyism that makes the Twilight cycle redundant in one exquisitely languid stroke."

Watch the trailer here:

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12. Long Shot

Lionsgate

Budget: $40,000,000

Box Office: $53,873,809

Average Rating: 81%

Boasting a star-studded cast and a script described as "Knocked Up meets The Interview," Seth Rogan's rom-com actually got good reviews. One critic described it as "a hilarious and heartwarming romantic comedy that will have audiences howling in shock and awwww."

Charlize Theron's performance was funny and perfectly juxtaposed with the classically goofy style of Seth. That said, it failed to make a real impact at the box office, making just over the production budget. Perhaps it would have done better in the heyday of romantic comedies as opposed to the more blockbuster-inclined audiences of the late 2010s.  

Have a look at the trailer here:

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13. Ali

Sony Pictures Releasing

Budget: $107,000,000

Box Office: $87,812,729

Average Rating: 68% 

Despite Academy Award nominations for Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor alongside positive reviews, the biopic of the legendary boxer was a box office failure. Will Smith's strong performance wasn't enough to make up for the huge budget, particularly for a biopic, and stiff competition from other films, including the second Lord of the Rings movie that was released at a similar time. 

Here's the trailer:

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14. Munich

Universal Pictures

Budget: $70,000,000

Box Office: $130,982,129 ($47,403,685 domestic)

Average Rating: 78%

While the international release boosted the takings, Steven Spielberg's film was still considered a box office failure. The film is a depiction of Operation Wrath of God, a covert operation to assassinate people involved in the 1972 Munich massacre where 11 Israeli Olympians were killed.  

Despite the poor domestic performance, critics were clearly fond of the controversial movie, and it received five Academy Award nominations including a nomination for Best Picture. 

Watch the trailer here:

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15. The Insider

Buena Vista Pictures Distribution

Budget: $90,000,000

Box Office: $60,289,912

Average Rating: 96%

From director Michael Mann, this film is a fictionalised telling of a whistleblower in the tobacco industry. It boasted a heavyweight cast including Russel Crowe and Al Pacino as leads and received glowing reviews from critics. 

The poor box office reception could have been due to the failure to attack younger audiences, as the film doesn't follow the more formulaic 'box office hit' style of other '90s successes. Mann himself suggested the TV advertisements for the film didn't properly get the message across, which may have contributed to the lack of footfall too. 

The film's commercial disappointment was not reflected in its critical response, however, with the movie receiving seven Academy Award nominations!

Have a look here:

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What other major movies bombed at the box office? Let us know in the comments below!

Apr. 18, 2023, at 16:54 PM

Correction: An earlier version of this post included Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory by mistake.