10 Films That Flopped At The Box Office Despite Mammoth Budgets, And 9 Low-Budget Movies That Made Hefty Profits

"I got a call from a New York police officer who had worked in Maryland for years and wanted to help. I had to tell him it was all fake."

Making a film is a risk – there's no guarantee it'll be a critical or financial success. Sometimes, not even a big name or a well-known franchise can escape the dangers of a massive budget.

Paramount Pictures

We also assume that "breaking even" at the box office or even exceeding their production budget means that the film didn't lose money – but with marketing and other costs, that's often not the case.

For example, Harry Potter and the Order of the Pheonix had a reported production budget of $150m, yet after it made nearly $1bn gross at the box office, it still was short $167m of the movie's total expenditure. 

Sometimes, however, through excellent filmmaking, canny marketing, or both, a movie can turn a tiny production budget into a huge success.

NBC

Let's start with some movies with massive budgets that were box office flops:

1. Lightyear

Walt Disney Motion Studio Pictures

Production Budget: $218,768,299

Box Office: $200,000,000

There was always going to be a dropoff from the main Toy Story movies to Lightyear for a variety of reasons. First of all, the movie doesn't include many of the franchise's most beloved characters. Also, the concept was both somewhat confusing and a departure from what made the franchise so fun and likeable. Here they weren't toys, it was the character that the toy Buzz was based on. 

Considering all of this, and also the fact that Tim Allen was no longer voicing Buzz, it's unsurprising that this spin-off followed the trajectory of many others, and performed far worse than the originals. 

Watch the trailer:

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2. Jungle Cruise

Walt Disney Motion Studio Pictures

Production Budget: $300,000,000

Box Office: $210,469,803

Jungle Cruise, boasting a star-studded cast and an action-ridden plot was bound to be expensive. Its release also came in the midst of Hollywood's pandemic-hit slump, which certainly contributed to its major loss. 

Another reason for its unimpressive financial performance could have been to do with what some critics described as a "lack of originality". While Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt's performances were highly praised, the film that was supposed to be a blockbuster was seen as somewhat underwhelming, with one review saying: "It’s not badly done by any means, yet it's deathly derivative."

Watch the trailer here:

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3. Mulan (2020)

Walt Disney Motion Studio Pictures

Production Budget: $200,000,000

Box Office: $69,973,540

Disney's remake of Mulan was shrouded in controversy, which, combined with a generally poor reception, condemned it to box-office flop status. From the movie's star declaring her support for the police in Hong Kong during the human rights protests, to the film's release being accompanied by a "BoycottMulan" hashtag, it was destined to fail. 

Adding to the offscreen disasters, the movie itself didn't deliver, with critics claiming that "it is bogged down with its own glossy, pastiche depictions of ancient Chinese culture."

You can see the trailer here:

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4. The Matrix Resurrections

Warner Bros. Pictures

Production Budget: $190,000,000 

Box Office: $159,197,755

Some attribute the box-office loss to the decision to release the movie on HBO Max alongside theatres, which naturally drove down ticket sales. Others also blame the movie itself for the lack of interest in it, with claims that it had been "drained of life by the Hollywood machine."

Watch the trailer here:

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5. Turning Red

Walt Disney Motion Studio Pictures

Production Budget: $175,000,000

Box Office: $10,964,971

That's a hefty loss for Disney, particularly for a movie that was actually rather well-received by critics and audiences alike. The Guardian described it as "a fizzing, squealing adolescent explosion of a movie that nails a fundamental truth about growing up." 

So why did it make such a loss? Well, the decision to release it in cinemas and on Disney+ simultaneously had to have contributed to its box office loss. Considering the situation with COVID at the time, the decision made sense. Still, staffers at Pixar were disappointed with it nonetheless, with one saying: 

"Until today, we all thought Turning Red would be our return to the big screen, and everyone at the studio was so excited about it being this film in particular. It was quite a blow.”

Take a look at the trailer:

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6. Onward

Walt Disney Motion Studio Pictures

Production Budget: $200,000,000

Box Office: $133,357,601

Although being a well-liked movie, Onward performed well below expectations. There are a number of reasons for its disappointing performance, but some attributed it to the marketing of the movie. First of all, the trailers sort of gave up the entire plot without doing justice to the deeply personal aspects of what was actually a highly emotive movie. 

Another suggestion is that the movie didn't quite market itself as one for all ages, and was seen to be more of a "just for kids" Pixar movie, which may have dampened the excitement around it. 

You can see the trailer here:

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7. John Carter

Walt Disney Motion Studio Pictures

Production Budget: $263,700,000 

Box Office: $282,778,100

There are a number of theories as to why this big-budget blockbuster failed to get bums on seats. One of which is the lack of star power. Unlike most expensive action movies, John Carter starred largely unknown quantities, including the lead, Taylor Kitsch. The lack of star pull could have contributed to its poor showing, along with what has been described as a "rotten" marketing campaign. Some suggest that the bland trailers and non-descript title failed to get across the premise of the movie, which stopped viewers from being intrigued to see it. 

Furthermore, the movie itself suffered from bad reviews, with one saying "The fantasy-romance adventures of a civil war veteran transported to Mars made for a giant, suffocating doughy feast of boredom."

Check out the trailer:

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8. Chaos Walking

Lionsgate

Production Budget: $100,000,000

Box Office: $27,072,169

The strong cast failed to deliver the monetary success that Chaos Walking expected. One reason for the film's failure, and for the large expense, was the messy screenwriting process. So many different writers worked on it, over such a long period of time, that by the time the first cut was finished, it was apparently so bad it was "unreleasable" – having already cost $100m. 

The lengthy production time really hit the movie, both in terms of expenditure and public interest. The finished product was as messy as the production process – one review read: "Tom Holland and Daisy Ridley are lost in a sea of dystopian cliches in a delayed and misjudged adventure about a future where men’s thoughts are visible"

Here's the trailer:

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9. Space Jam: A New Legacy

Warner Bros. Pictures

Production Budget: $150,000,000

Box Office: $143,987,946

The sequel to the 1996 original fell foul to a lack of interest in it from viewers and pretty terrible reviews. Perhaps the fact that the original itself wasn't exactly well-received, alongside the vastly higher budget led to the movie's poor performance at the box office. Additionally, bad reviews wouldn't have helped drive up interest in the film, with one review saying: "Space Jam 2 is a soulless, overlong HBO gimmick."

The general consensus was that Lebron's performance actually better than Michael Jordan's, but it was the rest of the movie (and perhaps the lack of demand for it) that saw it fail. 

See the trailer here:

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10. West Side Story

20th Century Studios

Production Budget: $100,000,000

Box Office: $74,826,329

Spielberg rarely gets things wrong, but when it came to money, the ambitious remake of West Side Story failed to deliver. Spielberg assured the public that the remake would amend the stereotyping of the original, which had earnt it an unpopular reputation, particularly amongst the Latine community. 

The movie failed to stir up interest, however, and with some bad reviews saying it was "worse than the original", its poor box office showing may not have come as a surprise to some. 

Contrary to the financial failings, Ariana DeBose's portrayal of Anita won her a Best Supporting Actress, making her the first queer woman of colour to win an Acadamy award in an acting category! 

Additionally, not all reviews were bad – with some critics claiming that leads Ansel Elgort and Rachel Zegler were more of a natural pair than the original film's leads. Despite the strength of their and Ariana's performances, however, they were unable to elevate the movie to any sort of box office success. 

Look at the trailer here:

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So, we've seen how a big budget doesn't always turn out well, let's look at some shoestring budget successes:

11. Mad Max

Warner Bros.

Production Budget: $200,000

Box Office: $99,750,000

Mad Max is undoubtedly one of Hollywood's greatest achievements. Having such a small budget and such an action-filled plot, the filmmakers had to endeavour in what filmmaker George Miller called "guerilla filmmaking." 

On how they did it, George said: "It meant that we had to sweep up the roads after there was a car crash. Byron and I would stay back at night and sweep up the roads. It meant that the film was cut in a flat that we borrowed from a friend and he would cut sound in the lounge room and I’d cut picture in the kitchen."

Of course, the movie did astoundingly well considering its small budget, and the franchise has gone on to be one of the biggest in Hollywood. 

Watch the trailer here:

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12. Paranormal Activity

Paramount Pictures

Production Budget: $450,000

Box Office: $194,183,034

How do you make a movie so cheap? The answer is simple, make it look like a home movie. That's exactly what Oren Peli did for Paranormal Activity, which turned into a seven-movie franchise and did incredibly well. 

The idea for the movie was natural Oren said, talking about how the idea came from when he and his then-girlfriend were living in the San Diego home – "Actually there were strange noises at night that made us both jumpy. You know, stuff falling off shelves ..."

Thinking of setting up a video camera to see what was going on, he had the idea to take this premise and make a movie. – "After seeing Blair Witch and Open Water, I realised that anyone can buy a video camera and start shooting a movie." 

Of course, this phenomenon of strange noises in the dark is so relatable, that it naturally drew audiences in, and the jumpy, terrifying movie turned out to be a huge success. 

Here's the trailer:

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13. El Mariachi

Columbia Pictures

Production Budget: $7,000

Box Office: $2,041,928

Robert Rodriguez's remarkable rise to Hollywood fame is one of the greatest and most unique success stories in film. When he was a student, he shot his first film, El Mariachi, with the intention to sell it to the Hispanic home video market. But when a Hollywood agent saw the film and recognised his talent, Columbia Pictures agreed to release it internationally. 

With every shot made to count in the movie, it became a huge success and spawned a sequel/remake, Desperado, and a third movie, Once Upon a Time in Mexico – along with the career of Robert himself.

Watch the trailer here:

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14. The Blair Witch Project

Summit Entertainment

Production Budget: $600,000

Box Office: $248,300,000

The Blair Witch Project was a masterpiece in movie making and marketing. In terms of filming, co-director Daniel Myrick explained the bizarre process and shooting schedule: 

"It wasn’t like a normal film: the actors would work the cameras, filming each other all the time. Using GPS, we directed them to locations marked with flags or milk crates, where they’d leave their footage and pick up food and our directing notes." – These directions included things such as “Heather, you’re absolutely sure that to get out of this mess you go south. Don’t take no for an answer.”

In terms of marketing, the buzz that was surrounding the movie as it headed to Sundance was party due to the website they'd created that suggested the student filmmakers in the movie had actually gone missing. Daniel spoke about this, saying: "I got a call from a New York police officer who had worked in Maryland for years and wanted to help. I had to tell him it was all fake." 

The film's realistic aura contributed to its great success – even actor Heather Donahue''s parents were concerned for her when she got initially cast, as actor Joshua Leonard explained: "Heather’s parents were worried Ed and Dan might be taking her out into the woods to make a snuff movie."

Here's the trailer:

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15. Halloween

Compass International Pictures

Production Budget: $325,000

Box Office: $70,274,000

John Carpenter, with a small cast and just a 20-day shoot, was able to make one of the most influential slasher movies ever with a tiny budget, even for 1978. Carpenter's style and a few money-saving tricks (including the throwing and gathering of multiple bags of leaves every day) managed to create this incredibly successful film for so little. 

Jamie Lee Curtis' performance, along with the classic suspense & bloodshed style put Halloween into horror history and made a hefty profit in the process. 

See the trailer here:

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16. Super Size Me

Samuel Goldwyn Films

Production Budget: $65,000

Box Office: $22,233,808

When Morgan Spurlock began making his documentary, where he ate McDonald's every day for a month, no one, including McDonald's, thought it would become such a sensation. But Morgan believed the intrigue was there from the start, saying: "You already have an investment in the movie just because you want to know what happens to this guy." 

The fascination people have with seeing individuals push their bodies to the limits is certainly something that Morgan capitalised on, and one that helped him win Best Director at Sundance. Watchers got what they came for, as Morgan's doctors who first saw the project as a bit of a gimmick, began getting serious, at one point telling him that his liver was "turning to pâté." 

The movie did incredibly well considering its small budget and very simple premise, and also garnered a very strong and series response from McDonald's themselves. 

Look at the trailer here:

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17. Rocky

Paramount Pictures

Production Budget: $1,000,000

Box Office: $225,000,000

Sylvester Stalone's Academy Award-winning movie has an incredible origin story, one that included him rejecting a $360,000 offer for the script when he was broke because they wanted someone else to play the lead. It turned out to be a fantastic decision though because he was eventually offered a $1m budget to create the movie that would clear up at both the box office and the Academy Awards!

Watch the trailer:

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18. The Devil Inside

Paramount Pictures

Production Budget: $1,000,000

Box Office: $101,759,490

The Devil Inside followed the successful blueprint of Paranormal Activity both in style and in marketing. Stylistically, the fake documentary angle drew in fans of Paranormal Activity and The Blair Witch Project. Marketing-wise, Don Harris, president of domestic distribution for Paramount even said that it followed a similar strategy to Paranormal Activity.  

The horror fanbase, which Hollywood.com analyst Paul Dergarabedian said was "very difficult to track" came in its droves, and made The Devil Inside a financial success despite a pretty bad critical reception. 

Check out the trailer:

youtube.com

19. Napoleon Dynamite

Lions Gate Films

Production Budget: $400,000

Box Office: $46,122,713

Napoleon Dynamite's success came from its purity and originality, which helped it garner a cult following its 2004 release. The movie was made by a group of recently graduated Brigham Young University film students and was shot in only three weeks. In fact, producer Jeremy Coon actually borrowed money from his brother in order to make the movie. 

With a good reception at Sundance, Napoleon Dynamite capitalised on word of mouth and a canny marketing campaign to become a financial success and a cult classic. 

Here's the trailer:

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What are your fave tiny budget films? Or big-budget 'blockbusters' that underwhelmed? Let us know in the comments below!